LollyKnitting Around

Missing out

2005-01-22T07:31:00.000-05:00

If you are still coming here, you are missing out all of the fun over at the new site:

http://lollygirl.com/blog

Please update your sidebar links and Bloglines! :)

Movin' on Up

2005-01-05T21:50:00.000-05:00

(Sung to the tune of the The Jefferson's theme song)

Well I'm movin' on up,
To my own site.
To a deluxe webpage in the sky.

Movin' on up
To my own site.
I finally got a piece of the pie.

Lollygirl.com is born!

In other words, go there from now on :)

Happy New Year!

2005-01-02T10:02:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a safe and fun holiday!

Tomorrow is the big day for me, I start a new job, and I am totally excited!

Nice things about my new job:

Kris works at the same place.
My new boss ROCKS!
It is a job in the Archives/Special Collections = my focus in library science.
It is closer to my house, but still near my school in the city.
It pays better.

So, what is not to love? My previous job, one that I only stayed at for 6 weeks, was okay, but when this new opportunity came, I felt that I could not pass it by. Plus, I was having a difficult time getting into the groove there. I was commuting nearly 3 hours a day for a part-time job--and it was just not worth it.

It appears that 2005 will start out with a bang--it is going to be a busy year, I can already feel it!

Now, onto the reason that you are actually here... what we dream about, what we think about every waking moment... (or is that just me?)

Lucky Lolly got to spend two days (in a row!) with these lovely ladies!! Heather and "Pixie" Jenna came over to mi casa on Thursday for a night of knitting fun (and we even watched The Little Mermaid!) and then we met at All About Yarn on Friday for some knitting time! So much fun!

...and we even had another special visitor...

JENNA PINK MONKEY!!! Jenna is heading out this week for a two-month stay in INDIA! She is going to be working in a Women's Center in northern India teaching women how to knit!!! She set up a travel blog Jenna In India, so that we can all keep track of her!!

She is diligently sewing up her Kyoto sweater... can't wait to see the end product!

While at the lovely LYS, I found some great things:

All of that Sisik is for one of the Dale of Norway patterns:

BALMORAL

This yarn is great, and there are some great patterns in this book.

Also picked up the sock yarn, figuring I should give the DPNs another chance.

Work continues on the Kris sweater--almost done with the front--and my wrist is feeling better!

... and because I always love something new, I started a fun vertical stripe scarf with some random pink yarns that Nicole gave me:

S is for SCARF

Looking back, I accomplished a lot in 2004. I really matured in my knitting--I am still pre-pubescent though :) I made three sweaters (none of which I have worn out of the house...) about 10 scarves, 1 pair of wristlets, 4 stoles/shawls, and 1 hat... probably some other things that I am forgetting...

So, what do I want to learn and do in 2005?

How to spin (Amie is coming over on Tuesday to teach me!!)

How to crochet (perhaps you can help with that, H?)

Expand my knowledge of knitting techniques, by "cutting my teeth" on some intarsia and fair-isle (and other color works)

Improve my finishing skills, and have garments that actually fit me.

Design my own patterns :)

And what patterns do I want to tackle in 2005?

Alchemy Pullover from SPIII Elka

Dale of Norway Balmoral

Rowan Angie (Cotton Tape collection) + Virtue to match!

A few from Knitty
... and many more that I have bookmarked in all of the magazines!

Stay tuned... I have something cool to show you really soon!!!!

Cradle Robber

2004-12-27T21:17:00.000-05:00

That's right... I am a cradle robber.

Kris turned 24 yesterday... I am a whole 6 weeks older!

Happy Birthday Bear!

So we celebrated Kris's birthday tonight with dinner and drinks!

I am wishing Kris a happy birthday!
Yummy Appletini with a cherry on top!

Thank you for the kind comments about my Christmas gifts. It was so cold here in Maryland today, I hope that they all were able to use their warm presents!

So, the post-holiday knitting spree has begun. I am finishing up all of the things before the holiday knitting started. I knit ALL day yesterday... and my wrist pains prove it. Wow... I feel like such a wimp, but my left wrist feels like it is broken! It is strange why it would be my left wrist. I knit continental, and all my left wrist does is stay there and hold a little tension... the right one is the one that is working. Nevertheless, my little velcro bandage seems to help a little. I am knitting through the pain!

