jsins knits

Welcome to Sixburgh!!!!

2009-02-02T15:18:00.003-05:00

Photo Credits: Jo Ellen - Superbowl Party MVP!

Way to go Steelers!!!!!!!

Pittsburgh's goin' to the Super Bowl! Here we go!

2009-01-19T16:37:00.002-05:00

4 posts in one week! A blog record for jsins.

2009-01-16T10:06:00.005-05:00

I think this is the first time since I started the blog that I have actually posted 4 times in one week. Hopefully, this is a habit that I will continue through 2009.

I finally have a place to sit and knit in my new apartment. My new couch was delivered yesterday and is super comfortable. I can foresee many hours spent knitting away on it.

And what will I be knitting away on? I've cast on a pair of cuff-down socks with some Noro Kureyon Sock yarn from my stash. I've never knit with Noro and I'm finding the color changes to be very exciting. I'm never quite sure how it's all going to come together until the next color pops up. The yarn is a bit crunchy but not in a bad way. The knitted fabric feels much softer than the yarn itself does as you knit with it.

Happy Friday! Go Steelers!!!!

Keeping my Buddy Warm

2009-01-15T10:36:00.003-05:00

Meet Buddy. He does not like to be cold. The blanket he is covered in was on the back of the couch but he pulled it onto himself. He always likes to be under the covers unless it is extremely hot outside. It is very difficult to get him to go out when it is cold outside. Being the crafty aunt that I am, I decided it was time for my Budman to have a nice cozy jacket.

Trekking to Joann Fabric, I found McCall 4684 and purchased some nice warm fleece that was on sale for $2 a yard, extra wide binding tape and some velcro to whip up a dog jacket in an afternoon.

After about 3 hours of cutting, ironing and sewing, Buddy was the proud owner of a new jacket. We weren't sure if he would like it as he as been generally averse to any kind of doggie clothing but, given its blanket-like nature, he was quite pleased with the result and did not like having it taken off for modifications.

I will warn anyone thinking about making this pattern that you will have to heavily modify it to fit your dog. Although I measured Buddy and determined him to be a medium, it was extremely large in certain areas (too long, the straps hung below his waste) and too small in others (everytime he moves, the neck velcro comes undone.) If you are going to make this jacket, either do it in cheap fleece to try it or do a muslin before investing in more expensive fabric. I also would recommend skipping the binding and sewing the lining and outer garment together wrong sides together and turning it right side out to finish. Two layers of polar fleece combined with the binding tape were extremely difficult to sew and the binding did not add much to the garment.

Sew Much Fun

2009-01-14T11:39:00.005-05:00

If you are interested in sewing, I highly recommend that you check out Film in the Fridge. In addition to making beautiful and inspiring quilts, she offers a great tutorial on how to made reversible rick-rack napkins. I sewed these two sets for Christmas presents. They are a quick, fun project. I have the fabric picked out for three more gift sets and then will need to get cranking some of these babies out for myself. I really enjoyed picking out the coordinating fabrics and sewing these napkins. As someone who is fairly new to sewing, I learned alot about turning corners and could see my skills improve with each napkin.

Reversible Rick-Rack Napkins

Pattern: Film in the Fridge's Reversible Rick Rack Napkin Tutorial

Fabric: 100% cotton 1 yard each print from the quilting fabric section purchased at Joann Fabric

Notions: Medium Rick Rack (4 packages are needed to make 6 napkins) purchased at Joann Fabric

Notes: One yard of each coordinating print is enough to make 6 napkins measuring 13.5" x 13.5"

Here we go Steelers! Here we go! Pittsburgh's goin' to the...

2009-01-13T11:25:00.004-05:00

One game left before I can publish the rest of that thought without fear of retribution by the football gods. C'mon Stillers!!!!

I've been awol for a while but alot has been going on in jsinsland. I've moved into a new apartment that I love. I will post pics as soon as things start to come together in a photo-friendly way. I have lots of household-oriented sewing projects planned. There are lots of curtains to be made to say the least. I have a new couch coming this week so I will have some prime knitting space and the guest bedroom will serve a dual purpose as my sewing room!!! I am so excited to be in my own place. The roomates that I've had over the last few years are great friends and I enjoyed living with them but it is time to branch out on my own! I also have plenty of storage space (5 closets to be exact) in which to keep the stash from cluttering up the entire space.

I have been knitting and sewing over the past several months. I've been catching up on taking pictures of everthing and will break the updates into several posts throughout the week. Today's post will highlight my Steelers-related FOs.

The first are my new tried and tested Steelers socks. I debuted these puppies during the final regular season game against the Cleveland Browns to ensure that they were winners before wearing them for the playoffs. They are now 2-0 and, therefore, a very successful knit.

Here We Go Stillers Socks!

Yarn: Claudia Handpaints Steelers Colorway 2 skeins

Pattern: Judy's Magic Cast-On and Wendy's Generic Toe-Up Sock Pattern

Needles: Size 2 32" Knitpicks fixed circular for sock, Size 10 1/2 Knitpicks Option for binding off

Notes: These socks were knit one at a time using Magic Loop. The knit up quickly when I focused on them. I jumped to a 10 1/2 needle for the bind-off having not gone large enough on my Gryffindor socks, which are manageable but a bit difficult to get on and off.

The second project is a pair of ballband dishcloths that I made for my new apartment called The Steelers are doing my dishes! and The Steelers are doing my dishes Part Deux!

The Steelers are Doing My Dishes!

Yarn: Peaches and Creme Solids 1 skein Yellow and 1 skein Black.

Pattern: Ballband Dishcloth by Peaches and Creme as featured in Mason-Dixon Knitting

Needles: Size 7 straight needles, plastic from my great grandmother's stash

Notes: These knitted up quickly. I was able to get two coordinating ballband dishcloths out of the 2 skeins of Peaches and Creme with a little bit left over. I am using the leftovers to make a striped garter stitch dishcloth. My Steelers earrings are the embellishments in the dishcloth pics, one is a Steelers home helmet and the other is Troy Polamalu.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and wish you a great 2009!

jsins

She's got Bette Davis eyes. (P.S. Rock the Vote today!!!)

2008-11-04T13:53:00.001-05:00

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Bette!

You are a Bette -- "I must be strong"

Bettes are direct, self-reliant, self-confident, and protective.

How to Get Along with Me

* Stand up for yourself... and me.

* Be confident, strong, and direct.

* Don't gossip about me or betray my trust.

* Be vulnerable and share your feelings. See and acknowledge my tender, vulnerable side.

* Give me space to be alone.

* Acknowledge the contributions I make, but don't flatter me.

* I often speak in an assertive way. Don't automatically assume it's a personal attack.

* When I scream, curse, and stomp around, try to remember that's just the way I am.

What I Like About Being a Bette

* being independent and self-reliant

* being able to take charge and meet challenges head on

* being courageous, straightforward, and honest

* getting all the enjoyment I can out of life

* supporting, empowering, and protecting those close to me

* upholding just causes

What's Hard About Being a Bette

* overwhelming people with my bluntness; scaring them away when I don't intend to

* being restless and impatient with others' incompetence

* sticking my neck out for people and receiving no appreciation for it

* never forgetting injuries or injustices

* putting too much pressure on myself

* getting high blood pressure when people don't obey the rules or when things don't go right

Bettes as Children Often

* are independent; have an inner strength and a fighting spirit

* are sometimes loners

* seize control so they won't be controlled

* figure out others' weaknesses

* attack verbally or physically when provoked

* take charge in the family because they perceive themselves as the strongest, or grow up in difficult or abusive surroundings

Bettes as Parents

* are often loyal, caring, involved, and devoted

* are sometimes overprotective

* can be demanding, controlling, and rigid

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

Gettin' Halloweeny with it!

2008-10-23T11:00:00.005-04:00

In honor of the Halloween season, I decided to strike a campy pose for the debut of my Ms. Marigold at Night. I've spent the past few weekends going to Fright Nights at Kennywood Park and hitting the haunted house circuit in honor of the season. Having gone to Fright Nights on Saturday, Oct. 11, I would have to say that we hit the busiest night of the season. In 5 hours at the park, we were able to ride only 4 rides and didn't get to visit any of the haunted houses. Last weekend, we rectified this a bit by going to the Scare House and One Hundred Acres Manor. Both haunted houses were a lot of fun. If you choose to go to the Scare House, purchase your tickets online before you go. There are 2 lines, one for advanced ticketholders and one for people who need to buy tickets. Having been in the need to buy ticket line took probably 3 times as long to get into the haunted house as those who had bought their tickets in advance. If you are going to go to one haunted house in the Pittsburgh area, I would recommend going to One Hundred Acres Manor in South Park. It takes about an hour to get through the extensive series of buildings connected through outdoor trails/haunted parkways. So using the inspiration of the haunted houses, I am pleased to bring you Ms. Marigold at Night.

Pattern: Ms. Marigold by Zephyr Style
Yarn: Knitpicks Elegance in Coal 70% baby alpaca, 30% silk
Needles: Knitpicks Options size 5 and Knitpicks fixed circular size 3
Notes: I did the modification of finishing the armholes by picking up stitches and knitting 5 rows of k2p2 ribbing rather than the ruffle. All in all, I am extremely pleased with this vest. I love the feel and sheen of the Knitpicks Elegance and believe that this knit will become a wardrobe staple.

Happy Haunting!
jsins

Score!

2008-10-04T17:08:00.004-04:00

I stopped in at Joann Fabric today to check out the patterns and found a Butterick pattern that was exactly what I was looking for to make a purse for my mom. When I went to the register to purchase Butterick 5054 (for view E), I found out that the Butterick patterns were on sale for $1.99. Not one to pass up a good deal, I went back to peruse through the book more thoroughly and ended up with 4 more patterns!

I thought 5145 was fairly cute and could either be used for a casual coat or something a bit more dressy.

I loved view B of 5089 for a cute cropped jacket to wear in the fall. I think this would look nice with either jeans or a skirt.

I've been seeing a lot about wide legged pants this season so I grabbed 4861.

I've always been a fan of vests and liked each of these four patterns in 4815.

I am about to embark on a marathon knitting project. I have had the pattern book for the Great American Aran for a while and have not yet had the courage to start it. In some great news, my brother is getting married next spring and I am going to knit this afghan for his wedding present. I ordered Cascade 220 Superwash in cream that is supposed to arrive Monday and hope that I have the perseverence to finish the GAAA in time.

Happy knitting and sewing everyone! Soon, I should begin posting cabled square after cabled square to the blog.

And the band played on...

2008-08-11T11:29:00.003-04:00

Long time, no blog. Well, my knitting seems to be getting back on track. I've had a few fos of late and will be taking pictures and attempting to blog about them and to get my ravelry projects updated throughout the week.

First up, we have Tube Toporini, which made its debut this Saturday evening at the New American Music Union Festival here in Pittsburgh. Tube Toporini was knit in Knitpicks Main Line in the dusty lavendar colorway. This is a fairly quick knit and spent a bit of time languishing while I procrastinated on crocheting the straps and sewing them onto the top.
Next up is the Baby Bib o' Love from Mason Dixon Knitting. I knit this for a co-worker who had his first baby this summer. It was a fairly quick project but I have to admit that I got more than a little bored with it and put it aside for a while. All in all, it probably took 2-3 hours to knit but I have never had the strongest attention span.
I only have time for quick post today but want to leave you with a little puppy love! It's great to be back and to be feelin' the knittin' mojo again.

It's alive!

2008-06-20T13:31:00.006-04:00

It may appear that I have fallen off the face of the earth due to the length of time it has been since my last post. It has been a hectic few months! I've moved. Dealt with family illnesses. Worked my butt off at work and... have not accomplished much on the crafting front. Things are starting to return to some semblance of normalcy and I have been knitting and have a few sewing projects planned. Heck, I even got a chance to take some pictures last night for today's post.

My Gryffindor Toe-Ups are moving along nicely. I finished both heel turns recently and have reached the mindless part of knitting the leg. I'm hoping to wrap these up soon so that I can move on to one of the gazillion other sock projects for which I have yarn.

I have also been plugging away on Tube Toporini. I think I may have 4 or 5 cable repeats to go before this officially becomes an FO. I'm looking forward to wearing this top over the summer and have a pretty serious queue full of other warm weather knits that I am itching to cast on.

