woof

doxie (rav linky) #1 is born!  he's for the boy.




knit with kp swish worsted in black and tan, on size 4 needles.  it was a pretty fast knit.  rebecca recommends knitting this boy up with the magic loop technique, which i dreaded a bit considering my weird aversion to it dating back 3 years.  but i took a breath and knitted forth, and knitting ML was just like getting back on a bicycle - a little rusty at first, but then breezing through.

i used buttons found in my new button jar, becos i didn't have any of the safety eyes/nose that rebecca recommends, and i couldn't be bothered to run to michael's to look for some.  i think the brass button eyes and black button nose give him a certain something something.

the boy wanted a black and tan dog (which is weird considering my folk's dog is a red/brown and all doxies we've owned were red ones) but he's adorable nevertheless.



i tucked the dog in with the boy while he was in bed nearly asleep (i finished him before bedtime but showed him off at my knitting group.  he loved him i can't remember what he named him (he wanted to name him spotty - eh?)

dear bob, these pictures are pathetic.  i'll try to get better ones when i take pictures of the kiddos' FOs.


i started on the kiddos' doxies, and i'm knitting them ML two at a time.  bold one, i am.  :P

un*chart*ered waters

i joined a KAL in one of my ravelry groups.  a woman in the group designed a shawlette in memory of her daughter, whom she lost early in pregnancy.  the shawlette was designed in conjunction of glimpse, 3IG's limited edition colorway.


clara has a charted pattern on its edge.  outside of my february PSOTMC charted heart socks, i've never followed a charted lace pattern.  i'm pretty excited about it - i'm also scared too!  it's time i learned to follow a chart.  especially if i want to knit lace.


i'm knitting with dream in color smooshy in pansy golightly.  so far i worked about half of the garter stitch portion:





once i finish knitting for my cousin, who's expecting a baby late spring, i will devote more time to clara. hopefully by then the kiddos won't be as needy.  

weaving in ends

a passage in one of my favorite knit lit books described the main character's technique in weaving in the ends of her work.

kelly took the yarn and buried the split ends in her work  (loosely paraphrased here)

i am assuming her yarn was multi ply, if she buried 3 or 4 ends into her work.  and obviously, you can't divvy up a single ply yarn.  

now, when i weave in my ends, i don't split the plies.  i just weave in the yarn, usually in a zig zag pattern.  sometimes, if there isn't a lot of room and i have a lot of ends to weave in, i weave my end in a circle.

how do you weave in your ends?

KDO 2010

KDO 2010 is over yet again.  i learned a lot this year.  i'm weary from the week day so this will be an abbreviated note.

i was up at 5:30 (!!!) this morning and on the road by 6:30.  made my pitstop at dunkin' donuts and got a toasted sesame bagel with cream cheese and a chai tea.  registration started at 7:45 and the yarn market opened at 8.  there was actually a line waiting to get into the yarn market!  i dropped off a garbage bag full of yarn, books and needles at the swap table (i did this in 2 rounds.  the second time i left stuff at the table it was gone in the span of time i was in the WC - about 2 minutes!)

every year they have door prizes - i won a magazine last year, nothing the year before that, and a LYS directory the first year i attended.  this year i hit the jackpot with this sweet prize:



that's 10 skeins of yarn, a project book and circular needles.  huzzah!!!  i can't wait to find out who donated this prize, becos i want to send them a big thank you.

my first class was new ways of knitting.   the original teacher had an emergency and another lady taught instead.  we learned continental knitting, portuguese knitting and backward knitting (and purling too!)  now, i knew how to knit continental but didn't know how to purl.  it's really not that hard.  unfortunately i had very lovely but really shitty splitty heavy wool yarn (jil eaton minnow merino) which, when coupled with sweaty palms and the fact that there was no AC on in the building despite being 70 odd degrees out, made knitting very difficult.  i had a horrible time keeping tension.

next we learned portuguese knitting.  similar to continental, the yarn is carried behind your neck for tension (or by a pin with a hook you stick on your shirt) and your left thumb does most of the work of moving the working yarn, while the yarn draped around your neck/on the pin keeps the tension.  i had a pickle of a time keeping tension here too.

