Good Day

Alright, so I'm not completely done with the head of Sheldon. I got pretty close though. Plus, I have a good excuse. I woke up today around 6(which is usual for me) ate breakfast, knit for an hour and a half, exercised, showered, did a huge amount of AP Euro homework, rode my bike to my dad's house so I could practice my bass(we're doing New World Symphony; *love*) and then walked to Hollywood Videos. I got all of this done by 3 in the afternoon then knit for a while and I just finished watching a great Clint Eastwood film, A Fistful of Dollars(wasn't he so handsome when he was young?). So, long story short, I had a busy day and I got a lot accomplished.

Sheldon is definitely a podcast project. There are to many increases and decreases and too much counting for me to be able to read my blogs while knitting it. Instead, I have been listening to old Stash and Burn podcasts. I've listened to eight since I started Sheldon(which was yesterday) and I just love them. Jenny and Nicole just seem like such awesome people. Their podcasts are relaxed and fun to listen to. I also have some great new project ideas from hearing them talk about patterns that they like or want to knit.

Tomorrow I'm thinking of starting either the Veronik Avery Ribbon Scarf or A Better Bucket hat. Both will be Christmas gifts and I just need to find the right yarn in my stash for them. I will also try to get Sheldon's body finished and stuffed in the next few days.

I also want to start a cape/capelet/shawl with a button/cowl/bolero/big cardi pattern. It's kinda chilly in LA right now(gasp!) and I hate having bare upper arms. However, I'm not a fan of really fitted sweaters because I wear baggy shirts and it always looks weird. i really like the idea of a capelet with buttons or a cardigan with big sleeves. Maybe a shrug with the front closed up. So far I've found this which I really like. I have some Red Heart Soft Solids(I think that's what it is) in a magentaish color already in my stash and I think I will knit it out of that. It looks like a fast project so I might knit it right before school starts again.

I think that's about it. I'd say I'll get back to knitting but my hands need a break from the cotton. Maybe I'll start the Vintage Capelet...

Spring Cleaning...

... a little early.

I have finally decided to start reorganizing my yarn stash at my dad's house. I had previously kept my yarn in a large box:

This of course caused some "minor" tangling:

Needles to say, I had a lot of work to do on that. By the end of this morning, I had gotten this tangled mess so that all of the yarns except one were wound into neat little balls. The last type of yarn will be untangled soon.

This whole cleaning bit was inspired by my desire to start on my Christmas gift knitting. I was trying to find the right yarn for a project but was unable to as all my yarn was tangled. Hence the cleaning.

After that, I decided to start Sheldon which will be a gift for my little cousin(who happens to be the cutest little kid ever). I have begun to knit it in Peaches and Cream cotton yarn in green and blue.

I am having some problems with the pattern. Not errors, per se, but just some frustration. It is really awkward to knit the cotton yarn on size 3 needles. I like the gauge it gives me but I hate doing the increases and decreases. I just keep thinking about how nice and cute it will look when I am done. I have already gotten through the tail, body, and neck. Hopefully tomorrow I will finish the head although I have a lot of homework.

On the sock: I was up to the heel by the time I was leaving my grandparents house to get to the airport so I could go home. I was unable to print out the instructions for the short-row heel before we left. I was also not really happy with how the foot was going. I ended doing a lot of increases and decreases to make it fit which sort of warped it. So, when I got to the airport about an hour and half early, I decided to rip the sock out all the way to the toe.

By the time I got off the plane I had done this much:

I probably could have done more but I was sort of knitted out. My hands aren't used to such small needles and tight gauge. I will be working this in between Christmas gifts and school(which is kicking my ass right now).

And now, I will be reviewing my artist of the day. Today's musical artist happens to be: Movits! Movits! is a band is a swedish band that sort of combines rock, SKA, and jazz. They have one album out entitled Appelknyckarjazz(and don't ask me to say that). It is really fun to listen to, great dance music. They're most famous song is Fel Del Av Garden. Check out the music video on youtube.

Alright, that's about it. Off I go!

Tired

Oi, I am sooo tired. Had a great day today. Woke up around 7 in the morning and read knitting blogs while knitting my socks. Then, I went in the pool and took a nice walk in the brisk air. After resting a bit, the whole family went on an adventure to south Miami and then moved on to Lan which is a pan asian restaurant that my grandparents go to every week. I am so full and tired but so incredibly happy as well.