The Kris sweater is growing fast. I worked on this while going to PA on Christmas day, and also on the way home (even though it was getting dark...) I am about 1/2 way through the front. The back is already done, and then with the sleeves... I think I should be able to wrap this one up soon--enough time for him to wear it before the spring!

I need a portable project for all of my train riding, and this lovely mohair is just the ticket. I am in love with this colorway! It is the simple fan pattern that I have been working on alot lately. I think my fingers have it all memorized, after mom's Christmas stole! The next portable project is destined to be some socks. I cannot wait to tackle those bad boys!

I found the only redeeming quality about the new FCEK to be this cardi. So, I am officially adding it to my list of Things to Knit. I like the simplicity, and it can be dressed up or down... just like me :) Other than this one, this mag sincerely sucked... come on designers! Let us have some quality stuff!

Lolly got some great knitty books for Christmas! Can't wait to dig in!

...I also received some lovely presents & cards from some knitty friends!
Thank you for thinking of me!

Countdown to the NEW JOB: 7 days!

Lolly's Mysteries Revealed

2004-12-24T21:55:00.000-05:00

Christmas Eve celebration with my family went very well - always fun to hang out with them. After a yummy lunch, we begin to open presents.

I was so excited for my family to open their presents, I could barely stand it!

Mom's Feather and Fan Stole
Yarn:Ironstone Mohair from
Folk Art Studio
Pattern: Adapted from
this pattern

Dad's Tweed Ribbed Scarf
Yarn:Classic Elite New Tweed
from Elann.com
Pattern:2 x 2 rib for
5 feet

Mimi's Diva Shawl
Yarn:K1C2 Tartalette
from FASC
Pattern:Distributed by K1C2

Sarah's Cable Scarf
Modeled by Sadie
Yarn:Araucania Wool
Pattern: My Own!

See? I was knitting up a storm... I just couldn't show you everything!

We are headed up bright and early to visit Kris's family in Pennsylvania... plenty of time to knit in the car!

Whistle While You Knit

2004-12-23T23:12:00.000-05:00

Contrary to what you might think… I have not fallen off the face of the planet.

I left you over a week ago in a lurch—I was finishing up my LAST project for school, and then I had two interviews! Well, the follow-up: I got an A on the project, and I got BOTH jobs! This is a good thing, because they are both part-time, and allow me to go to school and have a life at the same time (at least that is the way that it appears at this moment!)

I have been knitting up a storm—but until now, it has been very clandestine. All the things I was knitting were gifties, and the recipients are loyal readers (yo yo family!), so tomorrow, after the Christmas Eve celebration, I will reveal to you the mysteries of the LollyKnit Universe! I promise!

In true Lolly-style, I have been sittin’ and knittin’ with some of my peeps!

See Jenna (and me)... We have met up several times in the last few weeks. She is counting down her days before leaving for the other side of the world (INDIA) but we have been able to fit in some great conversations, and a little knitting into our short and sweet meetings. I am totally excited to see what happens on her amazing trip!

Then I just got back from knitting with Heather and Nicole (who remains blogless). We met up the other night at Eilene's Christmas party, and we decided to fit in one more knit night before the holiday! Ei was not able to make it, but as you can see, we kept ourselves busy with knitting...

We got our first snow in Maryland. It was totally wimpy, and barely covered the grass, but it was snow nonetheless, and I loved it! I am hoping for more very soon! ...and then I can play in it and not have to go to work.

I can show you Kris's newest knitty project (in lieu of my own clandestine knits). It is hard to see in this shot, but there is a distinct design that Kris charted up himself! It is a small circle that alternates between stockinette and reverse stockinette.

... And in case you were wondering...

What do dogs want for Christmas?
Simple answer:

PEANUT BUTTER! My girls LOVE this stuff!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post...

Tomorrow Tomorrow

2004-12-13T21:21:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow Tomorrow... you're only a day a way...