last we learned how to knit and purl backwards.  this technique is used a lot when doing entrelac knitting.  it's not terribly difficult - you're knitting or purling, but from right to left instead of left to right.

in addition to the tension problem, i absolutely couldn't figure out which way to wrap the yarn around the needle - clock or counter-clock wise?  a lot of times my stitches were twisted on the needle and i had to pick them off to correct them.  also, apparently i cast on backwards.  my stitches are twisted.  who knew?  i've been knitting for 4.5 years.  i'm not sure i will be able to break this habit.  i don't even know how to knit "the right way".

i think that rubs me wrong.  i was taught that there was not "right" or "wrong" way.  if you like how your knitting looks, then you're knitting the right way.  now i'm feeling a bit unsure about my technique. guess i'll have to ask my teacher this week.

here's my "swatch".  this has to be the worst piece of knitting i ever did.  it's even worse than my swatch when i first learned to knit.  you can definitely tell where i had tension problems!






after class i went to the yarn market.  ate lunch, and returned to the yarn market again.  here's what i got:




mmmmmmalabrigo for no reason at all.  maybe a shawl?




dream in color smooshy.  couldn't choose just one color - loved the olive green, loved the wine, loved the grape.  what the hell, take them all!




my red sock yarn!  one skein of frog tree.  for red heels and toes.




queensland collection leche in a cool lime and soft lipstick red.  i had no idear what i'll do with it, but it was so soft and pretty and i loved the colors.




kollage glisten in a pretty teal and celery colors, with a bit of sparkle.  again, no clue what to do with it.  just wanted a little bit of sparkle.




steam valley fiber farm fingering in olive shades.  that's my citron yarn!




2 skeins of dancing leaf farms fingering weight.  their yarn is gorgeous - they had hanks of the most beautiful boucle.  i'm not a fan of boucle, but these hanks found a home with me.  dunno what i'll do with these either - maybe shawls, maybe socks.  see how the spirit moves me.




lovely vineyard from stranded in oz, all the way from australia.  i got the last hank in this colorwave.  probably a shawl yarn.




colinette jitterbug.  this was the first yarn i bought when i got to the market.  i loved the bright colors.  socks, shawl.  who knows?




is it possible to fall in love with something from across the room?  i saw this hot tomato red yarn and my heart stopped!  i don't know what it is about hot red, but i love that color!  it's ella rae lace merino, and i think it's destined for a hot shawl!




more mmmmmmmalabrigo!!  this is my february lady sweater.  it's so hard to find a color that i liked -  i didn't want a bright color, but didn't want to go so dark.  i got it in - what else - blue varigated.




i've been wanting to make this shrug.  my knitting teacher made it a few years ago and i think just about everyone made one in group.  i never found yarn that i liked enough to make it, but found the pattern plus the recommended yarn.  the hard decision was picking the color - wine?  navy?  celery?  purple?  i chose wine, becos i thought it would work well with the bruise palette which is my wardrobe.




i got this book of "balloon pattern animals".  this will be interesting to try!




and books




and i love notions!  big coil less pins, "safety lines", a cute stitch marker, and this sock needle gauge and ruler by karatstix, made especially for stranded in oz.  i could not resist.  just couldn't.

as i was walking out of the building with 2 bags of yarn and a bag full of books, i heard a lady comment about "spending so much money on yarn - shouldn't buy so much".  had i not had my hands full, i would have turned around and told the lady that this is one day where i support the area LYS instead of ordering yarn online, where i can support local fiber artists with their handspun yarns, and i can buy yarns that i can't buy at my nearest LYS.  much of the yarn i purchased was for projects i was planning, and since i'm a big girl, i need extra yarn.  this yarn is my souvenir of the day. when i go through my stash and find yarns i bought at other KDOs, i remember that day and the excitement i felt.   yes, it's expensive.  perhaps it's a bit excessive.  but it makes me happy, it keeps me busy, and i love the comments i get from people about my projects.


