Gifted...the first pair of many.


I love the
Kate Gilbert Gifted mitten pattern. This is the second pair of mittens I've made and this pair came out way better than the previous ones from a different pattern. The yarn is Patons Rumor in Hibiscus Heather. They were "gifted" to my knitting buddy and hoping they'll keep her hands warm through the power outage.
The storm we had up here in the Seattle area made a mess and five days later people still don't have power. Lucky so many have gas heated water and fireplaces otherwise they'd likely be miserable. We lost our power for 24 hours and it was great to sit in front of the fireplace and knit. No computer, no tv, and no cooking. :)
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Random: Office Redux

Here is the horrible space I previously called my office. It consisted of my husbands old office furniture and a stray table that followed me home from a junk sale. I loved the shape and size of the table, but it needed some lovin'.
I stripped the peeling paint off of it (peeling in a bad way, not shabby chic) then there she sat for maybe a year or 3 collecting dust and anything else I spilled on the bare wood. For the longest time I thought I'd just let it age and get that old patina if possible, wax it, oil it or anything.

Finally this summer I got a wild hair to finish that project and here are the results.

Plus this darned old chair I can't seem to part with. It's about useless to me. Not comfy to sit in and covered in a hideous vinyl, but I keep it around for the sentimental value. It was my great grandma's. I removed the vinyl to find a pretty tapestry type material underneath. Already a vast improvement, but I'd set out to paint it the same as the table.
Dear hubby bought me a new monitor (not pictured) to replace the refridgerator sized one on the table. I could even sew on this table if I needed to! Not perfect, but a vast improvement over what it was.
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Knitting: Blocking the Promenade


Almost finished the Promenade Bag last week. One handle is attached with one to go and the bottom to sew up. I think the handles may be a little off size for the bag, maybe the round would have been better, but I wasn't thrilled with their color. It could suprise me when I'm finished though!
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Knitting: Some Where Beyond The Sea (There's A Grocery Bag For Me?)


I wrapped up the first skein of cotton last night. Progress on the mesh market bag is coming along. Hubby dove while I knit. Brrr. Next time there will be hot chocolate and a blanket. :)
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Random: Monique Lhlullier For Barbie


The summer is pretty much over here and wedding season will be wrapping up in a few weeks. Time for sweaters, hot drinks and time to pick up my knitting again.
Barbie has come a long way since we were kids. I would have died and gone to heaven if my blonde Barbie with the perma-blue eye shadow and chewed feet had a gown like this Monique Lhuillier. I would have been happy with one for my self as well, but that didn't happen. Instead a homemade pink check cotton halter dress, which was the nicest get-up she had, was her... err, make that"my" favorite. Oh and if she had that thick dark shiny hair, she would have been a knock out.
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Knitting: And A Wee Bit Of Cuteness

These are the little darlings we fostered for a week 1/2, just long enough to get attached and then weepy when they had to go. There's nothing like having a lap full of sleepy kittens while you're working in your jammies. Bless my loving husband for giving me such a luxury.
Our very own beloved baby, Thora...
and a cutie patootie pooch I saw downtown. Yes his tongue is sticking out!

Lastly, my first finished flower washcloth. # 2 is on the needles and was almost completely finished while commuting on ferries this weekend.
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Knitting: Short & Sweet

The flower washcloths knit up really quick. I started on Thursday of last week knitting here and there and finished tonight, completely pain free! Will post photos later. :)
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Knitting: Adorable, Soft And Useful

Jo'dster gave me an amazing birthday gift. A beautiful knitting book called "Greetings from Knit Cafe" by Suzan Mischer. It's full of fun stuff that i'll actually knit! Plus she knit me a super soft flower washcloth. I didn't think they'd be so darling in person, but they are! Thanks Jodi!
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Knitting: Just Like That Odessa Hat


It took me months to knit a wee pair of socks and then just like that my next project which I won't tell what it is because I'm giving it as a gift, magically completed its self. I used Rowan Cashsoft and it's my new favorite yarn. I want a giant blanket or sweater knit from it. Yummy soft. It's feels a little different than the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino, but basically the same contents.