My sock looks about the same just longer. I'm hoping to do the heel tomorrow before we get on the plane so I don't have to worry about printing instructions out for the ride. On the plane I will probably get a lot of knitting done because I will watch La Dolce Vita on my laptop. I also downloaded a knitting podcast called Never Not Knitting. I have just recently gotten into podcasts and now that I have a working iPod, I can download them. If anyone knows of any good ones I'd love to hear about them.

Speaking of music, this past year I have found out about a lot of new music groups. I think I will do a review of a group on every blog post. How does that sound? So, for today's post I will talk about Petra Haden. Petra Haden is a singer/violinist who does some really amazing vocal work. If you look her up on google, I believe you will be able to hear some of her music including a completely sung version of Don't Stop Believing. It's great. I recommend her album Ten Years. The first track of that is called Landing on Earth which is how I originally found out about her. It's quite beautiful and I urge you to look her up.

Well, that's about it. I'd better get back to knitting!

Sock!

I'm in Miami, Florida right now visiting my family for Winter Break. There are three knitters who come every year and we love to go to this amazing yarn shop: Anneke's Neadlework. That store is a knitter's dream. It has all sorts of yarn(and a whole wall of Noro) and great atmosphere. Now, we went there and then also went to a new yarn shop The Knitting Garden which is alright. It stocks good yarn but is not set up as well as I would have liked. You have to ask the store owner to get the needles for you which is very inconvenient. Nevertheless, I found some lovely sock yarn: Cherry Tree Hill.

This is my first time using this sock yarn and I love it. It is soft and squishy and comes in beautiful colors. I bought some fire orange colored yarn and have just started some toe up socks for myself. I finished the toe and am working through the foot.

I was not a fan of toe up socks for a very long time but I really like how this is going. It is also helpful because I don't know exactly how much yarn I've got and I want to use as much of it as possible. I also like the ease with which I can try the sock on to make sure it fits. I started the toe with a figure eight cast on, which is awkward to do but I like how it looks. I will be doing a short row heel because I love the look and it's so much easier than other heels in my opinion.

I have decided to make gifts for next year's Christmas(like how early I'm planning?) and have already gone through ravelry and found patterns for most people in my family and a few friends. I decided not to do any sweaters and to just stick to small things although I do plan on making a tank top. I'm going to start these projects when I get back to LA.

Besides reading and going in the pool, I have also been reading. I read Ayn Rand's Anthem which I really enjoyed. I know many people don't like her style but I read Fountainhead two years ago and loved it. I plan on reading more by her. Now I'm working through Proust: Remembrance of Things Past. It's slow going but I like it. It requires immense comprehension and I can't work with people talking around me. Instead, I have been listening to an album of Gregorian Chants that I got. I love Gregorian chants. People think they are boring or simple but I love the sound. I'm not a religious person at all, but these chants make me feel like I am in a great Cathedral in Europe(which are quite beautiful).

That's about it. I'd better get back to that knitting!

Merry Christmas!!!

Hey!!  Yes I am still alive.  I just haven't been feeling like knitting.  Today I went with my family to the same wonderful yarn shop we went to last christmas (Anneke's Knits).  If you are ever in the Miami area you should definitely check it out.  I bought some yarn and needles there but I'll talk about that later.  Right now I just want to write about school.

I am in 9th grade which means I made it to high school.  Woohoo!!!  I am attending Hamilton Music Academy.  It is so reat.  I am in the String Symphony there playing the string bass.  There are seven other bass players and I am the only girl.  Sometimes it can be annoying to be surrounded by boys all the time but usually we get along very well.   We had seating tests earlier in the year to see where we would be placed based on skill.  I got 2nd base which is a real accomplishment.  The guy who got first base is really good at base so I probably won't be first base ever.  I don't mind.  

Anyways we are putting on a performance of The Magic Flute, an opera by Mozart on January 23 and 24.  If you are interested you can go to http://www.hamiltonmusic.org/events/performance/symphony-concert-magic-flute  to purchase tickets.  We will have singers from the Los Angeles Opera and it is going to be a great performance.

Now for the knitting.  I am in miami for christmas with family and I didn't feel like bringing any knitting along.  That was all fine until I went to this amazing yarn shop, Anneke's Needleworks, in Miami, Florida.  If you are near there anytime you should check it out.  It is amazing!!  

So I bought some Donegal Tweed Homespun and size seven needles and cast on for Ribs and Ruffles.  It is turning out really well.  I love the pattern and it is super easy to knit.  I well wear it during my French class at school because our heater broke and it can get really cold.  56 degrees is freezing cold for me btw.  I don't feel like getting up so no pictures today.  Maybe next post.