my afternoon class wasn't a class but rather a lecture - by BARBARA WALKER.  she talked a little about herself and her "obsessions" - she finds an interest, then will learn as much as she can about the subject.  through her research, she redefined the knitting world, developed short cuts (such as the SSK) for knitting, and spent years studying different stitch patterns (much of it from the dusty stacks of the library of congress, rewriting them in "current" language and even developing stitch patterns of her own, and her multicolor designs.  in addition to knitting, she has designed a set of tarot cards and written books on religion and spirituality.  her current "obsession" are minerals, and she has a vast collection of stones and rocks, and currently enjoys jigsaw puzzles.

i went into the lecture with no questions - just planned to knit and absorb and bask in her awesomeness.  but comments did make me think of a couple.  i asked her if other knitters inspired her (such as EZ, stephanie pearl-mcphee) and she said that she considered herself a solitary knitter, although she was friends with EZ and meg swanson.  i also asked he what she thought of how the knitting world has evolved in the computer age with the rise of ravalry and knitting blogs (she said that she thought that they were great).

she signed our books, and i got this awesome pic of her with ETH - the color matched her sweater:












these are just a few of her sweaters.  that detail is divine.




that's the set of tarot cards she designed - she painted the pictures that are on the cards.  and that's a copy of her latest book.  it's based on a series of sermons she gave at a UU church in florida, comparing faiths and how religion is really man based and not really God made.  i'm not sure how i feel about that, but the book sounds really interesting.

i stopped at sonic for a burger, rings and grape slush, then home on the eastern shore side (aka 225/147).


it was a really nice day, despite being really warm.  i look so forward to this day every year.  i get to escape being a mom, wife and daughter and i'm just diva, the knitter.  and i love being with others who like to knit as much as i do.

scenes from KDO

i survived my third knitter's day out. i absolutely look forward to this day every year. it's more exciting than my birthday.

i only took one class this year instead of 2, since i didn't know if i even COULD go since the babies were due only a few weeks beforehand. i chose an afternoon class in the case that i could go, i wouldn't have to rush to get to a morning class after a sleepless night. i missed not taking 2 classes, especially since there were so many cool ones to choose from, but i wanted to allow myself some slack.

i got take out at the red rabbit. it's a wonderful old fashioned drive in burger joint where the waitstaff come to your car. much like sonic but way less commercial. we don't eat there very often, but i like to go there for patronage. got a burger, fry, coke and a bottle of water for KDO. i should have taken the time to eat there but wanted to get the the school in time to look around the yarn market and find my classroom. plus i didn't know how long it would take me to check in at registration.

parking was tricky but fortunately the school has a couple parking lots. i just had to park further than i'm used to. registration was painless and this year they gave door prizes to everyone. i got a craft magazine.

yarn market was expanded this year with new vendors. i didn't see the stand where i get the good handspun. that was a bit disappointing. my first stop was mannings, where i got cat bordhi's new sock book, and a skein of crazyball. also got a cute button. i was stepping up to check out, and saw a lady hovering around the register. i asked her if she was in line and she said "yes, and i was standing here for a while". the clerk apologized and took care of the lady, and when i stepped up to the register she apologized again becos she saw me first and not the other. i said, "get a bunch of knitters in a room full of fiber and everyone loses all sense of reality."

bought 2 baby blanket kits from knitter's dream. they were selling "bobble yarn" which i had been coveting for a couple of months now but didn't know where to buy. they had loose skeins but i really liked the blankets. i can't find an image to paste, but here's the linky of the pattern:

http://www.plymouthyarn.com/index.php?nav=cYarn.yarnDetail&yarnid=1043&searchcollection=5&pattern_id=002262#pattern-tab

i splurged and bought a skein of quiviuk. a pale terra cotta peachy color. have no clue what to do with it, but i've always wanted a skein of it. i have a luxury knits book with some lacy scarves, so that's prolly what i'll do with it. it was actually the cheapest skein there (i had picked up a red one that was $20 more), but this is a 50/50 blend with silk, so that might be why.




while i was paying for it the owner said someone else was eyeing it up and would be disappointed to find it sold. hence, why i get something becos inevitably it disappears and then i kick myself for not getting it while i had the chance.