Then I will be finished with school (for this semester!) and I can knit knit knit!Once again, I have a ton of things to work on for Christmas presents, but I have a BIG paper due tomorrow, and have had little time to actually knit stuff. I will finish the presents before Christmas, however!

So, in order to keep my sanity in this *crazy* time of year...

I spent some time with the MEGANS!

Megan was a real sweety and planned a whole "Linner" (Lunch/Dinner) affair for Kris and me, and Meg and her DH, Matt. Oh boy, did we have fun! Megan is an awesome cook, and served up some yummy snacks and a great veggie soup and zucchini parmesean (yummy vegetarian food!)

We were knitting away, and our DHs were left unsupervised:

They talked about football the entire time... and then played PS2.

...and we showed off projects, and then knit some more!

Meg's first foray into lace-knitting was a success! Her Charlotte's Web is stunning! She actually was starting a second one, another Christmas present... what perserverance! I think that a third one should definitely be for you, Meg! :)

Megan just finished the SnB Nation Monster Slippers! Googly eyes! Of course, monsters have three eyes... and they even google around when she walks! Über cool, MM! I think that I need some now... my feet are cold! :P

After Linner at Megan's, we headed over to the niece's Christmas Pagent! LOVE my girls! They are on both ends of this picture... Krista is the tiny blond who got cut out of the pic (thanks to Uncle Kris), and McKayla is the lovely brunette on the opposite side.

... and to celebrate the end of the semester, I have several knit dates set up! HUA! Jenna tomorrow (I will take pics!), and hopefully with my girls Ei and Heather on Thursday!

My regular knitting will resume one day soon... I have so many wonderful projects in mind... I think I will finish the two sweaters that got put on the back burner (FCEK cardi and Kris sweater) and then move on to some of the lovelies I have been dreaming about... like the amazing Alchemy Woman Pullover that amazing Elka sent to me for SPIII.
... and then all that stuff from the new Knitty
... and all those pattern books that I have bookmarked ...
The possibilities are endless! :)

I have an interview tomorrow, and another one on Wednesday... yeah, I know I just changed jobs, right? Well, I might be changing again... I will tell you the story in due time...

Peace, Love, and Knittiness to you all!

Super Special

2004-12-09T17:35:00.000-05:00

Kris and I got a special treat on Monday night (which seems like so long ago... I have not had the chance to blog at all!)... we got to see a pre-screening of

The Aviator

I really enjoyed this movie. There were a few parts that were a little long, but overall, it really held my interest, and I thought it was a very interesting portrayal of Howard Hughes. Very good actors, great director... this one will get several Oscar nods.

I am in the midst of some pretty heavy research and final projects for school (the yarn organization project is out of the way though!) so I have not had a lot of time to do much else lately... plus, I am still adjusting to my new job. While I think that the new place is nice, I really miss my old crew at Hopkins (shout out to Holly Ann!) and I am still getting used to the commute... so I have had the blues for a few days (weeks) now... I am hoping that things will get better soon.

Enough down-in-the dumps... I want to tell you about the other fun stuff I have done lately! I whipped up a fast little neck-tie project with some left-over yarn (I made Bec's scarf with the same yarn) and I really love these colors. It seems to go with nearly every outfit I wear... which is always good for mixing and matching. I wore it to the movie premiere on Monday, and lots of people were complimenting... which kind of surprised me because it was done in about 45 minutes on Sunday night! It is simple seed stitch in LB Homespun.

...NOW PRESENTING...
Kris's FIRST FINISHED OBJECT!

Kris's first knitting project was an absolute success! He made this little neckwarmer/collar for our dearie dog, Jen Jen. He even seamed up the side with no complaining. It was a little big for her, so we adjusted, and now it fits perfectly. Now Bella Hund wants one too... maybe hers should be green?

Kris and I checked out the new yarn shop in Columbia, All About Yarn, and I was very impressed with their selection and their prices. They have a nice space also, with enough room for classes, and plenty of shelving for yarn. They also have some comfy couches out front where you can just plop down and knit away.