I also have a few sewing projects planned. I was at Joanne Fabrics last weekend and noticed that Butterick patterns were on sale for $1.99. As most of my summer work clothes are starting to look a little worn, I thought I would attempt to make a summer top. The pattern is Butterick 4549 and I am going to make the sleeveless version pictured.

I picked up this shirting fabric that was also on sale to make the sleeveless top. I think it will look nice with khakis.

I also picked up New Look 6843. I am going to make the A-line skirt shown in black and white. I found this brown floral print fabric for the skirt.
I also bought the entire bolt of the burgundy paisley fabric pictured below. I am going to use the paisley fabric to make curtains for my new place. The curtains will be in a yellow room and the fabric matches a quilt that I have.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

The Movie Quote Game - The Answers

2008-04-09T11:31:00.007-04:00

I saw this on Jeneration-X Knit Blog today and thought it was a really fun idea. Here are the rules:
Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
Post them on your blog for everyone to guess.
Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie. (I'm not sure how to strike out the text so the ones in Green have been guessed correctly.)
Looking them up is cheating. Please don’t.

1. A lot of people enjoy being dead. But they are not dead, really. They're just backing away from life. *Reach* out. Take a *chance*. Get *hurt* even. But play as well as you can. Go team, go! Give me an L. Give me an I. Give me a V. Give me an E. L-I-V-E. LIVE! Otherwise, you got nothing to talk about in the locker room.
Harold and Maude

2. I find I'm so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend, and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope.
Excellent job Shadkitty! This quote is from The Shawshank Redemption.

3. They're either married or gay. And if they're not gay, they've just broken up with the most wonderful woman in the world, or they've just broken up with a bitch who looks exactly like me. They're in transition from a monogamous relationship and they need more space. Or they're tired of space, but they just can't commit. Or they want to commit, but they're afraid to get close. They want to get close, you don't want to get near them.
The Big Chill

4. I realize that when I met you at the turkey curry buffet, I was unforgivably rude, and wearing a reindeer jumper.
Shadkitty got this one as well. It's Bridget Jones's Diary.

5. Oh man! How'd you get the beans above the frank?
Way to go Karen!!! It's There's Something about Mary.

6. Now if you two don't mind, I'm going to bed before either of you can come up with another clever idea to get us all killed - or worse, expelled.
Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone

7. What are you gonna do? Nice college boy, didn't want to get mixed up in the family business. Now you want to gun down a police captain. Why? Because he slapped you in the face a little? What do you think this like the Army where you can shoot 'em from a mile away? No you gotta get up like this and, badda-bing, you blow their brains all over your nice Ivy League suit.
The Godfather

8. Henslowe: Mr. Fennyman, allow me to explain about the theatre business. The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster.
Fennyman: So what do we do?
Henslowe: Nothing. Strangely enough, it all turns out well.
Fennyman: How?
Henslowe: I don't know. It's a mystery.
Way to go, Courtney!!! It's Shakespeare in Love.

9. Maria was married on Saturday. In all important preparations of mind she was complete, being prepared for matrimony by a hatred of home, by the misery of disappointed affection, and contempt of the man she was to marry. The bride was elegantly dressed and the two bridesmaids were duly inferior. Her mother stood with salts, expecting to be agitated, and her aunt tried to cry. Marriage is indeed a maneuvering business.
Courtney got this one as well - Mansfield Park.

10. You know what? I respect women! I love women! I respect them so much that I completely stay away from them!
40 Year Old Virgin

Socks, Socks and More Socks

2008-04-07T10:21:00.005-04:00

My knitting has fallen a bit behind lately but it is gearing up to full swing again. I've had a birthday since I last posted. (I'm an April Fool's baby, literally.) Between the celebrations surrounding my birthday and taking up spinning, the aerobic kind not the yarny kind, my knitting time has been a little cramped. I've decided that 33 is not only the year for me to get financially fit but that I might as well throw physically fit onto the list as well.

Given all the hub-bub, my March socks are a bit late but I was finally able to finish them this weekend. Without further ado, here are my Embossed Leaves Socks.

Project Details

Pattern: Embossed Leaves Socks by Mona Schmidt available in Interweave Knits, Winter 2005, and the Interweave Knits Favorite Socks book

Yarn: Miss Babs Superwash Sock in the Grasshopper colorway

Needles: Addi Lace size 1

Start Date: February 24, 2008

Completion Date: April 6, 2008

Project Notes: I loved this pattern. It was very fun to knit and very intuitive. I knit the pattern backwards as it was my first time knitting from a chart and I read it from left-to-right like I would a book. It threw the star toe a bit off but overall I am pleased with how the socks turned out. I would have finished these socks much more quickly if I hadn't put them aside for a little while. I would also highly recommend trying out Miss Babs Superwash Sock. It has an almost velvety texture to it and the Grasshopper colorway had just the right amount of semi-solidness to it. The only thing that worries me about the yarn is that it had a tendency to pill while knitting with it so I will have to wait to see how it wears. It might be better suited to scarves or other items than get less wear and tear than socks due to the pilling but only time and wear will tell.

Upon completion of the Embossed Leaves Socks, I got out my instructions for Judy's Magic Cast-on and am embarking upon my first toe-up socks. I am using Vancalcar Acres Flock Sock in the Something for Gryffindor colorway and will knit these in stockinette. I am also using Wendy's Basic Toe-Up Sock Pattern to complete these socks. I hope that they will go fairly quickly and put me back on schedule for my sock a month goal.

In keeping with the socks theme of this post, I grabbed a model shot of my Evening Stockings for a Young Lady since I had finally dug out my tripod to take better photos of my projects. These photos aren't very exciting as it's my first foray into using the tripod but I am hoping that a little practice will lead to better project pics.

Have a great Monday!

My first sewing FO of 2008!

2008-03-19T12:16:00.002-04:00

Hi Everyone!

Let me introduce the double duty bag from Sew Baby Pattern F868. This pattern is great for a sewing beginner as it is very simple and has step by step directions. I've found in a number of patterns that the manufacturer expects you to know what to do until you reach a certain step and then explains the intricacies of that one step. That is not the case with this pattern. Each step is carefully and completely explained leaving minimal guess work for the beginner. I chose this project as I thought it would make an excellent knitting bag as it is reversible and includes 6 pockets around the middle for yarn and notions.

The following shot is what I will use as the exterior of the bag as I made a few mistakes on the pocket side that make it better suited to serve as the lining.

The interior includes 6 pockets that go the entire way around the bag. I think these will be useful not only for notions but also for putting different colored balls of yarn in while doing color work.

I bought both the pattern and the fabric at JoAnn's Fabric with a gift certificate my brother got me for Christmas. (Thanks John!!!) I started working on this project Saturday afternoon, March 15 and finished by Sunday, March 16.

I had put my March socks, the Embossed Leaves Socks from Interweave Knits aside to focus on my sewing and to read a book, The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory, but have made it a bit further along than these pictures indicate. I am through the heel and gusset on one sock and now have the heel and gusset on the other sock to complete before they are both back on the needles. I am hoping to work on them this week and to finish them up by the end of the month so that I can stay on track for my sock a month goals.

I am quite pleased with how the pattern looks in this yarn, Miss Babs Superwash Sock in the Grasshopper colorway. This is my first time knitting from a chart and I have realized that I have been reading the chart backwards. Fortunately, it has not messed up the pattern, just reversed the direction of it. I guess you do learn something new with each project.

And another one bites the dust...

2008-02-25T14:00:00.004-05:00

I was able to finish my February socks this weekend!
Project Specs
Pattern: Evening Stockings for a Young Lady from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush
Yarn: Kraemer Sterling in the original white
Needles: Addi Lace size 1
Date Started: January 18, 2008
Date Completed: February 23, 2008
Modifications: Cast on 60 stitches to knit regular socks, instead of knee-highs. Shortened the ribbing and knit 9 pattern repeats before starting the heel. Knit a slipped stitch heel rather than the ribbed heel called for in the pattern.

I will be knitting the Embossed Leaves Socks from Interweave Knits using Miss Babs Superwash Sock in the Grasshopper colorway from my stash. I have successfully avoided buying any new yarn this month, although it was very hard due to some tempting sales that I, utilizing what little willpower I have, successfully avoided.
As I showed off my new color last week, here is the debut of my new cut! When all is said and done, I am a short-haired kind of gal. I try to grow it out but it really isn't me. It feels great to have a new short do!

Happy Monday!

Presto Chango

2008-02-18T10:33:00.005-05:00

I felt the need to spice things up a bit and banish the winter blahs this weekend. Unfortunately, I also momentarily lost the ability to take a good mirror shot (not that I am sure that I ever had the ability to take a good mirror shot but that is beside the point) so the photos are a bit blurry. I was feeling a bit bored with my natural hair color so I decided to opt for something a bit more dramatic. Here is the before pic:

On a jaunt to the store and some time spent perusing the hair color options, I selected Feria #45, French Roast "a deep bronzed brown." Although it's a bit fuzzy, here is a picture taken post-dye job. The color is actually a little bit redder than it looks in the photos. I will also be getting it cut on Wednesday as it has grown out of any bit of style it originally had. Then, the transformation will be complete.

In my switch things up a bit mood, I cast on for a new project, Violette by French Girl. This is a super quick and easy project. Knit with Rowan Big Wool, this project was cast on and cast off in 2 hours. I don't think that I am going to add the ribbon because it turned out a bit small. I am still mulling it over and will wear it a few times before I decide.

Although I do have one FO to show for the weekend, it is neither of the ones that I thought it would be. I was more in a bounce around to different projects mood this weekend than in the mood to concentrate on one project and finish it. I did do a few more lace rounds on my Evening Stockings but they pretty much look the same as the last picture I showed of them. I think I have 3 or 4 lace rounds to go before I start the toe. I should be able to finish them before the end of the month to make the deadlines for both the Socks from Stash Club and Sock a Month 5.

I resurrected 2 other UFOs this weekend to work on. I am now at the point of doing the increases for the puffed sleeves in the puffed sleeve feminine cardigan from Fitted Knits by Stephanie Japel. I still have quite a ways to go before separating the sleeves but it is nice to have a sweater progressing. There is nothing quite like donning your new sweater and wearing it out for the first time.

I also picked up the Not So Montego Bay Scarf and worked on it a bit this weekend. This is one project that will probably take me forever as I tend to get bored with knitting scarfs.

In other exciting news, I start my sewing class on Tuesday!!! I can't wait to be able to whip up a few sewing FOs.

I also did a few non-craft-related fun things this weekend as well. On Friday, I went to see a cabaret singer sing Edith Piaf songs, which was alot of fun. I love Edith Piaf's music. It's so passionate and soulful even though I don't speak French. I do have to say that I do not understand the French's love for mimes and clowns. There was a "dramatic fool" performing as well and I just couldn't see the entertainment in it. I guess to each their own. I also went to the movies to see Atonement. The movie was extremely well done and beautifully acted. I loved the period clothes and the cinematography. If you are looking for a melancholy love story, I highly recommend it.

Have a great Monday!

Knitting in a Winter Wonderland

2008-02-13T16:22:00.004-05:00

There's something about inclement weather that is so conducive to knitting. I left work a bit early and, after working for a while at home to make up for leaving early, the knitting was on. I popped Across the Universe into the dvd player and picked up the sticks.

First, I got to work on my Evening Stockings for a Young Lady. I had made it through one heel and the gusset on Saturday and had get the second sock caught up so that I could get them both back on the needle and enter the home stretch with them. I'm hoping to put these puppies to bed by the end of this weekend. Then, I will be diving into the sock yarn stash for a yarn for my March socks. I love what I am learning about shaping by knitting socks. I think doing a pair of socks a month this year will greatly improve the look of my other knitted garments as well. I did a slipped stitch heel on these socks instead of the ribbed one called for in the pattern.

Feeling like I needed a change of pace, I moved on to the heartbreakingly cute baby kimono. I have started the increases for the sleeves. I am also hoping to finish this by the end of the weekend. I think this is doable as it is tiny and all garter stitch.

In gift knitting, I finished two more dishcloths. These will go into my gift pile.

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Snow Daze

2008-02-12T12:04:00.000-05:00

Does anyone know what happened to the Interweave Knits KAL? I've noticed lately that the page isn't coming up and it has been removed from my blogger dashboard?