This is a little thing I found on dolly dimple knits.

It is a list of the top 100 books from the NEA.  The bold ones are the ones I have read.  I plan on reading the rest of them next year.

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. The Bible
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34. Emma - Jane Austen
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte's Web - EB White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Tuesday

Going back to school after a three day weekend is so hard. I could barely get out of bed which does not usually happen.

Anyway... KNITTING!!

I have gotten up to the heel flap on the Roza Socks. These should be done by the end of the week and then it is on to Clapotis.

I feel great finishing up all these projects. Maybe I will do it more often.

If you are wondering how I am getting so much knitting done, it is because I am reading archives of all my blogs. I always do this and am reading Yarn Harlot for the second time. It gives me so much knitting time.

That is all for now.

FOs!!!

I finished a lot of items this weekend.

The Pinwheel Blanket(white)


Gentleman Socks


I also made a lot of progress on Roza's Socks.


I have finished the 1st sock and am well on the leg of the 2nd one.

As promised, here is a picture of my new bass!!

That is my dad holding the bass.

Yay! I am well on my way to starting more projects!!

Corrections

I have to change something I said in the last post. The brown pinwheel blanket does not have to be finished before I start something new because I am only knitting on Saturdays so it is slow going. I have only been knitting on the white pinwheel blanket and after that it will be Adam's socks.

In other news... I got my own standup bass!!! We have been looking at one for a while and today we finally got it. Next post I will have pictures. I have been using a school bass and this sounds so much better. I love it!!!

That is about it. Later!

Knitting Again

I read alot.

That is all I am going to say about my absence from knitland.

Now on to knitting. I have started two pinwheel blanket for my new reading chair. Ine is in a reddish brown and the other is a creamy white color. The brown is for knitting in my way cool but 3 hour French cleass at SMC, and the white one is for knitting during the CSTs at my school.

I have decided that I will finish or frog all the progects in Ravelry before I start anything else:

Fjord Pillow

Gentleman Socks

Roza's Socks

Clapotis

Both Pinwheel Blankets

That is all and I should be posting more regulary.

C'est Tout!

Back

I havent posted in while because i havent really been knitting. I have been reading. I have also added a Shakespeare book list which shows which Shakespeares I have read. If you are family or friend and want to buy me a copy of one of his plays, I prefer the Folger copy and if not that then the signet Classics copy.

That is about it.

Yay!!!

Some FOs here. First the Saturday Market Bag.


Pattern- Saturday Market Bag
Yarn- Sugar and Cream Solids
Needles- Size 15 and 10 circular needles
Mods- While I was knitting I thought the bag would be to short so I added more repeats which made it to long. I am planning on knitting another one of these in the right length.

Next up is Argosy. I finally finished it!!


Pattern- Argosy Scarf
Yarn- Noro
Needles- Size 8 Pony Pearl circular needles
Mods- None

I also started some projects. The Fjord Pillow which is my first intarsia project. It is going really well but I had to put it down to knit on the Marathon gloves.

That is all. Knit on.

Goals

I went on a weekend retreat thing to a UU camp with the family. It is in the mountains and there was snow! We went sledding and it was so much fun. We got back early today. I knit the Marathon Gloves while there and finished my pair and started on mom's.

When we got back I decided to take a break from the gloves and decided to knit on the Argosy scarf. Guess what...I finished!! It is now blocking in my room. Pics later because I cant find the camera.

Here are my knitting goals for February:

1. Finish Gentleman's Socks
2. Finish marathon gloves.
3. Work on Clapotis
4. Begin designing something

We will see if I can meet these goals.

Wednesday

I have been knitting so much these past few days. I knit a considerable amount on Clapotis and finished the first Marathon Glove. These are going very slowly because the fingers are hard to knit. However, tonight I got all the way up to were I set aside stitches for the thumb. When I knit the fingers on this one I will do them in ribbing and see if I like it more that st st. If so, I will reknit the fingers on the first glove. I am hoping to have this pair done and start on the the 2nd pair this weekend because my family is going on a mini-trip (retreat?). It is with my step-moms church. We are hoping it will be snowing because living in L.a., you dont see snow often. because of this trip I will not be blogging over the weekend. That's it for now.

Finally

Finally some knitting content on this blog! Even though I havent been blogging I have been knitting, blogreading, and ravelering(?). I have made huge progress on Clapotis.

