And the band played on...

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!

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

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

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!

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...

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

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!