In knitting news, I'm plugging away on the Evening Stockings for a Young Lady. I have finished the first heel and gusset and am now working on the second sock. Once the heel and gusset are finished on that sock, I will put the second sock back on the needles and should be able to finish these fairly quickly. I'm hoping to have them completed by the end of next weekend. I'm starting to get more intuitive about knitting socks and modifying a pattern to suit my personal taste. I've made the legs much less high on these than I did on the previous socks I've made to be more in line with the type of socks that I prefer. None of the socks that I wear on a regular basis are as high as most sock patterns call for. The only time I wear higher socks is when I am wearing boots and I don't think I'll be wearing any of my handknit socks hidden under boots anytime soon.

I am also knitting away on the Heartbreakingly Cute Baby Kimono. As this should be a fairly quick knit, I think it will be my February sweater because I haven't made much progress on the puffed sleeve cardi.

We've gotten a heck of alot of snow here in the 'burgh. It's supposed to turn into freezing rain later so I am probably going to head out of work early today.

OMG! It's finally the weekend!

2008-02-08T17:05:00.000-05:00

I am looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend of knitting and chilling out.

I cast on for the Heartbreakingly Cute Baby Kimono from Mason-Dixon Knitting last night. I am about an inch into it and think that this will be a quick fun knit. I am going to use some ducky buttons instead of ribbons for the closure. I am knitting this project for the February KAL in a KAL at Stashalong 2008.

My other weekend knitting plans include working on my Evening Stockings for a Young Lady. I have knit 3 more lace repeats and have probably 3 more to go before I start the heels on the Evening Stockings. think I am also going to frog the Puffed Sleeve Cardigan and recast on as I am not pleased with the existing cast on.

My Stashalong 2008 goals are as follows:

1. I will allow myself one free day a month. If I do not use my free day in the month, I will give myself 1 point. If I get 6 points, I can consider going to Stitches East. If I don't get at least 6 points, Stitches East is out.

2. I will not buy any sock yarn and only used stashed sock yarns for both this KAL and the Socks from Stash Club.

3. I will knit at least 5 sweaters from stash before I can purchase the yarn for a sweater that I do not have the yarn in my stash to knit.

Hopefully, my goals will help me stick with my debt free in 2008 plan as well.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Quick Update

2008-02-04T17:05:00.001-05:00

Things have been fairly quiet in jsinsland lately. I've cast on for the puffed sleeve feminine cardigan from Stephanie Japel's Fitted Knits. I am only on the collar so I do not have a picture to show. I love the red from the version in the book so I am unoriginally knitting it in the exact same yarn in the exact same color. I've used the same yarn that a pattern called for before but I think this is the first time that I am also using the same color. (It's Knitpicks Merino Style in Maple Leaf.)

I have also knit 2 dishcloths as part of the Year Long Gift-A-Long. If I can keep focused on folding in gift knits with my standard selfish knitting, I may actually have a stress free Christmas this year.

In non-knitting but other crafting news, I have signed up to take a sewing class at the Community College of Allegheny County. I am really looking forward to taking this class. I have a sewing machine and have made curtains and pillows with it but I would like to become more proficient with sewing and tackle some more complicated projects.

Happy Monday!

A Wicked Debut - The First Sweater of 2008

2008-01-25T10:21:00.000-05:00

Don't make me get my flying monkeys as I have one Wicked sweater and I can't find my ruby slippers! I can't believe how quickly this sweater knitted up once I concentrated on it. It was about 35% finished when I picked it up last weekend and now here it is complete before the week had passed.

Wicked Specs
Pattern: Wicked by Zephyr Style
Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers Ocean Heather - 3 skeins (and I have been sweating over whether or not I would have enough yarn since Sunday when I set it aside to ponder the situation and only got the courage to pick it up and finish it last night.)
Needles: Size 7 Knitpicks Options
Start Date: November 18, 2007
Finish Date: January 24, 2008 (This sweater would not have taken so long but it took a vacation from the first weed of December until January 19. All in all, I would estimate that the actual knitting and finishing time to complete this sweater was around 30 hours if that.)
Project Notes: I'm not usually a blue person but, when I saw the Cascade 220 Ocean Heather, it called out to me that it would be perfect for this sweater and I am really glad that I headed the call. I didn't really do any mods to this sweater. The directions were very clear and it was a very quick and easy knit. As most of the sweater is stockinette and the crossover pattern is fairly simple, I would recommend this project to beginning knitters looking to tackle their first sweater. The most fiddly part of the project is the pocket and it's not all that fiddly in the grand scheme of things and can be left off if you don't like it or feel like attempting it.

In other FO news, I knit Grandmother's Favorite Dishcloth as part of the Year Long Gift-A-Long. This will be part of someone's Christmas or birthday present this year. This was knit out of Peaches and Creme cotton on size 7 needles.

Have a great weekend everyone!
jsins

And what did jsins do all weekend? She knit, knit, knit!

2008-01-21T10:34:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I spent my weekend watching West Wing episodes on dvd and knitting like a knitting machine.

I have an FO from this weekend. Allow me to introduce the cutest little thing that I have ever knit, Saartje's Booties by Saartje de Bruijn.

Project Description

Pattern: Saartje's Booties by Saartje de Bruijn

Yarn: Joan of Arc by Yarn Love in the Fling Colorway (50/50 merino/tencel)

Needles: Size 2 addi turbo

Start/Finish Date: January 20, 2008

Notes: This is a quick knit that is super cute. It's a great way to use up leftover sock yarn. The yarn I used for these booties is the same yarn I used for my Dublin Bay socks. The only downside to this pattern is that for such a small knit, there are alot of ends to weave into not that much knit material.

I also made a bunch of progress on Wicked this weekend and am hoping to have it finished by next weekend. I'm a bit nervous because I am getting dangerously close to running out of yarn. I think that I should have enough but I didn't buy an extra skein like I usually do for this project. I have never needed the extra skein on any other Zephyr Style patterns so I thought I wouldn't need it on this one. The yarn is Cascade 220 Heathers in Ocean Heather. The color in the close-up of the pocket is the actual shade.

I also completed a lace repeat on the Evening Stockings for a Young Lady while I was watching Northanger Abbey on PBS last night. I am a bit worried about the fuzziness of the yarn. It seems like it will pill alot. I enjoyed Northanger Abbey but found it to be extremely abbreviated. The first hour was well done but I felt like everything was rushed in the last half an hour to reach the conclusion. I think it would have been much better if it had been a 2-hour movie rather than an hour and a half.

Have a great week!

TGIF - It's time to knit, knit, knit all weekend long!

2008-01-18T10:49:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday folks!!!!!!! I am so ready for the weekend and some serious knitting, movie watching and chill out time. I cast on for the Evening Socks for a Young Lady from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush on Sunday evening. In the limited knitting time I've been able to squeeze in since then, I've finished the cuffs and completed 2 lace pattern repeats. I am knitting the modified version of the pattern to make regular socks rather than knee highs.
Here is a close-up of the lace pattern. I am using white Kraemer Sterling to knit these socks. I have to agree with Clara Parkes's review of the Kraemer Sterling. The silver strands are really cool and give a nice affect. The silk content adds a little sheen and it is an incredibly soft yarn. The nylon halo is a bit strange. If I didn't know any better, I would think that there was either mohair or angora in this yarn due to its fuzziness. The yarn is working really well with this pattern and I am excited to see how the finished socks turn out.
Here are some model shots of the Dublin Bay socks. It is incredibly hard to take pictures of your own feet! I am extremely happy with the way these socks fit. I wore them yesterday and they did not slouch.
My 2008 knitting goals are to complete 12 pairs of socks, 12 sweaters and at least 12 small projects (hats, accessories, baby stuff, toys, etc.) and to knit from stash until I have run out of yarn for one of the previously mentioned project goals. I haven't decided whether I will spend this weekend focusing on the Evening Stockings or on my Wicked. I've been on a bit of a sock kick starting out the year but, as the weather has returned to more seasonably accurate January temps, I could really use a new hand-knit sweater to debut.

In other knitting news, I purchased Son of a Stitch and Bitch by Deb Stoller and The Knitters Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes this week. In non-knitting purchases, I also ordered No Direction Home, Martin Scorsese's documentary on Bob Dylan that aired on PBS. If you are a Bob Dylan fan, this documentary is a must see. It has extensive interviews with Bob Dylan now as well as alot of performance footage. As a companion to Don't Look Back, it is amazing.

I also signed up for several new KALs that should hopefully keep me on target with my 2008 goals. They are as follows:
Socks from Stash Club (I definitely don't need to worry about running out of stashed sock yarns in the next 12 months.)
The Complete Jane Austen KAL (I have been looking forward to watching this series for months!!!! My Sunday evenings are pretty much booked for a while.)
Year Long Gift-A-Long (Knitting gifts all year to avoid panic attacks as the deadlines draw near, what a novel idea.)
Stashalong 2008 (Hopefully, this will keep me on the straight and narrow in regards to my knitting from stash goals.)

Hmm... why am I so dedicating myself to knitting from stash this year? Well, I am making a valient attempt to become debt free this year (with the exception of my student loans, those will be an ongoing process for the next 10 years or so.) I am also going to try to track my progress in becoming nearly debt free on the blog as well. I just haven't worked out the details of how to do that.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!! See you next week!
jsins

The first FO of 2008!!!!!

2008-01-14T14:27:00.001-05:00

Allow me to introduce my first FO of 2008, the Dublin Bay socks by Ryan Morrissey of Mossy Cottage Knits. They are a bit loud but so am I so I won't hold that against them.
Project Details:
Pattern: Dublin Bay Socks by Ryan Morrissey of Mossy Cottage Knits
Yarn: 1 skein of Yarn Love's Joan of Arc in Flirt. (50% merino/ 50% tencel blend)
Start Date: December 22, 2007
Completion Date: January 13, 2008
Notes: Downsized the pattern from 72 stitches to 64 stitches, which was a wise decision as they fit perfectly. Otherwise followed pattern as written until heel turn and toe decreases, then relied upon Sensational Knitted Socks to get me through rather than do the math myself. (Yes, I am lazy.) I love the Eye of Partridge heel flap. It works perfectly with a multi-colored yarn such as this and I also like the uniform thickness it gives the heel flap in contrast to the slipped-stitch reinforced heel flap. Even though the yarn pooled alot, it still works due to the rainbow nature of the colors. The feel and stitch definition of the merino/tencel yarn is excellent and it has a lovely sheen to it. My kitchener stitch is the best it has been thusfar on the toes. There is still room for improvement but it is nice to see that it's getting better. I also have finally figured out how to knit socks that actually fits my feet on this, my third attempt at making socks for myself. These were knit 2 at a time via Magic Loop. Heel flaps through gussets knitted separately.

It feels nice to have my first FO of the year. I am now continuing on Wicked and have cast on to make a modified Evening Stockings for a Young Lady from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush using white Kraemer Silk Sterling from my stash.

Happy Monday Everyone!

A Satisfied Customer...

2008-01-11T16:03:00.001-05:00

And one last 2007 FO... I knit this garter stitch cap for my cousin Jamie for Christmas this year. I'd say the fact that he put the hat on immediately upon receiving it and has not taken it off since makes this my most successful gift project yet. Who'd have thunk that something so simple would have the most impact?

Have a great weekend everyone!

An old FO, a few more recent and a WIP

2008-01-09T16:41:00.001-05:00

I'll start off with an old FO that I've been wearing alot recently (until very recently when the temp has been in the 60s and 70s, what a weird January we are having.) The scarf pictured is the first cable project that I ever undertook in October 2006. Knit for an intermediate knitting class at Ewe Can Knit, a lys in downtown Pittsburgh, the yarn used was Reynolds Rapture, silk/wool blend.

I finished the garter rib socks that were e.'s Christmas present just in time to gift them before he took off for Florida for the holidays. The yarns used were black Crystal Palace Panda Cotton and a black/tan/white/grey skein of Tofutsies for the leg and foot.
Betty Jean wasn't sure what her Christmas present was and tried to put it on her head like a hat. However, it is the Mason Dixon Dishrag from Mason Dixon Knitting made with a red/pink/white variegated Peaches and Creme cotton. I omitted the yarn over round as I didn't think it would show up very well in the variegated cotton.
I started knitting Wicked the weekend before Thanksgiving. It has not progressed much farther than it is in this photo as I got caught up with finishing Christmas present projects and have been working fairly consistently on the Dublin Bay socks that I am knitting at the moment. I am hoping to finish the socks by the end of this weekend and get back to Wicked so that I will have a new sweater to wear when the weather returns to its normal winter state.