I ran out of the Rio yarn at the end of the increase section and switched to some yarn left over from knitting a hat for my mom. I thaought that I was finally done with the whole "knit rows 1-12 12 more times" thing when I finished the increase section. Then I saw the straight knitting section and it is the exact some thing! I love Clapotis though so i will keep on going. And just to show that it is really Clapotis and not some big disaster... The dropped stitches. i am finally beginning to believe it is really going to work!!

Another project that I worked a little on is the Saturday Market Bag. I have knit the body of the bag and have started to sew it up.

Last but not least are the marathon gloves. I am designing these myself. These will be matching gloves for when my mom and i ride our bikes in the marathon. It starts early and will be very cold. These are the first gloves I have ever knit and are really easy up to the fingers which was complicated to figure out but I am getting the hang of it. I am also knitting the palm with two strands of yarn like padding. It is a really nice feature.

that is what I have been knitting but I would love to show you the hat that my dad is knitting. Its with Manos del Uruguy and a very basic rib pattern. I was at the yarn store with my stepmom and saw this yarn and knew my dad would like it. i got it and when I got home found the correct needles and wrote out a simple pattern. I presented it to him as a kit and he cast on a few days later. here it is so far.

That is all for today!

Wednesday

Sorry I did not post for a while. I just did not feel like it. Dont let that make you think I havent been knitting. I have been knitting Clapotis and reading knitting blogs. I have also been on Ravelry joining new groups.

I have also been reading quite a bit. All of Jane Austen's works and some Kurt Vonegut.

There is also this composition I am working on for the orchestra I am in.

I dont really have that much morew to say. I just wanted to let you know that I am still alive.

Ugh School

Hey. I am back. I was at band camp and then I just didnt feel like posting so that is why there were no updates. I have however been knitting and reading blogs. I finished the first Gentleman Sock and have started on the second to avoid SSS. I have stalled on it because I have started this...



This is the Saturday Market Bag from Magknits. I am using Sugar and Cream which is one of the


recommended substitutes. I have gotten farther than the picture shows and have finished one side of the body of the bag.

I am also proud to say that I got some more Collinette Jitterbug sock yarn. I got it at my local yarn store. I think I am developing an obbsesion.

My dad also finished the scarf he was working on. I will post pics soon because blogger isnt letting me right now. He is very happy with it and has worn it to work and gotten many compliments. We blocked it yesterday and it doesnt roll as much but it still rolls. It is knit mostly with a 4 stitch stockinette center flanked by 3 garter stitches on either side. Does anyone have any tips for getting it to stop rolling as much.

I have also been distracted by an Air Hockey table that Santa gave us for Christmas. I'm not very good at Air Hockey but I love playing it so I am very happy. Again I will post pics soon.

Later!!

New Year

Happy New Year!!!!

I have been reading other peoples blogs and see that the post there craft resolutions. I think that sound good so here goes...

1.Knit a Christmas present every monthe so I dont have to rush in November.
2.Knit a sock each month as part of the Ravelry groups I joined.
3.Try to expand my knitting horizons. maybe try traditional colourwork of lots of cables.
4. Design at least one pattern for an online knitting magazine.
5. have no more than 30 UFOs by the next new year.
6.Keep track of all the projects I start an finish.

I think that is about it right now. later.

Photos

Here are some of my pictures of knitting. It is not all of them because most of my knitting related items are being shipped to me.





the first is of the Gentleman socks up to now. The second is of the spiral pattern in the knit stitches. I hope you can see it. The last pic is of the Knitting Way book.

I am now back in L.A. The plane ride was good but I did not get any knitting done as I was sleeping. I am trying to make up for it.

I got Charlene Schurch's More Sensational Knitted Socks. I dont like many of the sock patterns in here but there was one that I have the perfect yarn for and I really want to knit it.

That is about it. Later.

Gentlemen

Hey there! Today my Dad, step-mom, and step-brothers, and I went to a Miami Dolphin football game. I am not really into football but I am loyal to the Dolphins. They were playing the Cincinnati Bengals and lost by a couple touchdowns. The upside is that I got a lot done on Adam's socks. Yesterday I finished turning the heel and now I am done with the gusset shaping. They are going really well.

My dad is plugging away on his Hippie Scarf. He is a natural knitter. He knit a couple inches in garter stitch and then wanted to put a pattern in. I showed him how to do a purl stitch and on his first try he got it right. Now his scarf has the four middle stitche in stockinette stitch. He is doing really well.

Karen is knitting a dropstitch stole out of some really pretty yarn. She has gotten very far on it and it looks great.