bought some 5" size 4 DPNs. bought 2 16" circs in size 6 & 7 for making hats. bought a mother of pearl button for mil's shawl.

went to drop off my bag off in my classroom but it was still occupied. so i took my first round of purchases out to the car. the room was still not open so i did round 2 of the yarn market. i'd seen some yarns i liked but didn't buy in the first round, so that's how i wound up with the malabrigo, the frog tree and the mushishi. round 2 went out to the car.

the yarn market was packed with people. it was hard to move around. it was even harder carrying my knitting bag, my yarn bag and purse. what was frustrating was people would just stand around and talk oblivious to the fact that people were shopping. i saw one girl with a stroller, and another with a toddler in a carrier. i felt a tiny twinge of missing my kids, but remembered why i was there - a kid free day for me!

did i say that i felt like a kid at KDO? not in a kid in a candy store sort of sense (which i did feel, becos i do lose all sense of reality when surrounded by yarn) but becos i was YOUNG compared to a lot of attendees. i'd say the average age of knitter there was 55-60. a lot of women my mom's age. a lot of women my mom's age with THEIR mothers. a lot of women my mom's age with their daughters my age or older. what is it about older women that make me feel like i'm still a little girl?

sometimes KDO brings out the pretentious knitter. everyone wears hand knits there, and i wore linus (aka clapotis). at a vendor where i was buying sock yarn a woman ahead of me was buying skeins to make a clappy. the clerk commented on how pretty the yarn would be for a *CLAP-OH-TUSS* and the woman corrected her by saying "i'm a high school french teacher and *I* say "CLAP-OH-TEE". WTFUCKEE. i say cla-po-tuss and i even googled the correct pronunciation of this scarf and never did find the proper pronunciation. i don't even know what the accent syllable is. i say if you're going to be that pretentious about saying clappy's name, you have no business knitting one!

my class was really neat. i took double knitting, which is a style of knitting with 2 strands of yarn to knit an image on both sides of the fabric. it makes a double layer of fabric, which makes it really good for making potholders or reverseable wearables like a hat, scarf or blanket. our project was a potholder. the class taught us the tubular cast on and cast off and reading charts. i had a lot of trouble with the cast on and felt bad when i had to use a basic cast on for my project (i did cable cast on). basically DK is rib knitting, alternating strands of yarn. it's easier said than explained! i hate ribbing, but it wasn't too bad. it was my first "real" experience reading a chart, and it wasn't too bad but i did trip up a few times and ripped out rows (rather TINKed them). i finished my potholder last night, and did a pretty good job considering:



hubby took care of the babies and the boy while i was off doing my thing. he took the kids to the surplus store and Kmart. how he did that with 2 babies by himself i'll never know. the boy was there to help, but sometimes his "help" is more a hindrance. hubby said it wasn't too bad. it made me feel guilty that he did that. but he wanted to, and it's his choice. and eventually i'll have to do the same thing.

so KDO is done for the year. next june the class booklet will arrive, and i'll pour over it, picking the classes i want, saving up my pin money for the yarn market, and dream of my day where i'm not just a mom, wife or daughter, but a KNITTER.

knew knitting knskills

a lady in my SnB inspired me to try a knifty knitter. and how Knifty it is!

she makes the neatest things on hers. dishclothes, xmas stockings, hats and purses. said it's super easy to use.

i had bought hubby a set of KK's a couple years ago when he was feeling left out by my knitting prowess. so i had him dig his looms out so i could try.

i learned to use the loom on thursday afternoon. as of now, i have 8 hats done and one more started. 8 PREEMIE CAPS IN LESS THAN 2 DAYS. THAT'S A NEW RECORD FOR ME! it beats my "6 caps in 2 weeks" record of last summer.

i've been blowing through the baby yarn stash that i forgot was in my knitting suitcase. it's amazing how many caps you can get out of a small skein of baby yarn!

i feel better now going into my church knitting group armed with a dozen hats (my goal). now i have to learn to make an afghan on the loom. that was our new project, baptismal afghans.