The I'm still kickin' but I've been a slackin' blogger post

2008-01-08T11:44:00.000-05:00

Yeah, that post I wrote about dedicating myself to posting at least 2 times a week in November (I think...) was unrealistic due to how crazy the end of the year turned out to be. However, we are now in a new year and I am rededicating myself to be a more prolific and thoughtful blogger.

In my first post of 2008, I wanted to show off a funky little knitting book that I found, Knitted Icons. When I heard about this little gem, I just knew that I had to have it as what knitter's life could be complete without a little knitted rockstar? I am going with my all time personal favorite, Bob Dylan.
In my blogging slackerdom, I have yet to give a proper shout out to my amazing Secret Pal Karen. I had so much fun being spoiled by Karen. I felt like I was getting a package from an old friend each time something arrived. In the final package, I got a lovely bounty of red/rust colored yarn, two great patterns, a little notebook and a bar of soap that I will let you see for yourself.
The Fiber Trend scarf pattern will look amazing in the rust-colored merino bled from Morehause Farm. I'm also looking forward to knitting up the Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille that Karen included in the package as well.
Proving, once again, that she knows me well, Karen included a bar of Queen of Everything soap. This will be placed in a special spot in my bathroom to let everyone who enters know exactly who they are dealing with.
Karen, I cannot thank you enough for how great of a secret pal you have been. I'm looking forward to keeping in touch with you and hearing about your knitting adventures.

To close things out, I will leave you with one of the projects that I have knitted in my blogging absence, Le Slouch made out of Malabrigo worsted in the Damask Rose colorway. I loved this knit. I started it and finished it during a Saturday afternoon.

Happy New Year Everyone!!!! I look forward to knitting and blogging with you.

jsins

Grabbing the bull by the horns

2007-12-17T12:14:00.000-05:00

Once in a while, all you can do is hold on for dear life and go along for the ride. Life has been crazy busy for a while but I think it is finally starting to slow down a bit. I'm looking forward to a long holiday break with lots of knitting over the next few weeks.

So, what have I been up to lately? As the picture at the start of this post shows, I rode a mechanical bull on Thursday. In honor of my friend Megan's 30th birthday, we kicked off the festivities with a midnight bull ride to usher her into a new decade. It was a lot of fun but I wish that my work Christmas party hadn't been the same night. The food at the party was amazing and I had a little too much to eat to fully enjoy being spun around on a mechanical bull.

We continued the festivities Friday night with drinks and dancing to round out the birthday celebration. Saturday, I took the day off and focused on knitting e.'s Christmas present socks. I am now to the toe and should be able to finish them tonight. I must get them finished by Wednesday or else I will not be able to give them to him until after the New Year.

Sunday, very little knitting took place as p. had gotten tickets to go to the ballet to see The Snow Queen. It was an interesting production but I'm glad we got to maintain p.'s tradition of doing as she puts it "something cultural around the holidays."

On the knitting front, I am nearly finished with e.'s garter rib socks. I haven't worked much on Wicked this past week and need to finish Jamie's Christmas present hat. I knit a Mason Dixon dishcloth for my grandma and am hoping to squeeze in knitting her another one. Waiting in the "I'm dying to cast on but will wait until I finish e.'s socks" wing is a lovely skein of Yarn Love Joan of Arc in the Fling colorway that is destined to become a pair of Dublin Bay Socks. I was originally going to use this for plain stockinette socks but I like the little bit of visual interest that the lace panels give without competing with the vibrant colorway. I'm also really looking forward to doing an eye of partridge heel.

Pay It Forward

2007-12-12T18:52:00.000-05:00

Would you like a handmade gift from jsins? Yes?
Want to bank some good karma in 2008? Yes?
Then read on...

I've just signed up for the Pay it Forward exchange, at Yvonne's Tales of an Arthritic Knitter blog. I'm really excited to take part in the exchange and to spread the handmade joy.

The concept is as follows:
"It’s based of the concept of the movie “Pay it Forward” where acts or deeds of kindness are done without expecting something in return, just passing it on, with hope that the recipients of the acts of kindness are passed on. So here’s how it works. I will make and send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I do not know what that gift will be yet, and it won’t be sent this month, probably not next month, but it will be sent (within 6 months) and that’s a promise! What YOU have to do in return, then, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog."

I hope you leave a comment to join in and receive a gift as well as to Pay It Forward. It's an excellent way to share some good will and handmade goodness in the new year.

A little test for the Jane Austen Fans

2007-12-06T11:24:00.000-05:00

Your Score: Elizabeth Bennet

72% romance, 65% sauciness, 43% etiquette, 71% intelligence

You believe in true love and standing up for yourself. You're also witty and reasonably well-read. What you don't have time for is kowtowing to society's expectations of you. So what if your hem gets a little muddy? Let the neighbors click their tongues! You've got better things to do. Like dressing down that tall, snobbish gentleman in the corner, or traveling 'round Derbyshire, or chatting with that pleasant young officer, or nursing your older sister back to health, or trading witticisms with your father, or keeping your crazy little sisters in line, or..... Ideal matches: Mr. Darcy, Captain Wentworth, Colonel Brandon Guaranteed heartbreak (their hearts): George Wickham, John Willoughby, Captain Benwick Not worthy of your affections: Mr. Collins, Henry Crawford

Link: The Jane Austen heroine Test written by SarahKath on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Romeo, oh Romeo, where for art thou, Romeo?

2007-11-26T14:49:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving (U.S.) full of family, food and knitting. I had a great Thanksgiving day and enjoyed hanging out with family and friends and then was felled by cold from hell that has had me doing couch duty pretty much since Friday. I've even been too sick to knit! Once every couple of years, I get a really bad cold and, since it has been a couple of years since the last one, it hit me this year. On the one had, it hit me when I was already off work so I didn't have to worry about taking any sick days. On the other hand, it hit me over the holidays when I was at my parents and looking forward to hanging out and having a good time with everyone. I'm finally starting to feel human again and have managed to make my way into the office today but I just can't wait to get back to being 100%. At least I had my brother's dog, Buddy, to keep me company on the couch when I was down and out.

In more exciting news, I hit one of my knitting goals and finished Juliet the weekend before Thanksgiving.

The vital statistics for this sweater are as follows:

Cast On: Sunday, October 14, 2007

Cast Off: Saturday, November 17, 2007

Yarn: Valley Yarns Berkshire Bulky gray (5 skeins)

Needles: Knitpicks Options 10 1/2 on a 32 inch cord

Project notes: Juliet was a quick and enjoyable knit and was completed in 4-5 sittings. Upon reading a number of the knitter comments on Ravelry, I knit the small size rather than the medium that I usually knit in Zephyr Style patterns. I didn't know whether or not this style of sweater would suit my shape and originally planned to do the longer version. However, I went with the short version upon trying it on for size and am really glad that I did. Being fairly large chested, I think the longer version would have looked like a maternity top and stopped the cropped version at my waistline. I also really enjoyed working with the Berkshire Bulky even though it seemed stiff and itchy when I got it. It really softened up after winding and knit up beautifully. However, I would caution anyone who is thinking of using this yarn for a project to buy at least a skein more than the project calls for because I found a lot of joins and knots in it during winding.

I have cast on for Zephyr Style's Wicked using Cascade 220 Heathers in Ocean Heather. I am about 9 rows from separating the sleeves. (I would be much further along but my recent illness has precluded any knitting progress over the last 4 days.) I am knitting the worsted weight version with short sleeves and will be doing the pocket, which is my favorite part of this pattern. I also swatched for the Elizabeth Bennet Cabled Cardigan from Fitted Knits by Stephanie Japel but decided to go with Wicked instead as I was taking it to my parents for the holiday. Buddy (the aforementioned 4-legged member of the family) has no problem with sitting on my lap and not bothering my knitting but I thought it might be tempting fate a bit too much to try it with an angora yarn (or even having the WIP sitting around the house) as he does really like to chase bunny rabbits.

In blogging news, The Comfy Bev selected jsins for a "You Make Me Smile Award." Thank you, Bev! I have greatly enjoyed getting to know Bev through her blog and through the No Sheep for You Secret Swap and am honored that she enjoys checking out the blog. I'd like to pass along the good cheer to the following knitbloggers who inspire me with their knitting, crafting and blogging:

Kristina of Brouhaha Knits

Adrienne of Real Life: Live and Unscripted

Robin of Yarn Crawl

Dawn of A Simplified Life

Happy knitting everyone! I am hoping that I feel up to picking up the sticks again tonight.

Oh the weather outside is frightful but the knitting's so delightful...

2007-11-16T10:37:00.000-05:00

Well, we've gotten our first snow of the season here in the 'burgh. It is truly prime knitting season now. What is better on a cold, snowy day than sitting with a cozy knit on your lap? (O.K. perhaps sitting on the beach with a mojito and a knitting a cute little summer top but I've got to make due with what I've got.) I actually really like fall and winter. My wardrobe is definitely more suited to it as I love sweaters and boots and velvet. I'm much more blase about spring and summer clothes. I'm ready to sit in front of the fireplace with a stack of movies and my knitting until spring.

This post marks the pictural debut of my Not So Montego Bay Scarf. Generally, I'm not a big fan of knitting scarfs but the lure of beautiful Handmaiden lace-weight yarn overcame me. This version is Not So Montego Bay because I am knitting it with Handmaiden Camelspin, which, if you haven't tried it, feels amazing, rather than Sea Silk. I'd have never thought that camels were so soft. I'm knitting this version in the Lily Pond colorway and modified the pattern by decreasing 5 lace repeats to accommodate for difference in yardage between Camelspin and Sea Silk. I also have a hank of Sea Silk in my stash in the Paris colorway that is destined to become a Montego Bay Scarf. I'm enjoying the mindless nature of this pattern at the moment. I don't think it will be my quickest knit though because I can also see myself becoming bored with the mindlessness of it as well.

My knitting goals for this weekend are to finish up Juliet so that I can cast on for the Elizabeth Bennet Cabled Cardigan from Fitted Knits to take with me to my parents' house to knit over Thanksgiving. I will be knitting the EB Cardy using the recommended Cloud 9 in a Salmon color that I ordered last winter when it was on sale at WEBS.

And in other exciting news, THERE IS A LYS OPENING LESS THAN A MILE FROM MY HOUSE TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (jsins checking account screams in agony and her atm card tries to run away.) I can't wait to check it out. I am going to head over there after work today. The LYS is called Natural Stitches and it's located in the Village of East Side in East Liberty at 6401 Penn Avenue. (Pittsburgh, PA 15206 in case anyone wants to get directions to the store online.) If you're in the 'burgh, you should stop by and check it out.

Have a great weekend everyone and happy knitting!!!!

La la la la la la, La la la la la la...

2007-11-13T14:53:00.000-05:00

My cherie amour, lovely as a summer day... I had a wonderful weekend! I went to the Stevie Wonder concert here in the 'burgh. That Stevie sure can bring it! The music was amazing, the joint was poppin' and I was boogie'n. (Hey, I'm from Pittsburgh. We use 'n for just about everything.)

I have some much belated thanks to my AWESOME Secret Pal!!!!! I received my second package recently and, once again, it's like she knew exactly what to get me. I've been thinking alot about trying to create my own knitting pattern lately and, lo and behold, my secret pal sends me a graph paper notebook and a set of pencils to get to it. I immediately hopped online and ordered two of the Barbara Walker books: A Treasury of Knitting Patterns and Charted Knitting Patterns. Now all I need is inspiration to strike.

Also included in the package was some lovely vanilla sugar scented lotion, shower gel and body scrub. Last but not least, was a beautiful sock yarn, Country Sock. It is in a great springy colorway that I think I am going to save for when I am heavy into the winter doldrums to cheer me up. All I can say about this yarn is "Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful?"

THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!! THANK YOU, SP!!!!!!!

I also owe a huge thanks to Kristen of the Finish Me group for the awesome notions holder that she sent me for the September UFO Challenge. This little hippo is perfect to hold all of my notions. THANK YOU KRISTEN!!!!!

I also have some knitting progress to report. After a short hiatus, I've picked up the garter rib socks again and have started the heel for the first sock. This is the first time that I have knit 2 socks at the same time and the first time that I have knit a sock using a different yarn for the cuff, heel and toe. I'm hoping to finish these up by Thanksgiving so that I can move onto other projects.