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OMG

I finished sock #1. It took far too long. I am determined to finish the next one in as short a time frame as possible. A week is my goal. Can I make it?
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Knitting: Debbie Bliss Socks #2

I started the 2nd pair of Debbie Bliss socks on Easter for a friend of my mom's. Apparently mom was showing off the socks I made and her friend really liked them. This is my first requested knit item. I can't be all that bad if people are actually asking for things. Boy I wish I could show you some of the doosies my grandma (bless her sweet heart) conjured up. She meant well though.
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Knitting: It's A Wrap!

My finished "Wrap Sweater with Eyelets" from Rebecca #29. It turned out a little shorter than I'd expected (what swatch?), but that gives me an excuse to go find a cute top to go underneath it!


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Knitting: They Were Going To Be Pirates

Hello Yarn's We Call Them Pirates test turned out good. The hat that followed was going to squeeze the living daylights out of dear hubbies noggin, so...


it's been frogged.
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Sewing: The Motorcycle Tool Bag

One thing about riding motorcycles is that you never know when something will go wrong. We've ridden countless miles from Kelowna Canada to Reno Nevada and had opportunity to collect and encounter stories to tell. I've had my detent plate give me troubles coming into a turn at 6o mph with no way to shift, had my battery crack and misdiagnosed, which resulted in a ridiculous toggle switch being installed roadside. If you plan a trip through Goldendale WA expect the worst, as we believe there is a Bermuda Triangle of sorts down there. Long story short, it's a sure thing something will go wrong when you're hours from home and saddle sore.
Today I was asked to creat a tool bag for the bike. As you can see in the photo above, the old tool bag's near worn out. Here is the new one.



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Sewing: Three + Two = Fluffy Bits

Shhmack!

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It's a Wee Wonderful life!

I'm a craft explosion this weekend, although the weekend is only just beginning. Here's the goodness so far... the bunnies are made from the Wee Wonderfuls bunny pattern. I love them and want to make at least 1 more for the wee ones in my life for Easter.


















Mr. & Mrs. Procrastinator are about to have our two year wedding anniversary in two months. I've been saying for nearly two years that I'll get these photos printed for family. No I haven't had any thing printed, but I do have albums and I've been thinking about it. Does that count?
This is documentation of the burst of energy I had last month getting the images organized for printing. Not my favorite job.















My trusty helper Thora has been assisting me this week with the Rececca Eyelet Wrap sweater
. Thank goodness she cares. It's been on the table all week, blocked, but untouched aside from little kitty paws. Good Kitty.
Notice behind Thora, the box of photos and negs neatly stacked back into their place, awaiting my next burst of wedding photograph energy. Not this weekend. :)
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Knitting: Wrap In Progress


Knitting's been on hold for a few weeks, but yesterday I spent the later part of the day making progress on the wrap top.
I'm hoping to like it when it's finished because right now I feel no love for it. Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying knitting it, frogging what I just knit, and re-knitting (and then sometimes re-frogging again). Maybe I'm just not familiar with the process? It isn't striking me like walking in to, say Anthropologie, and needing a certain sweater or more realistically walking into Nordstrom and needing a certain pair of shoes. I loved the photo in the magazine enough to have wanted to make it, so I knit, knit, knit.
P.S. I bagged Marcia.
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Knitting: My First Sweater #3.

Yay! I've actually got something to show for my time away. I've started knitting the wrap sweater from Rebecca #29. I will call this "My first sweater #3".






Also, here's a picture of the horrid green poncho. I think it is my least favorite project to date. But the yarn was green and so soft I couldn't resist.
(2011- I've since heard that this little poncho gets plenty of use.)
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Paralyzed by indecision. Again.