don't get me wrong. i AM NOT hanging up my circulars yet! still love me my needles! but you can't beat loom knitting to git r done quik!



i am quickly entering my 6 weeks. i've been feeling more nauseous lately. enough that i eat whole wheat saltines for breakfast. i haven't had any real cravings, at least nothing that i'm sending hubby out in the middle of the night for. i'm been hungry for pretzels and peppermint tho. the smell of the boy's frito's and the look of the cheeto's bag make me sick. right now hubby is making spaghetti and i wonder if i'll be able to eat it cos the smell is making me sick. i've also had a love/hate relationship with pizza - the smell makes me sick but it sounds good. i've also had a "burning feeling" in my uterus. not cramping or pain, but this burning feeling. i don't remember what happened when i was carrying the boy and i don't remember this feeling from anni last year. i'm assuming it's normal uterine growing pains. i'll find out soon on tuesday, which is our first appointment.

i can't help but think that having the multiple MCs put a pall on this pregnancy. every day i check for blood, every day i worry about what i'm ingesting, every day i worry about slipping on the ice when i walk the boy to school. i even had my first "bad" dream - i dreamt that i was bleeding but the blood was tiny little dark clots, like ink clots out of a pen. i am scared to death that something is going to happen to this baby. i am trying so hard to keep that thought out of my mind. but i can't help but feel resentful that i am going to spend the rest of this pregnancy looking over my shoulder, wondering and worrying about every little thing that's happening to me and the baby. i'm resentful that i may not be able to enjoy this pregnancy as much becos i'm afraid of what could happen, and going through the loss again.

we also got the bill for the RE visits. according to the eobs, WE are responsible for roughtly $1300 worth of charges! now, the insurance company is requesting paperwork regarding my history and/or treatment plan, so maybe that's what is holding up the payment. but if we're responsible for the charges, i'm going to be seriously pissed. first of all, i thought the charges were covered - it's not like we were getting actual procedures. secondly, i resent having to pay for an appointment(s) where i left feeling like shit becos the doctor was an asshole and the secretary was a bitch. lastly, going there didn't even HELP me. we were pregnant at the time of the appointment! i hope that doesn't hurt the payment either.

but on a good note, i stopped taking glucophage and my fasting levels in the morning dropped nearly **20** points. that means something. i think i got a bad batch of meds. hopefully my numbers will continue to stay low. i cannot risk getting gestational diabetes. my body's a wreck anyway.

the chef's hat on acid

i started knitting an entrelac tammy hat with knitpicks spumoni. here's how it turned out:



it looks like a ginormous muffin. the squares are big enough to be a bikini top.



i don't know what i did. spumoni was a bulky yarn and i knitted it up on 10 1/2s like the adult pattern suggested. i could pull the thing over my entire head and cover my face with the hat (as modeled by snoops here).



so i ripped it all out and will recycle the yarn for another hat (probably a swirl hat. the colorway will look cool all swirly looking.)

tuesday was my "magic loop" knitting toe-up socks on a long circular needle class. it took me a while to get a hang of it but i did finish the mini socks. i started a new pair with the adult pattern, and so far i'm about halfway up the foot. the technique is tricky, but i LOVE the fact that i can knit 2 socks at the same time. WITHOUT LADDERS. i did screw up the toe part - i did the toe increases with an increase round followed by a regular knit round, so the toe is quite pointed. the instructions confused me. so i ordered the book online (the shop owner didn't have a copy to buy when i was at the class) so hopefully it will clarify the instructions. plus i think the book also has additional patterns. i read in one of the catalogs (i think webs) that there's another "magic loop"-esque book coming out, with instructions as to how to convert DPN patterns to a circular needle pattern. i'd also like to learn how to knit with 2 circular needles. sucks about how many DPN sets i have now, since knitting 2 socks at a time spoiled me a bit.

here's my little sockie-wockies hanging from the tree:



and just hanging out on my table:



pictures courtesy of v. early xmas giftie from my parents. now i can post pictures on this blog. oh yeah, and take pictures of my kid too.

mom made out okay with her knee replacement. now it's rehab time.