I am also plugging away on the fair Juliet. I should only have 1 or 2 more lace repeats to go before I can wrap this baby up.

I am also working on the Not So Montego Bay Scarf and will try to snap a pic of it this week to show my progress.

On a sadder note, I frogged the Lady Detective Hat. I was able to do a really good job of dealing with the double stranded Noro when I got to the second two skeins and realized that the trick was to rip it out slowly while winding one strand onto my ball winder and the other onto my swift. However, I was not that smart when I started to rip it and now have two balls of badly (and I do mean badly) tangled Noro Kureyon that I would like to be able to salvage. Does anyone have any tips for dealing with this problem? Thank you to anyone who can pass along any suggestions.

Have a great Tuesday!

And now for something completely different...

2007-11-08T12:41:00.000-05:00

I saw the following meme on Bespoke by Brouhaha and thought it would be fun to give it a whirl. Feel free to do it yourself if you would like.

What's in a name?

YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) = Kelly Explorer
YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fav. ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) = Vanilla Oreo
YOUR "FLY GIRL" NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of last name) = jsin
YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) = Red Dog
YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) = Lynn DuBois
YOUR STAR WASH NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) = Sinje
SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink, put "The" first) = The Purple Martini
STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne, favorite candy) = Burberry Snickers
WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's & father's middle names) = Kay Edward
PORN STAR NAME (name of first pet and name of first street you lived on): Kelly Weber

Still knitting and trying to find some time to take some proper pics.

2007-11-07T12:54:00.000-05:00

I'm still out there knitting. I am working on Juliet, which should be finished this weekend and cast on a Montego Bay Scarf in Handmaiden Camel Spun last night as the weather here has taken a turn toward winter and snow is in the air. I also have a skein of Handmaiden Sea Silk that is intended to be a Montego Bay Scarf as well but fell in love with an acid green colorway and the extreme softness of the Handmaiden Camel Spun when I was at the Ravelry meet-up at Knit One last night and cast on for the scarf as soon as I got home. I haven't gotten much new work done on the garter rib socks and will return to them as soon as I finish Juliet. I have to frog my Lady Detective Hat and reknit it as I goofed up on my calculations and double stranded Noro Kureyon for it. I could fit at least 2 heads, possibly 3, in it at this point. I am going to frog it this weekend and cast on again as I need a new winter hat and I love the way it looks, just not the size. Fortunately, it is a quick knit and I should be able to finish it in a day or 2. I am going to use the leftover Noro to make a matching My So Called Scarf.

I had a great time at the Ravelry meet-up. It was nice to hang out with other knitters and chill out for an evening. The folks at Knit One were super nice and got pizza for the group. I hope that we can make this a regular event as none of my friends knit and it was great to be part of a knitting community.

I must take pictures this weekend. My Secret Pal, PurlyGirly, sent me an amazing package and I must get pics to post a proper thank you for the awesome surprise. I am also setting a new blogging goal for myself to post at least twice a week for the rest of the year. Hopefully, I will actually post more than that but I'd hate to set a goal that I can't accomplish.

Happy knitting everyone!
jsins

How jsins became a knitter: A tale that includes a couple of firsts, the last and the latest

2007-10-22T11:20:00.000-04:00

I have a little tale to tell of how jsins, she of the limited attention span, went from declaring that she would never knit again to becoming the intrepid and obsessed knitter that she is today.

In a time long, long ago (1999ish), a career hobbyist was at Joanne Fabrics with her friend Mary Jo who was picking up supplies for her daughter's Girl Scout troup craft project when she spotted a brightly-colored variegated yarn in rainbow colors. Feeling inspired, she went to her local library and picked up a book on how to knit so that she could make herself the most amazing technicolored scarf that the world had ever seen. Excited about how cool her scarf was going to be, jsins immediately went home, opened the book and had her mother dig out her knitting needles. She knit and she knit and she knit.

Then she got bored and the scarf when into a basket next to the recliner chair in the living room. Every so often she would pull the scarf out of the basket and knit on it some more only to become bored with it again and set it aside. After about a year of such behavior, she had a garter stitch scarf that measured somewhere around 10 feet long. She was quite over knitting the scarf but stuck with it due to stubborn perseverance and a strong desire to prove to her mother that she would indeed finish it as there was much doubt. Upon casting off, jsins declared that she would never knit again and had her mother do the fringe. The end result was this:

A number of years pass by and one spring day in 2006, jsins once again ends up in a Joanne Fabric and while roaming around the store happens into the yarn section. Again, the yarn calls to her and she feels inspired. She purchases a few skeins that are on sale and heads down to the Barnes and Nobles located within the same shopping complex. Once there, she makes her way to the craft section and proceeds to pick up another knitting book. This time it is Stitch and Bitch: The Knitters Handbook by Deb Stoller. This time, jsins learns not only the knit stitch but also how to purl and knits the ribbed scarf from the book for practice but does not finish it before taking the leap to knitting in the round. Heading to a LYS, she picks up a few better yarns and proceeds to embark upon a project that is a bit more interesting than a garter stitch scarf (not to diss the garter stitch scarf as I still wear my 10-foot behemoth to this day) and a love affair with knitting is born. In a single weekend, jsins creates the following:
While knitting the Adults Only Devil Hat, jsins learns how to knit in the round, seed stitch, who to pick up stitches, do i-cord, increase, decrease and cast on additional stitches. The monotony of endless garter stitch is over and an intrepid knitter is born.

Now, jsins has a number of FOs under her belt and the career hobbyist who bounced from hobby to hobby, new project to new project, has a hobby that can keep her interest long enough to finish a sweater (Egads, who'd have thunk it?) and to tackles socks with very thin yarn on extremely tiny needles. Why just last week she finished the following:

With Rusted Root, she tackled lace and stuck through even the portion of knitting a sweater when you knit and knit and knit and it doesn't seem to grow at all! She's learned how to customize a garment through shaping so that it fits her just the way that she wants it.

Upon casting off her UnRusted Root, jsins immediately cast on for Juliet and has progressed to the start of the lace portion. This is her first garment using bulky yarn and she is quite enamored with how quickly it is knitting up but must admit that she is also looking ahead to what she will cast on next.

A restful weekend and a little bit of knitting

2007-10-08T16:32:00.000-04:00

I actually got to catch up on my sleep this weekend and to put a little bit of time into focusing on my UnRusted Root. Another couple of hours knitting and it will be done. Here is a pretty crappy progress pick from Sunday. I have since finished another 1 1/2 lace repeats. It should only take another lace repeat before I can do the ribbing and consider this one finito. I am loving the fit. I was a little overly conservative and made things bigger than I needed to when I was knitting Green Gable and the lessons learned on that sweater really show on UnRusted Root. It fits perfectly. Although it's not even finished, UnRusted Root already tops my list of best knits ever. I so hope that I can finish this on Tuesday so that I can have it washed and blocked to wear it on Thursday when I go to the Bob Dylan/Elvis Costello concert.

In other news, I catch up on my netflix movies while knitting this weekend. I watched 300 and Four Brothers. 300 is really well done with amazing visuals (including but not only the really hot half naked men featured prominently throughout the film.) I enjoyed the film but it is not one that I will have to add to my dvd collection at home. Four Brothers was good as well but not overly memorable. It had an interesting twist by having the brothers all be adopted and of different races but other than that it was a typical "find the person who killed my ..." revenge film. Not a bad background movie while knitting but not so great that I would recommend that you seek it out right now. I did not watch Suze Orman's Young Fabulous and Broke although I need to because it felt too much like homework after a really rough week.

In movies that needed to be added to my dvd collection, I hit the jackpot at the previously viewed section of Blockbuster last week and added Hot Fuzz, The Departed, Blood Diamond, Little Miss Sunshine, The Holiday and Marie Antoinette to my personal movie stash.

I also went out to Penny's for an excellent roast supper on Sunday complete with lamb, roasted potatoes, ratatoulle, creamed leeks, mixed veggies and gravy. It should be the perfect time of year for turning on the oven but, oddly enough, it is currently 90 degrees in Pittsburgh. Where is fall? I am definitely ready for sweater weather and being able to turn on the oven to make a proper meal now and again. It may be a while before we can have another roast supper if this weather holds up.

Flash your stash

2007-10-08T14:28:00.000-04:00

It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world.

2007-10-04T13:39:00.000-04:00

Things have been crazy busy and a pain in the ass over the last week or so. It just sucks when the times when you most need something to calm you down, like knitting or a good stiff cocktail, are when you get the least opportunity to do so.

I haven't made much progress on the knitting front lately. I ended up stuck on the PA turnpike Tuesday night and would have had 5 hours of prime knitting time but, having believed that I would either be in meetings or driving the entire time, I neglected to bring any knitting. I actually thought about taking some with me but decided not to. Important lesson learned, always take your knitting with you when you are traveling as you never know when you will be parked on a major roadway for 5 or so hours. Plus, it is nice to have a distraction when sitting in your car alone in the dark on a turnpike. Otherwise, you sit and think about all of the terrible things that could potentially happen to you and have happened to countless other people that you have read about in Ann Rule books and see on Dateline. (Note to self: perhaps I should cut back on Ann Rule books and not stop to see what's going on in primetime news shows.)

I have embarked on a new knitting adventure. I am undertaking my first attempt at knitting 2 socks at the same time via Magic Loop. (I always knit my socks using Magic Loop but this is the first time that I have knit more than one at a time.)

Imagine how much further along they would be if only I had grabbed them to take with me on my road trip.... (Will never leave house without backup knitting project again.) These socks are a Christmas present and also my October socks for the Sock a Month KAL.

I am hoping that I will have a lot more knitterly progress to post over the coming days. I am going to the Bob Dylan/Elvis Costello concert next Thursday and would really like to be able to wear my finished UnRusted Root to it. Will I make it? Only time will tell.

What kind of knitter are you?

2007-09-25T12:21:00.000-04:00

What Kind of Knitter Are You?

You appear to be a Knitting Guru. You love knitting and do it all the time. While finishing a piece is the plan, you still love the process, and can't imagine a day going by without giving some time to your yarn. Packing for vacation involves leaving ample space for the stash and supplies. It can be hard to tell where the yarn ends and you begin.http://marniemaclean.com
Take this quiz!

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Some travel, some knitting and a big shout out to my Secret Pal!

2007-09-24T11:05:00.000-04:00

I must start out this post by saying a big THANK YOU!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!! to my Secret Pal! My package was perfect. I feel like we must have been friends for years for you to have picked out such great stuff that so suits me!

The Girls' Book How to Be the Best at Everything is so me that it's not even funny. I showed it to my roommate and he had quite a good laugh at how appropriate it is. I immediately dived into it and now should be able to survive in a horror movie. I think I'm going to read through this one item a day until I am finished. SP, I love this book!

My first thought upon seeing this yarn was that it reminded me of the ocean. Upon reading the card, I learned that my Secret Pal had the same thought when she saw it.

There were some very cute pins that accurately depict me as I am both a bit of a black sheep and a pack rat.

I love this candle. It is White Pepper and Spice scented. Very appropriate as I am one of those people who likes a little bit of food with my pepper to begin with.

Some very cute notecards,

And last but not least, two peanut erasers and j sticky notes.

Thank you so much Secret Pal!!!! Having spent much of the last week on the road, the package you sent was a great welcome home present!!!

I've done a lot of traveling lately. I was in Minnesota and Wisconsin for work most of last week. I rented a car for the first time ever. It was a bright yellow Chevy Cobalt. At least, I didn't have to worry about losing it in the parking lot.
I got to check out the Leinenkugel Brewery in Chippewa Falls.

And take in a little nature.I also went to the Mall of America and, deciding that I would only spend a bunch of money that I shouldn't if I started to check out the shops, chose to spend the evening in the amusement park. The rides were pretty good for being in the middle of a mall. I would highly recommend checking out the amusement park if you are at the Mall of America. After 5 p.m., it's less than $15 for an unlimited ride ticket.

Then, I went to my parents' house this weekend as my brother was in town.

Let me introduce you to my nephew Buddy. He may look sad but he actually lives like a king. I think the "poor pitiful me" routine helps him to get away with a lot and therefore he uses it to his best advantage.

When he is not begging for food,
He snags the most comfy spots to snooze.
Or charms his way into getting petted, getting food or sitting on your lap.

In the midst of all this travel, I was able to finish my Monkey socks.

Here is an in-progress shot of them Saturday.