My cousin Anjali is learning how to knit socks. She saw me making Adam's and wanted to learn. She already knows how to knit and purl so I just taught her how to knit on dpns. She is on the cuff of her first sock and it going really well.

I am also learning how to cook with my grandmother who is a super cook. I am being her sou chef for a Shrimp Creole dish. It is easy to make but tastes really good.

That is about it. Later.

Rip it, Rip it, Rip it

So yesterday I had a great yarn shop experience. After breakfast all the girls decided that they wanted to go to a knitting store. So we searched on Google and found one that was pretty close. It is called Anneke's Needlework and it is in Miami Florida. It was a little hard to find but we soon found out it was worth getting lost for. I walked inside and saw rows of yarn on shelves, yarn hanging off the ceiling and wall, and yarn in boxes on all of the tables. The shop has three rooms. Two of them are filled with yarn and the third one houses crosstitch projects, needles, and notions. I love this place. It puts my small LYS to shame. While there I bought my biggest purchase of yarn that was not for a sweater. I had all this christmas money and the store had a 15% off sale on everything in the store.

I got 2 more balls of Trekking XXL in two beautiful colourways, My first ball of Jitterbug sock yarn which I love, and some yarn for the argyle socks I want to knit. I also got size one needles for Jaywalker, and some bobbins for the argyle socks.

Now, about Jaywalker... I finally cast on using the right sized needles but it was still huge. I have now ripped it out and started Gentleman Socks designed by Kristi. My only explanation for the hugeness of the socks was that I was using a thicker yarn. I have no idea. I was using Trekking XXL. Does anyone know if that is thicker than the Yarn called for?

That is about it for right now. Later!!

Jaywalker

So today I redecided what pattern I am using for Adam's socks. I would like to knit the Jaywalker Pattern by Grumperina. He has already okayed the pattern. The only problem is that I am using size two needles instead of size ones. This means that the 76 cast on stitches would make a sock for an elephant. Does anyone have any ideas for downsizing the pattern. If so please leave me a comment. I would be very grateful.

In other news, I have started reading my The Knitting Way book. It is actually very interesting.

That is about all the knitting news I can think of. Later.

More Gifts

So after we had opened our gifts on Christmas, my uncle, his wife( knitter), their daughter(knitter), and baby came and I got some beautiful size 2 rozewood sock needles in their own little bag. I have taken my brother Adam's measurements and have knit a guage swatch with the Trekking yarn he gave me. YAY!!! I have not done any more knitting because I am waiting for the group I joined for sock knitters to start. I will knit Adams socks as the simple rib pattern sock.

Christmas

Once again I apoligize for not posting sooner. I just didnt have any knitting mojo. But now its Christmas and I got some great knitting gifts.

The first one is of the kit my step mom and my dad got me. It is for " Krista" of White Lies designes. This is why I like Ravelry. My stepmom looked on my queue and saw I wanted to knit it so she got it for me. Thank you Karen!! I am knitting it in a beautiful turquoise.

The next gift is a book that Karen gave me. It is called the Knitting Way. I have already started reading it and it is really interesting.

My two step-brothers got me sock yarn. Adam gave me some Trekking yarn which i will knit into sock yarn. Noah gave me some On Your Toes sock yarn. Thank you brothers!!

Well that's about it. Happy Holidays to those who celebrate them.

Christmas!!!

I just realized how close Christmas is!! I'm knitting and cross stitching presents for some people and I don't know if I can finish. It's too bad I have school otherwise i would have no trouble at all. I guess I will just have to work harder. Thankfully I have been getting all my homework done at school so evenings are devoted to knitting and blog reading. Bye now. I have some knitting to do.

Knit Knit

Finally

So I can finally post some pics of crafting in Amsterdam. I say crafting because it wasnt all knitting as you will soon see. I am going to try and put up some Amsterdam pics anto flickr but I am not good with computers.
This is the sock for my step dad Andy. The yarn is Regia and I got it and the needles at a yarn store, De Afstap, which was really close to the hotel. Andy's feet are so huge that this is what happened when he tried the sock on...



Yep. Thats right, a broken needle. To be fair they are size 0. Apparently I dont keep good care of my needles because anothe one snapped (on a different SIP).

There is one more thing i want to show you but it is taking forever to load so youll just have to wait.

Knit Knit!!