guess that's it.

little bits of blah blah blah

it's been a while since i've posted - i've been sick (courtesy of my kid) and just all out busy. i have a lot to talk about and i know i'll probably forget half the stuff i want to post but whatever i forget can be for another post.

first off, knitter's day out was a BLAST!! how liberating it is to go where other rabid knitters meet and greet and learn new skills (better than nun chuck skills!) i took an entrelac class and a mitre square class. now i only have to find projects so that i can use those new skills! speaking of which, does anyone have an entrelac sock pattern? or any entrelac patterns at all? i can't find any books with entrelac projects, and the one sock pattern i had i wound up throwing away (actually recycling). that was my only criticism of my entrelac teacher, i wish she had a pattern to go with her instructions. my MIL really liked the entrelac sample i made so i think this means i'll have to make her something entrelac for xmas. perhaps a pillow? shouldn't take long at all to do that. mitre squares, now i can do the cool afghans i see in the mason-dixon book! KDO had a yarn market where several vendors sold yarn, books, doodads, etc. i was so proud of myself. i went with $175 for shopping. i came back with $35. i got yarn for MIL's gauntlets (KOIGU!) and some gorgeous handspun from a lady from down around york. can't wait to knit with that. the chunky yarn still has lanolin in it and can't wait to use it on my wooden needles. 2 hanks of gorgeous fall colored lusciousness. also got an ebony circular (size 8), a holder for my dpns, and an magnifier for my magnetic pattern board, which has already come in very handy for my sock pattern.

for more info on knitter's day out go to: http://www.knittersdayout.org/


secondly, i got the most kickass set of interchangeable circular needles! knitpicks came out with a wooden interchangeable needles set with the cool colored swirly wood like my favorite scottish barrette (i forget what it's called but they're made by squishing differently dyed pieces of heather branches together and then sealing them together to make jewelry and stuff. please someone out there tell me what it's called!) i got my needles on saturday and am currently using the size 8 on my cousin's afghan square. they are like buttah to use. nice point to pick up stitches, cord doesn't curl, join is seamless and heavenly. only a few criticisms - the case they come in looks like a glorified see-through plastic make up bag with slots to put the needles in. i'm sure the see-through part is fine but there's a ton of pockets for the needles but nothing for the extra cords, end caps and lock pin. i wound up using the case for my bamboo convertible set for the KP set, as it had some extra pockets and the new needles can share pockets with my other set. my second complaint (and i saw this posted on knitty.com) is that the needles aren't marked with their size or measurement. most (wooden/bamboo) needles have the size stamped on them but these don't. i can remedy that by writing the size in tiny indelible marker (as i did with some other metal circulars i have) but i feel that this will ruin the beauty of the swirls. oh well. just call it set 1.0, with room to improve. otherwise, i'm so happy with the new set. i plan on buying sizes 13, 15 and 17 as well as some extra cords, and also a pair of the double points (they go on sale at the end of month). for more info on these needles go here:

http://www.knitpicks.com/wood+knitting+needles_NL300306.html

they are similar to the darn pretty needles that i am lusting after but unfortunately can't find around here:
"http://www.graftonfibers.com/needles.htm

hopefully someday.


i'm starting a knitting/crocheting group at my church. a kind of christian s&b with some community projects to work on. the notice went in the newsletter and bulletin. i have several people interested and some are interested in learning to knit too. i feel like i fell off a cliff even tho this is by my own doing. there's no turning back now! my problem is that i have incredibly low self esteem. thanks previous employers who laid me off and made me feel worthless! nice parting gift! anyways, ever since i started knitting and people comment on how nice my socks/purses/shawls/etc. etc. are it helps me feel like i'm actually worth something and contributing something, even tho it's knitted for me or someone else. i've always wanted to be arty. my medium just happens to be yarn.

what else? i'm sure there's other stuff to talk about but i can't think of what it can be. like i said, it can wait until my next post.

don't forget, new seasons of csiX3, grey's, house, er, housewives, etc. etc. start this week! and no one come callin' thursday at 9 - my bet is that sara's dead. imho.