And before I left my parents' house on Sunday, I was able to call them an official FO!!!
I was overly ambitious in my knitting goals for the week. I ended up doing a lot more driving around than I had anticipated on the trip and was only able to finish the Monkey socks. I am hoping to get the Unrusted Root off the needles this week.

Progress Report

2007-09-17T10:59:00.001-04:00

I am plugging away on UnRusted Root. I didn't get much knitting in this weekend as I was extremely lazy and spent pretty much all of Saturday snoozing and watching movies. For some reason, I tend to get very sleepy when the weather changes. I did make a bit of progress and have reached the point of starting the waist shaping. I am hoping to be able to finish UnRusted Root on my business trip to Wisconsin this week. In addition to UnRusted Root, I will also be taking my Monkeys with me. I have cast on the second sock and am into the first lace repeat. If I am lucky, I will also get these Monkeys off my back while on this trip. In wishful thinking, I am also taking another sock yarn with me in case I can wrap up both of these projects and need something else to knit.

As for movies, I went to see 3:10 to Yuma at the theater yesterday and give it two thumbs up. The story was really well done and the acting was spectacular. I am a big Christian Bale fan and he did an excellent job but I have to say that this film really belongs to Russell Crowe and Ben Foster. The story was gripping and, even if you aren't a big fan of Westerns, it will keep your interest.

I also watched alot of DVDs this weekend. I watched the second disc of the first season of Shameless. This is a British t.v. series about a very unorthodox family in Manchester. It is both hilarious and, at times, quite dramatic.

I also watched Hot Fuzz this weekend. This film had me laughing hysterically and, even shouting "oh my god" at one point. (For those of you who have seen the film, it's a scene that involves Timothy Dalton and I think you can easily pick the one.) If you get this DVD, I would definitely recommend watching the bonus features. They are nearly as funny as the film.

Greetings from the 'burgh!

2007-09-14T15:34:00.001-04:00

Have a great weekend everyone!! And Go Steelers!!!!!!!!!

In a moment of weakness, I broke.

2007-09-12T17:20:00.001-04:00

I've been doing pretty well about not buying yarn but the lure was too great for me today and I bought the yarn for Juliet by Zephyr Style. I was buying something online to complete my first SP11 package that every LYS I went SP shopping in was out of and I gave in to temptation. I don't feel too badly about it because 1. what's done is done and 2. because I was frugal about it and went with the Valley Yarns Berkshire Bulky at WEBS that was $4.99 a skein. I went with the grey colorway. I just have a vision of this little cardi in grey with a crisp white shirt. I'm hoping it arrives by next Monday so that I can take Juliet as my travel project when I head to Wisconsin for work. It looks like it is a quick knit that I may be able to finish on the trip. I plan on taking it (if the yarn arrives) and a sock project. If the yarn doesn't arrive, I'm hoping to have finished UnRusted Root and begin Ms. Marigold by then.

An FO Frenzy!

2007-09-10T12:42:00.000-04:00

In the ongoing effort to organize and simplify my life, I tackled my UFO basket this weekend. I set a goal of finishing at least 2 objects in it and actually finished 3. The leaves only 4 UFO items remaining in the basket!!!!!

Friday evening when I got home from work, I decided to tackle the Cozy V-Neck Pullover with Deep Ribbing from Fitted Knits by Stephanie Japel. I started knitting this sweater in April when the Pittsburgh weather was still pretty cold. When May rolled around, the temperatures drastically increased making it impossible to endure working on a long sleeved sweater knit in Cascade Pastaza. All in all, this was a pleasurable, mindless knit. The ribbing gets a little tedious after a while but the sweater knits up quickly enough that you can push your way through it. I have a bit of a jog in the middle of the bottom where the final stitch to be bound off fell. I also found the seaming of the neckline to be a bit fiddly. I am a big fan of layering in the winter and expect to get a lot of wear out of this sweater.

On Saturday, I started with my oldest FO, the Ticuna sweater vest by Berroco. You can find the free pattern here. This was my first large project having only completed hats before this point. I started two sweaters at the same time and as a newbie knitter, had to let one fall by the wayside. The only work that remained on the Ticuna vest was to pick up and knit the armbands, which I was able to finish fairly quickly on Saturday.

Next up was a project that will be a Christmas present. These slippers are made from a pattern that was my great grandma MeMe's. I started these quite a while ago and put them aside when the lure of other projects was too great to resist.

Feeling like I had spent enough time with the UFO basket, I went back to working on my UnRusted Root. I am actually a bit further along than this picture indicates because I finished the sleeves and picked up and knit the neckband after trying it on for fit. I like to go back and do the finishing on a project as I am working on it so that, when I do the final bind off, I'm done. I started doing that with Green Gable and find that it allows me to finish a project without it spending any time in the UFO basket if I do the finishing as I go along.I would say that I had a very productive knitting weekend. I'm hoping to be able to replicate it next weekend as well. Christmas is just around the corner and I need to pick up the pace on my projects if I am to get everything finished that I would like to by the end of the year.

Go Stillers!!!!!!

2007-09-07T16:44:00.000-04:00

Slightly shaken and stirred.

2007-09-05T17:16:00.000-04:00

You Are A Martini

You are the kind of drinker who appreciates a nice hard drink.
And for you, only quality alcohol. You don't waste your time on the cheap stuff.
Obviously, you're usually found with a martini in your hand. But sometimes you mix it up with a gin and tonic.
And you'd never, ever consider one of those flavored martinis. They're hardly a drink!

What Alcoholic Drink Are You?

Say hello to my little friends...

2007-09-05T12:11:00.000-04:00

I did a little pattern purchasing today. Please say hello to my newest acquisitions.

The Tree Jacket by Zephyr Style

I don't have any yarn in the stash for this but I'm thinking of ordering Knitpicks Andean Silk for it. I'm currently torn between the Cranberry and Sangria colorways.

Next up, we have the lovely Juliet by Zephyr Style.

I think I prefer the full length version of this sweater. I'm thinking about ordering Knitpicks Wool of the Andes Bulky in the Pewter colorway for this cardi.

And last but not least, we have The Somewhat Cowl by Wendy Bernard.

I'm probably going to break down and order the Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca and Silk for the Somewhat Cowl. I am currently sticking to my yarn moratorium and have not ordered any of the yarns for these projects. I have to knit at least three of the sweater projects that I already have yarn for before I will allow myself to purchase any yarn for additional sweater projects. I'm currently working on Rusted Root and think the other two sweaters will be the feminine cardi with puffed sleeves from Fitted Knits by Stephanie Japel and Ms. Marigold by Zephyr Style.

I see the light! (well, the flash at least because my camera is back in business)

2007-09-04T16:08:00.000-04:00

I have decided to make an attempt to lead a more organized and leisurely life than I have been. In that vein, I cleaned my house and organized nearly all of my stuff (notice the nearly, it's all about baby steps.) It didn't hurt that my roommate's family was coming to the house to visit so that I had a deadline to bring things to some reasonable sense of order. I took this picture of myself to document what too much cleaning and organizing can do to a person.

(Be afraid kiddies, be very afraid.)

While I've been cleaning I've been trying to get pictures of my projects and my stash for updating this blog and for making the most of my ravelry account. To that vein, I have some photos to share and project progress reports to make.

Let's start with the Finished Objects that I have just gotten around to getting pictures of and posting.

Candy Apple Gable

I love this sweater and wear it all the time.

Pattern: Green Gable by Sarah and Rachel of Zephyr Style

Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece - 3 skeins in the Candy Apple colorway (80% cotton, 20% wool)

Needles used: Size 6 and size 4 knitpicks options

Date Started: June 23, 2007

Date Completed: July 15, 2007

Modifications: I was wary of knitting the medium size (36-39") so I added an additional increase row before separating for the sleeves. In hindsight, I realize that wasn't necessary and have not done so with the Rusted Root that I am currently knitting.

One Skein Wonder

A fun and quick knit. I didn't think I would wear it much but I've worn it quite a bit since I finished it.

Pattern: One Skein Wonder by Stephanie Japel

Yarn: Nassau by the Great Adirondack Yarn Co. - 1 skein in the Tourmaline colorway (50% silk, 50% cotton)

Needles used: Size 8 and size 6 Knitpicks Options

Date started: Late July

Date finished: Early August

Modifications: Changed the body trim to k2p2 rib rather than seed stitch. Used size 6 needles for the ribbing rather than the size 5s called for in the pattern.

Adults Only Devil Hat

Pattern: Adults Only Devil Hat by Kitty Schmidt from Stitch 'n Bitch: A Knitters Handbook by Deb Stoller

Yarn: Unknown hand dyed worsted weight wool

Needles used: Size 7 16" circulars and dpns

Modifications: None

Notes: This was my first non-scarf project knitted too long ago to accurately remember when but suffice it to say that it was about a year and a half ago. I learned knitting in the round, decreasing, using dpns, i-cord and picking up stitches from this project. It sure seems like a hell of a lot to learn from such a small project but it true. I would highly recommend either the Adults Only Devil Hat or the Official Kittyville Hat for beginning knitters to tackle as their first projects.

Now on to the UFOs:

I am currently working on an UnRusted Root, that I started about a week and a half ago. The picture is a little dated as I got to the point of separting the sleeves out. I will knit a few more rows before I try it on and update with a glamorous mirror shot when I get there.

Right before casting on for UnRusted Root, I finished the first of my Monkey socks.

I also pulled out my oldest UFO that I plan to actually finish by the end of the month so that I can wear it this fall. It is the Ticuna Vest.

Well, I'm a bit blogged out at the moment. There will be more knitterly adventures coming soon to a theater near you.

A little yarn porn to kick off the holiday weekend!

2007-08-31T17:09:00.000-04:00

Secret Pal 11 Contest #2 Questionnaire

2007-08-28T16:27:00.000-04:00

1. What is the one knitting accessory you could not live without?
This is a toss up between stitch markers and a measuring tape. I don't think I could live without either of those.

2. If you're heading on vacation, do you take knitting with you? If so, how much and what type of project?
Yes! It wouldn't be a vacation if I couldn't squeeze in any knitting time. The amount and type of project depends on the type of trip. If I am going to the beach or running around alot, I would take portable projects like socks. If it's a more leisurely trip, I would probably take a larger project like a sweater. In all honesty, it really comes down to what I want to work on most at the time.

3. Where have you travelled to that you'd consider your favorite spot?
I went to Madrid a couple of years ago and LOVED Spain. I haven't gotten to do as much travel as I'd like to and would like to start traveling more, particularly more international travel.

4. What is your favorite knitting book at the moment? Do you own it?
Hmm... this is difficult because I bounce around alot depending upon what I am in the mood to knit. I would have to say that my favorite book at the moment is Fitted Knits by Stephanie Japel and, yes, I own it.

5. Do you listen to podcasts? Which is your favorite(s)?
I've never listened to any podcasts.

6. If you could only knit with 1 color for the rest of your life, what color would that be?
I've been very into green lately but, overall, I am a red girl through and through, so I would have to say Red (blue reds, not orange reds.)

7. If you were far into a project and then noticed a mistake near the beginning what would you do?
It depends on how horrible the mistake was. If it was unfixable and ruined the project, I would frog it and start over. If it was small and could be fixed or hidden, I would probably keep going.

8. Where is the most unsual spot you've ever knit?
Most of my knitting has been done in fairly usual spots - home, at the pool, on an airplane, in the movie theater, in the park, etc. I guess the most unusual place that I have ever knit was at a dragon boat race.

And another quiz...

2007-08-28T16:25:00.001-04:00

Which HP Kid Are You?

Knitterly Skills

2007-08-28T15:09:00.000-04:00

I've seen these lists all over knitting blogland and have yet to do one myself. Here it goes...