Knitting Wrong

I was just reading Annie Modesitts knitting blog. She was talking about how people tell her she is knitting wrong. When I was buying yarn for Tubey I went to Jennifer Knits (I don't like this yarn store at all). I was able to find the one nice helper in the shop and she got me some really nice yarn. I knit up a gauge swatch right there in the store and when I was done the lady complemented me on how fast I knit. The shopkeeper Jennifer must have heard because she came up and took one look at my knitting and said, " Oh youre knitting wrong." She then proceeded to show me how to knit the right way. I was so mad. I could have just blown up in her face but instead I just pretended to agree with her. It was a horrible experience. I strongly suggest you dont get your yarn there.

In other knitting news I have started my Christmas gift knitting. This is one of the reasons why I love Ravelry. In my queue I can order the projects so when I look at it I know exactly what I want to knit, for who, with what kind of yarn, and when I need to finish it. It is so cool!

Hi Again

As some of you may have figured out I was in Amsterdam last week.I will show you pics later. I did a lot of knitting and visited a wonderful yarn shop, De Afstap. I got some Regia sock yarn and cast on some socks for my step dad Andy who has huge feet. I worked for about 12 cm whaen I realized my stitch count was off. I decreased down to the right # and kept on knitting. Then it happened again and again. I had to rip it all out and am now finished with the cuff ribbing. Thats about it until I get the pictures.

Tubey

Look I finished Tubey!!!!

I Love this pattern. I want to knit it again with stripes but that amount of yarn costs a lot especially when you dont have an allowance**cough cough DAD**.
I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while. For a long time I just didn't have my knitting mojo and then I was occupied with knitting Tubey. I wanted to finish it before I went on Thanksgiving vacation...to AMSTERDAM!!!!! I cant wait and have already found yarn store there that I can go to.

Which brings me to the next part of my post: Ravelry!! Thats right. I got in. It is so cool! I have already posted my projects and filled up my queue. I highly recommend it.

Well its good to be back. I just hope it'll stay like that.

Washington DC!!!

Hey! I am in washington dc for a impeach Bush protest. Now for anyone who reads my blog who is a Republican, no hard feelings. I am not against any political party i just dont agree with George W. Bush.

Anyways youre probably wondering what knitting I brought. Now I have 4 main Wips. The Nantucket Jacket, The Print O Wave Stole, Clapotis, and Cable Net (thats right! I finished the Raindrop Lace Socks! I love them!). But all of them except Cable Net are on metal needles and I didnt want to take the chance on the airplane. So here I am with Cable Net.

Cable Net is a very fun pattern but also complicated enough so I can't read and knit at the same time. I also have to read the pattern all the time. I think that when we go back to LA this will be put on the backburner and only knit at home when everyone is just sitting around talking. For this weekend I will just have to deal.

If anyone knows of good yarn shops here please tell me. We are staying in a @#%$&^ hotel in Foggy Bottom but are capable of taking the metro. Also if you live near hear I would love to meet new knitters.

WOWEE!!

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. My bogus excuse is that school started but really I just haven't felt like it. Needless to say I have been knitting. I started and finished some Broadripple socks for my mom. They fit her perfectly and she loves them. I don't have pics of her wearing them because it is way too hot here to wear handknit socks. BTW: the Broadripple socks pattern is a great pattern and I have knit these socks 3 times already!

I also started Tubey from knitty.com. i have finished the sleeves and must say, I love this pattern. The construction is so unique and the yarn is so soft. I will post more in a later entry.

And finally I have knit one sock in the Raindrop lace pattern from Fiber Trends. I am aslo working the cuff on the second sock. The four row raindrop pattern is easy to memorize and knit, and looks great. At first I was a little disapointed because the lace was hard to see but as I knit on the pattern began to emerge. It looks great on the feet. BTW: These socks fit me perfectly and I'm a size 8 shoe, but the lace stretches so it can fit more sizes.

Here are my goals for September:

1. Finish the knitting of Tubey.
2. Finish Raindrop lace socks.
3. Start and maybe finish leaf lace socks from fiber trends.
4. Think about christmas gift ideas.

It's not to much to do so hopefully I'll finish everything on my list. Althought I am eyeing some Knitty Shrugs...

MIAMI!!!

Well I haven't blogged for a while cause I am visiting my grandparents in Miami and I am having so much fun! I did bring knitting(The Nantucket Jacket) but I havent knitted at all on it. The problem is that it is not mindless knitting so I cant do much else while I'm knitting. I am reading my daily knitting blogs, but because it is summer no one is really posting. I get back on Sunday so you can expect a post then with pictures. Later!!!