I went to the Madrona Fiber Arts "Festival" (for lack of better word) today. I didn't take any classes, but went for the yarn market. I wrote up a list of the projects I'm most interested in making, their yarn amount, weight, etc. and took it with me so I'd have some focus. Well. I didn't find quite what I was looking for and after about 2 hours of wandering (this is the paralysis part) and petting beautiful yarns I finally purchased my two skeins of yarn and scrammed. One is a beautiful lace weight 100% Alpaca handpainted in deep blues, burgandy and greys. I started to wind it into a ball by hand. Naive me. I'm afraid this means it's time for me to buy a swift & winder.
The second yarn is 60% Merino 40% Angora in a natural "tortie" color. It's super soft, wish I had bought more and also makes me want bunnies so I can love, pet and shave all in the name of fashion. It's sick I know.
The Marcia sweater swatching is taking the wind out of my sails. I haven't made much progress with it and haven't finished sewing the green poncho together either. I'm buying more yarn in hopes to fill the void Marcia isn't filling. The more I swatch, the more I am unfulfilled, the more yarn I buy to fill the void. I see a vicious cycle being born.
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Knitting: Mary Janes, Complete With Cats!

The finished Mary Janes! They are very comfortable, knit up super quick and fit perfect. My favorite of course is the cute kitty cat button. Call me the Crazy Cat Lady. I don't care. 


My sweater swatches were killing me so I had to start something I could complete quickly. I'm making a poncho for my cutie patootie god daughter Lulu. It's this horrible fuzzy/bumpy green Blossom yarn with flecks of color. It reminds me of Oscar the Grouch, but in green. It's uber soft and will be adorable on her. Just need to stitch it together today and then I'll post some finished pics!
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Knitting: K2P2 Swatch; Nothing To Write Home About


After the LYS trip, I'm working on a k2p2 swatch with much greater tension than I'd had before. So much in fact that it's hard to slide 20 stitches across an Addi. I'm not thrilled with the result, but it's better than what I had before, so that's progress.

Thanks to those who anwered my post on the Knitty Coffeeshop. I hold the yarn in my right hand when I knit, so that's not continental, but the other way. I don't usually drop the yarn, just carry it forward on my index finger and adjust the tension if I have to. I thought I'd found a nice relaxed rythm with my knitting, but this has me all out of whack.
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...more FO pics

Yikes! They are gianormous!


15" long before felting.
Luckily they shrank quite a bit. Tomorrow when they are dry we see how they fit!
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Misc Pics., WIP, FO & On the Needles


I finally got the Rowan 34 magazine with the sweater pattern I'd been lusting after. My LYS didn't have it, but had a knit sweater sample in the store, I tried it on, fell in love and that's how I got the idea of knitting this one. It took much work to track down the magazine, but alas, it is in my collection.
I've done my guage swatch, thought I was ready to go, then dang it! It appears that the I'm having difficulties transitioning between knit & purl. Go figure, I haven't seen this problem on anything else. I've tried knitting looser, tighter, counter clockwise, clockwise and tomorrow I'm taking this mess to my LYS to see if they can help me figure out the problem. It really is frustrating.

Taking photos of socks on your own feet is terribly difficult. Besides the gapping holes in the sides where I missed in the pattern that I was supposed to wrap & turn, I'm really happy with how they came out.

The photo of the toes shows where I messed up my counting on the left sock, but I'm still thrilled they came out as good as they did. The pattern is from from the new Debbie Bliss home book.

I blocked, wrapped & sent them off to dear mom who upon receiving them gave me the praise I was seeking and then asked me what they were made of to which I replied "Merino wool, cashmere, blah, blah...". DO'H!!! How come I never new she is allergic to wool???


My dear friend Jo'dster gave the girls fabulous Xmas presents: a catnip knitted frog & poodle (not shown). They LOVE them!

Here are a few photos of the blocked & finished Pinwheel blanket and of course, my trusty helper monkey.













You can see both the RS & WS in this photo. I like the extra stripes that were formed on the WS.




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