Bold = have already tried this
Italicized = Plan to try this
Unemphasized = Have no desire to try this

• Afghan
• I-cord
• Garter stitch
• Knitting with metal wire
• Shawl
• Stockinette stitch
• Socks: top-down
• Socks: toe-up (I'm planning to knit my next pair of socks toe-up.)
• Knitting with camel yarn
• Mittens: Cuff-up
• Mittens: Tip-down
• Hat
• Knitting with silk
• Moebius band knitting
• Participating in a KAL
• Sweater
• Drop stitch patterns
• Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
• Slip stitch patterns
• Knitting with banana fiber yarn
• Domino knitting (I don't know what this is so I can't say one way or the other.)
• Twisted stitch patterns
• Knitting with bamboo yarn
• Two end knitting
• Charity knitting
• Knitting with soy yarn
• Cardigan
• Toy/doll clothing (I have Nicky Epstein's Knits for Barbie Doll and have a number of projects that I want to knit from it.)
• Knitting with circular needles
• Baby items
• Knitting with your own handspun
• Slippers
• Graffiti knitting
• Continental knitting
• Designing knitted garments
• Cable stitch patterns
• Lace patterns
• Publishing a knitting book (Who knows?)
• Scarf
• Teaching a child to knit
• American/English knitting
• Knitting to make money
• Buttonholes
• Knitting with alpaca (Yarn and project are waiting to go. I will be using alpaca to knit Ms. Marigold.)
• Fair Isle knitting
• Norwegian knitting
• Dying with plant colors
• Knitting items for a wedding
• Household items
• Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
• Olympic knitting
• Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
• Knitting with dpns
• Holiday-related knitting
• Teaching a male how to knit
• Bobbles
• Knitting for a living
• Knitting with cotton
• Knitting smocking
• Dying yarn
• Steeks (I have done so in a controlled class environment but not in a personal project yet.)
• Knitting art
• Fulling/felting
• Knitting with wool
• Textured knitting
• Kitchener BO
• Purses/bags
• Knitting with beads
• Swatching (Are there any knitters out there who have never swatched?)
• Long Tail CO
• Entrelac
• Knitting and purling backwards
• Machine knitting
• Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegating yarn
• Stuffed toys
• Knitting with cashmere
• Darning
• Jewelry
• Knitting with synthetic yarn
• Writing a pattern
• Gloves
• Intarsia
• Knitting with linen
• Knitting for preemies
• Tubular CO
• Freeform knitting
• Short rows
• Cuffs/fingerless mitts/armwarmers
• Pillows
• Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
• Rug
• Knitting on a loom
• Thrummed knitting
• Knitting a gift
• Knitting for pets
• Shrug/bolero/poncho
• Knitting with dog/cat hair
• Hair accessories
• Knitting in public

Hmm... a snapdragon?

2007-08-23T12:36:00.000-04:00

I am a
Snapdragon

What Flower
Are You?

"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh."

She came, she saw, she steeked its ass!

2007-08-17T16:23:00.000-04:00

I did my first steeks last night!!! How cool is that? I had no problem with making the cut but I did have a "What the hell did I just do?!" moment immediately after. I have much practice to do before I tackle a big project but I just got the pattern for Eunny Jang's Deep V Argyle Vest so that I can study it, practice and, pretty soon, be able to jump in and do it! I did hold off on ordering the yarn though as part of my goal to be financially responsible and to knit some of the projects that I already have yarn for before I get the yarn for a new project that I am not ready to start. I am planning on knitting it with Knitpicks Merino Style in Asparagus for the main color and vanilla as the contrast.

However, I am not totally denying myself the pleasure of purchasing knitterly wares. I found the coolest sock blockers at Scout's Swag and couldn't resist having them. They are en route and I will have them shortly. As a sneak preview, here they are:

Knitting and cocktails, a brilliant combination!

In other news, I have cast on for Rusted Root. Yippee!!!! I am going to work diligently on this top so that I can wear within the next couple of weeks. I have also started a group on Ravelry for people who are knitting Zephyr Style projects,

If you are on Ravelry and get a chance, stop by and check it out.

As I prefer to sleep past noon, this comes as no surprise to me.

2007-08-13T10:37:00.000-04:00

You Are a Night Person

For you, there's nothing worse than having to get up and moving early.
In fact, you probably don't hit your peak until well after the sun has set.
So if your struggling to make it on a normal schedule, realize it's not your fault.
You just weren't meant to do anything during the day!

Are You a Morning Person or Night Person?

One Skein Wonder is off the needles and stepping out on the town!

2007-08-10T10:58:00.001-04:00

I finished a One Skein Wonder last night!!!! I am trying to get better at finishing the projects that I already have started before I start anymore.

I've been terrible about taking pictures lately but will get around to replacing the batteries on my camera and take some next week.

I now have to finish my steeking class project, which must be done by Thursday for the class, Sydney's birthday present for next Sunday and the Monkey sock that I have on the needles that only needs the toe completed to be done before I cast on anything new.

SP11 Questionnaire

2007-08-06T12:45:00.000-04:00

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I really like wool years. I love merino and merino blends that incorporate mohair, angora, alpaca, silk, you name it. I also like cotton blends such as Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece and I’m currently knitting a One-Skein Wonder in a cotton silk blend that I’m really enjoying. I also love to try new fibers. I really like hand-dyed yarns as well.
The only yarns that I really don’t like are fun furs and crazy novelty yarns and super tough acrylics.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have the Knitpicks Options and Denise Interchangeable sets and keep them in their respective cases. I use a zip-up tapestry needle holder that was my great grandmother’s for straight needles and a small rubbermade tote for my circulars.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I’ve been knitting for about a year and a half. I learned from a book (Stitch and Bitch to be exact supplemented with Maggie Righetti’s Knitting in Plain English) and have been knitting away ever since. Since then, I have taken several classes at LYS to hone specific skills or to tackle projects and skills that I’m a bit leery of trying on my own. I would consider my skill level to be intermediate.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
I have a wish list at Amazon (Jennifer Lynn Sinfelt, j_sinfelt@yahoo.com).

5. What's your favorite scent?
I like floral and clean scents. My two favorite floral scents are rose and lavender.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
My favorites are Swedish fish, sour patch kids, Ghiardelli chocolates and caramels.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I like to sew. I am planning to get back into it more this winter. I haven’t done much sewing lately. I am also interested in trying jewelry making and like to play around with refinishing furniture. I'd love to learn how to spin someday but that is far off in the horizon. I've got too much knitting to do right now to take up spinning as well.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
My taste in music is eclectic. I am really into singer songwriters like Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Aimee Mann and David Gray. I also love Motown and Reggae. Am really into older country singers like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson at the moment. I am also really interested in hearing new things.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I love reds, greens, purple, pink, grey and black. I’m not a big yellow or orange person.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I am a petless, urban singleton.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Yes to all of the above. I love to accessorize and we get some pretty cold winters here in the ‘burgh.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Hmm… what don’t I like to knit? If I had to pick my favorite items, I would have to say sweaters or tops and socks at the moment but I also like to knit hats, household stuff, skirts, gloves/mittens and the list goes on and on, if it can be knit, I’d eventually like to try it.

13. What are you knitting right now?
A pair of Monkey socks, a One Skein Wonder, a tessellating fish afghan, a color work/steeking project for a knitting class I am taking, a Cozy V-Neck Pullover with Deep Ribbing from Fitted Knits, Silk Sleeves from One Skein and a birthday present (can’t say what it is as the recipient sometimes checks out the blog.) I'm sure that there is probably something I am missing or that I will be adding on the list soon.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
I LOVE TO RECEIVE HANDMADE GIFTS!!!!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I tend to knit most of my projects on circular needles. I am a Magic Loop sock knitter so I love extra long circular needles for that. I like all three and vary them depending on the project. I would love to get some plastic or bamboo 40 or 47 inch circulars in sock sizes (0, 1 or 2) for travel knitting. I am always afraid that my metal needles might be confiscated.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
I have both a yarn winder and a swift. I just recently got them to deal with my ever expanding stash that I would rather be knitting than winding. I love them and don't know how I ever lived without them.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
My oldest UFO is about a year old. It’s a Ticuna vest that I only have to pick up and knit the arm bands and it’s finished. I will finish it by fall because I really want to wear it.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas – I love to give and receive presents (hence my love of swaps) and spending time with family and friends. I love decorating the house. My roommate and I go crazy with a 10 foot tree and garland and decorations everywhere.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Besides yarn, knitting patterns and books and knitting supplies? I can’t really think of anything else that I collect.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I would love to have the Barbara Walker Treasury books. I'd love the patterns for pretty much any of Wendy Bernard's adult tops, particulary the Somewhat Cowl and Flair patterns. I also love Cookie A. sock patterns and have all of the free ones online but haven’t gotten through knitting them all yet but also love the ones that she has for sale. As for needles, I’d like some non-metal socks needles, either dps or 40+ inch circulars for airplane knitting in any size from 0 to 2. Yarns - I love to try new yarns. If my swap partner is a spinner or dyer, I would love to get to work with their creations. I have a subscription to Interweave Knits. I am also thinking about subscribing to Vogue Knitting but haven't yet. I'd love to check out Rebecca magazine as I have read good things about it but have never seen one. I am really looking forward to getting to meet a new person and to swap fiber-related gifts. I can't wait to learn about new fiber-related stuff from my swap partner and will love everything that my swap partner sends. (I'm an ENFP Aries, we can't help but get excited and enthusiastic about everything. We're kind of the Tiggers of the personality/zodiac spectrum.)

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I am taking a steeking class and want to learn to do intricate colorwork and intarsia. I want to learn how to knit socks from the toe up as I have only knitted them top down. I have yet to felt and want to learn how to do that and am looking forward to blocking out some time to spend with my copy of Victorian Lace Today and learning to knit lace.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I am a sock knitter. My foot measurements are US size 8, 9 inches from heel to toe.

23. When is your birthday?
I’m an April Fools baby… April 1.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
I’m on Ravelry. My ID is jsins.

No matter what test I take, it's always NF.

2007-08-03T14:45:00.000-04:00

Your Personality Is

Idealist (NF)

You are a passionate, caring, and unique person.
You are good at expressing yourself and sharing your ideals.

You are the most compassionate of all types and connect with others easily.
Your heart tends to rule you. You can't make decisions without considering feelings.

You seek out other empathetic people to befriend.
Truth and authenticity matters in your friendships.

In love, you give everything you have to relationships. You fall in love easily.

At work, you crave personal expression and meaning in your career.

With others, you communicate well. You can spend all night talking with someone.

As far as your looks go, you've likely taken the time to develop your own personal style.

On weekends, you like to be with others. Charity work is also a favorite pastime of yours.

The Three Question Personality Test

I'm in!!!!

2007-07-23T17:22:00.000-04:00

In a quick hot news bit, I GOT MY RAVELRY INVITATION TODAY!!!!! I've now got my work cut out for me uploading my stash and projects into it. If you are on Ravelry and want to look me up my username is ... you guessed it... jsins.

2007-07-23T10:58:00.000-04:00

Who's Your Inner 1950's Pin Up Girl?

You Are The School Teacher
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More than just an April Fool

2007-07-16T11:12:00.000-04:00

Your Birthdate: April 1

You are a natural born leader, even if those leadership talents haven't been developed yet.
You have the power and self confidence to succeed in life, and your power grows daily.
Besides power, you also have a great deal of creativity that enables you to innovate instead of fail.
You are a visionary, seeing the big picture instead of all of the trivial little details.

Your strength: Your supreme genius

Your weakness: Your inappropriate sensitivity

Your power color: Gold

Your power symbol: Star

Your power month: January

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

A Kick Ass Blog to Check Out

2007-07-12T14:16:00.000-04:00

If you're looking for the latest in classic rock news and witty commentary, check out Ben's Blog Shut Up N Blog at http://classicrock1045.com/skin/feature.php?sectionId=180.

You can learn more about Ben and his morning show here http://classicrock1045.com/skin/feature.php?sectionId=180.

Yippee-Kai-Aye... Green Gable is Off the Needles!!!

2007-07-11T10:19:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post to celebrate that my Candy Apple Green Gable is finito!!!!!!!!!!! I finished it up last night, washed it and it is now happily drying and blocking to be ready to wear by the end of the week!!! I love to knit... I love to get new clothes... What better than the excitement and anticipation of getting to wear new, hand-knitted clothes? I can't wait. Here is a really bad pic that I took right before I tossed it in the wash. I will have some better post-washing and blocking shots to post soon.

Playing Catch Up

2007-07-10T17:24:00.000-04:00

I've been working on getting caught up with taking pictures and posting projects. As the last few knitting posts have been about what is waiting to get on the needles, I wanted to post an old FO and some WIPs to demonstrate that I have not only been thinking about knitting but actually doing some as well.

My First Socks

First the FO, the following pic is of the first socks I ever made. I made them last fall. I took at class at a LYS, Ewe Can Knit of downtown Pittsburgh, and learned the Magic Loop method. I heart Magic Loop. I use it for everything from socks to hats to sleeves. It is so nice to be able to use a single needle and not have to switch to dps as you decrease. I can't remember the brand and colorway of the yarn but I know it is a superwash merino.

Monkey Socks

In other sock news, the following is a WIP shot of the Monkey Socks that I am knitting in Plymouth Sockotta. These socks are my "pool project" as they are small, portable and do not interfere with my quest to get a tan. I'm not a big fan of fair isle patterned sock yarns but I loved the greens and blues in this year. I am actually quite pleased with the way the lace pattern of the Monkey socks plays with the fair isle pattern of the yarn. I'm a bit further along than this pic shows and have finished the leg of the first sock.

Tessellating Fish Afghan

Next up, we have the tessellating fish afghan. I love these shiny happy fish with their little smiles and bobble eyes. I'm knitting the afghan in Cascade 220 Superwash. I chose the hot pink, yellow and orange both for their sunny-ness and in an homage to old school granny square afghans. My plan is to make it large enough to cover my full-size bed. I think it will be quite some time before I get there. As the saying goes, that's a hell of a lot of fish to knit...

Green Gable

I am also nearly finished with Green Gable. I have not taken any WIP shots because everytime I have tried it on I have looked like shite. The sweater looks great but I have a tendency to try this one on when I have extreme bedhead or have been out swimming or any other number of reason that makes one look like shite and determine to not have any photographic proof of the situation. I will post some lovely shots of this sweater when it is finished.

Knitterly Improvement

I'm so excited!!!! I've signed up for a steeking class at the LYS Dyed in the Wool. I am intrigued by the idea of steeking and have seen a number of cute projects that involve steeking, including the Deep V Argyle Vest by Eunny Jang, but the idea of attempting steeking without someone showing me how to do it first is way more adventurous than I care to be. I love taking knitting classes. This will be the third class that I've taken, including the aforementioned sock class and an intermediate knitting course also at Ewe Can Knit. I find that I can struggle for hours trying to figure out how to do a particular maneuver (increases for example) that I can pick up easily if I see someone do it in person. Plus, you get to meet other knitters and have a designated time when, no matter what, you must knit because you are taking a class.

I always knew there was more to my toes than meets the eye.

2007-07-09T17:11:00.000-04:00

Your Toes Should Be Dark Red

Sexy and a little dangerous, you give off a totally vampy vibe.

Your flirting style: Straight forward and seductive

Your ideal guy: Powerful and a little intimidating

Stay away from: Mama's boys

What Color Should Your Toenails Be?

So many projects, so little time...

2007-07-09T14:56:00.000-04:00

I have so many great projects waiting to get finished or started that it is driving me insane. I want to knit and wear them all right now!!! If patience is a virtue, I'm definitely not virtuous. In fact, I may be looking the at the 9th circle - Move over Brutus, Cassius and Judas - Here I come! Pass me a Corona and let's sit back and enjoy the heat.

Green Gable is drawing to a close. Only an inch and a half more to go and it will be finished. It's definitely my quickest knit and will be finished in less than three weeks. But somehow that seems like so long when you have all of these lovelies waiting in the wings...

Say hello to Fifi by French Girl and the lovely leaf lace skirt from Hemp for knitting. These two little beauties will be next to go on the needles. I am so excited to give Rowan Calmer a whirl. From everything I've heard, Rowan Calmer is like Yarn Crack. Once you take a hit, you are addicted for life. My Fifi will be done in the colorway Kiwi.

I have to admit that I'm a little afraid of what knitting with the Allhemp 6 for the Lovely Leaf Lace Skirt will be like but I am a wimp and so I will just have to put my big girl pants on and ride it out. Who knows, I may even build a few muscles working with the Allhemp 6. I have say the FO pics I've seen of the Lovely Leaf Lace Skirt are gorgeous and the world will not be a wonderful place until I have one of my own. My LLLS will be a nice shade of chocolate for maximum wearability with a variety of tops and footwear. If I am going to wrestle the hemp, I'm going to get all that I can out of it.

I am also chomping at the bit to get started on these two must-haves for the well-dressed girl. Every girl needs to have a great black top in her wardrobe. The black Cascade Pima Tencel that is destined to become the Shaped Lace Tee from Knitting Lingerie Style is ready to fulfill its potential and become a truly great top. Not only is one skein in my stash waiting to become a one skein wonder but a second is waiting for me to get my butt moving as well.

I'm afraid that I will have to continue the saga of the project overload that I currently have going on in a later post as I cannot bear to think of how far behind I am in my knitting and how badly I want to be able to wear each and everyone of these items RIGHT NOW. I'm off to get back to work on Green Gable and hopefully have a finished object to show off in the next day or two to offset all of the projects that are still waiting in the wings.

And my personality is... the same as it ever was.

2007-07-09T14:40:00.000-04:00

You Are An ENFP

The Inspirer

You love being around people, and you are deeply committed to your friends.
You are also unconventional, irreverent, and unimpressed by authority and rules.
Incredibly perceptive, you can usually sense if someone has hidden motives.
You use lots of colorful language and expressions. You're quite the storyteller!

In love, you are quite the charmer. And you are definitely willing to risk your heart.
You often don't follow through with your flirting or professed feelings. And you do break a lot of hearts.

At work, you are driven but not a workaholic. You just always seem to enjoy what you do.
You would make an excellent entrepreneur, politician, or journalist.

How you see yourself: compassionate, unselfish, and understanding

When other people don't get you, they see you as: gushy, emotional, and unfocused

What's Your Personality Type?

I am on the wagon!

2007-06-28T17:03:00.000-04:00

I am officially going on a yarn diet until I can finish the following spring/summer items that I not only have the patterns for but also the yarn.

1. Green Gable or, in my case, Candy Apple Gable. I am about 50% through knitting this sweater in Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece - Candy Apple. I started knitting it on Saturday, June 23, and am hoping to finish it by the end of this weekend.

2. Next on the needles, we have an UnRusted Root. It will be knitted with Jungle Green Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece. I am hoping that this sweater knits up as quickly as Green Gable.

3. Then we have Fifi, which will be knit in Rowan Calmer - Kiwi, for the SKC KAL.

4. Then there is the shaped lace tee from Knitting Lingerie Style. I will be doing it in black with Cascade Pima Tencel.

5. I also have the karabella antique cotton ready to make the Josephine top from the summer 2007 Interweave Knits.

6. Last but not least (well, of the large projects, at least) is the Hemp for Knitting leaf lace skirt to be knit with the chocolate color of allhemp6.
I think that these projects and the other assortment of smaller projects that I have going on should get me through at least the rest of summer.

I have also done alot of stash enhancing for other projects and will be photographing it soon to share the yarn porn. I will learn self control. (or at least try to.)

THANK YOU FOR A WONDERFUL SURPRISE!!

2007-06-26T17:41:00.000-04:00

Thank you, No Sheep for You Secret Swap Pal!!!!!!! I was so excited when I got home from work yesterday and saw the package as I opened the door. What a great way to end a Monday!!!

I did a little photoshoot to capture the awesomeness of my package.

First, we have the entire package laid out in all of its glory...

The Ghiardelli chocolates are amazing and they were completely unmelted, so I didn't get any chocolate on the yarn! I also immediately opened the hand lotion and gave it a try. I loved it. It is the perfect size for carrying in my knitting bag.

And now onto the yarn...

The light blue Ingeo Yarn has to be one of the coolest yarns that I have ever seen! It's made entirely out of corn, the kernels not the husk! NSFYSP - I've never been to Iowa to see the corn fields. I love the little tag with a kernel of corn and that it is something that is unique to Iowa. I will definitely be thinking up something super special to knit with the Ingeo. Also, fellow knitters who are intrigued by the yarn made of corn - it is machine washable! The color is a pale sky blue. It photographed much darker than it actually is.

The package also include a lavendar and a cream colored skein of Sugar 'n Creme! I will have to find something fun to knit up using these colors.

I love the knitting themed notecards!!!

I will have to think of a very special place to put of the knitting is knotty sticker!!! I LOVE IT AND THE PIN!!!! (unfortunately, I couldn't get a good pic of the pin.)

This is my first swap and I am so glad that I signed up for it. It is so much fun to shop for presents for your downstream pal and exciting to see the package from your upstream pal waiting for you when you get home.

NSFYSP, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE THOUGHTFUL PACKAGE!!!!!!!

Jennifer

I am a terrible blogger...

2007-06-25T17:35:00.000-04:00

I've been quite bad about blogging lately. I have lots of project and stash enhancement pictures to take and I will have a proper post pretty soon.

2007-06-19T15:06:00.001-04:00

You Belong in Spring

Optimistic, lively, and almost always happy with the world...

You can truly appreciate the blooming nature of spring.

Whether you're planting flowers or dyeing Easter eggs, spring is definitely your season!

What Season Are You?

Truckin' Along on the Cozy V-Neck

2007-05-24T15:14:00.001-04:00

Here I am checking out the progress on the Cozy V-Neck Pullover with Deep Ribbing that I am knitting from Fitted Knits by Stephanie Japel. I have to say I love interchangeable needle sets! I am knitting this with my Denise interchangeables and it is so much easier to be able to throw on a new segment to try on the sweater than to put the sweater on waste yarn and have to put it back on the needles to knit again.

In other exciting interchangeable news, my new Knitpicks Options set came in the mail Tuesday! I am going to break them out and give them a go on the next sweater I have planned to knit, Sahara. As much as I am loving the Cozy V-Neck Pullover, I am ready to knit something that I can wear now!

Works in Progress

2007-05-21T17:50:00.001-04:00

The first photo is of the Cozy V-Neck Pullover I am knitting from Fitted Knits by Stephanie Japel. I am also participating in the Fitted Knits KAL (see blog links.) I am knitting the sweater with Cascade Pastaza in a medium gray color.

I am also knitting the Monkey Socks designed by Cookie A. and available on Knitty. I am knitting these in Plymouth Sockotta colorway 6673 (blue, green, yellow and brown on a white background.) I am using #2 dp needles.
The following WIP is are the silk sleeves from One Skein by Leigh Radford. I am knitting these in Kidsilk Haze color 606 Candy Girl on size #9 needles.
I am also knitting a tessellating fish afghan that I forgot to photograph. I will take pics of it soon and upload them to the site.

Legwarmers Complete

2007-05-21T17:43:00.001-04:00

Another finished object. I made these legwarmers for my friend Penny to wear to ballet class. I will take a picture of her wearing the legwarmers when I give them to her the next time I see her.
Vital Stats
Yarn: Rowan Tapestry in Potpourri (color 172)
Pattern: Legwarmers from One Skein: 30 Quick Projects to Knit and Crochet by Leigh Radford
Needles: Denise Interchangeables #7, 47 inch circular length for knitting using Magic Loop

My first sweater...

2007-05-21T17:30:00.000-04:00

I finally finished my first sweater!!! It was a top down cardigan that I made for my grandma. I started it in November with plans of having it finished for Christmas. When that didn't happen, I put it aside to finish it in early May. As you can see by the first picture, my grandma was really surprised and couldn't believe that I had made it.

This is my brother John pointing to the sweater. I gave the sweater to my grandma when we were in Ohio for my brother's law school graduation.
Here is the sweater laid out on its own. The color in the pictures in which my grandma is wearing the sweater is much truer to the actual shade of the yarn.

I am mohair.

2007-05-15T13:00:00.000-04:00

What kind of yarn are you?

You are Mohair.You are a warm and fuzzy type who works well with others, doing your share without being too weighty. You can be stubborn and absolutely refuse to change your position once it is set, but that's okay since you are good at covering up your mistakes.
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Pics coming soon...

2007-05-14T17:02:00.000-04:00

I finally busted out the digital camera and took some pics for the site this weekend. Now, I just need to upload them...

2007-04-27T12:44:00.000-04:00

You Are Most Like Miranda!

While you've had your fair share of romance, men don't come first

Guys are a distant third to your friends and career.

And this independence *is* attractive to some men, in measured doses.

Remember that if you imagine the best outcome, it might just happen.

Romantic prediction: Someone from your past is waiting to reconnect...

But you'll have to think of him differently, if you want things to work.

Which Sex and the City Vixen Are You?

Hmm... So I've started a blog.

2007-03-27T17:14:00.000-04:00

I guess I've firmly entered the cyberage with my first blog. Having surreptitiously read bogs for quite some time, I am going to attempt to create my own. As follow through on new hobbies isn't necessarily my strong suit, we will see how it goes.