I picked up two pattern books, one is Dalegarn Trend by Dale of Norway. There are some beautiful patterns inside... check out the site above for some of them. The other is Lang Yarns Men and Accessories (this title cracks me up!) There are some sex-ay sweaters in their for my accessory... I mean man :)

And you can see we got three skeins of Cascade 220 for some projects. Kris chose the green ones, and I chose a red one... I am thinking about making a French Market bag... (like Heather's!) and Kris is planning a scarf/hat number.

Ooh, and what about that new Knitty! I love it! I definitely want to make Stef's Cathode(check her site for some other great pics!), and I like Belle Epoque... I just have a feeling that I would look preggers in it, and I would probably punch the person that asked me "When are you due?" ... Tempting, Candy, and Mariah all get my vote as well... like I said, I really love this issue. Loving litte Pasha too! *squish squish* (Mandy--Great work on this issue! I miss you!)

Wanna see what I am making now?

I am working on several things... almost all of them are presents, except for this lovely creation right here --->

Loz Lauren posted her beautiful feather and fan the other day, and I was so inspired that I started my own with this amazing mohair. Lurve this yarn. So the presents are all very nice too, but I don't want to show them just yet... cause certain peeps read my blog!

I missed Knit Night with my girls, EI and Heather last night. I hope you had fun blitzing! However, I did manage to fit in a little time with the ever-delightful Jenna Pink Monkey at lunch today! She works about two blocks away from me, and this is the second time we have met. I have a short lunch break, so I was not able to knit much (only 2 rows), but we had a great time talking. Once again, I forgot my digi cam when I met up with her, but I PROMISE not to forget next time!

I leave you now with a pretty picture of the new pin I got... actually used to be my grandmother's in the 60s, but now it is my new pin. I love it!

For Organization's Sake

2004-12-04T20:29:00.000-05:00

It is no surprise to anyone that knows me (in real life and in bloggy blog land) that I am nerd girl...

I am currently in graduate school studying library science and history. For one of my classes, the always titillating and edge-of-you-seat, Organization of Information, I had to organize a personal collection and assign a classification system and discuss the methods I used to organize my project.

... and it probably no surprise what I organized!
I had to choose 20 skeins of yarn and classify them. Of course, Library of Congress and Dewey Decimal system were not going to get me anywhere... so I came up with my own little scheme. I presented my collection (with a special visual--Colinette Point 5) and my professor (who is a knitter) seemed to really appreciate my efforts.(Go ahead, call me a brown-noser!) It actually was a very helpful project in organizing my stash--I set up a spreadsheet with fields for the descriptors of the yarn: fiber, yardage, color, etc., and then made a field to show what yarn goes with which project. I like it organized now... we shall see how long it stays this way!

I had the wonderful opportunity to meet up with Jenna Pink Monkey on Thursday for lunch break! Our offices are about 3 blocks apart--so it was easy to meet and get a bite to eat. Unfortunately we did not have the time to sit and knit (or even time for a photo op, but we talked about knitting, so that kind of counts. I look forward to some more great times before she leaves for India in January (isn't that rad? I wanna go!) A photo of our meeting will come next week--I promise! In the meantime, go check out her great blog :)

...and as if it was not cool enough to dine with one knitty friend, I later had dinner with two other knitty friends, Heather and EI! We went to the cozy and yummy La Madeline. We all had November birthdays, but due to conflicts of one kind or another, we were not able to get together (all three of us) during the month, so we traded presents. Eilene is such a sweetie! She got me this lovely layout, including an adorable sheep tape measure, a copy of the latest Spin-Off, and two skeins of luscious Classic Elite La Gran in Infra Red. Thanks EI! :)

Heather recently finished her modified French Market Bag (I like hers better than the one on Knitty!) and the colors are just too cool. See the closeup of the adorable bag here.

Received my Yarn of the Month package yesterday, and I like their little Christmas themed yarns. The green alpaca yarn really caught my eye this month--so nice! I think that joining this club was a good decision. The samples seem like they might be getting a little bigger--I plan to make a fun scarf with them one day soon.

Today was Secret Pal III Reveal Day, and while it was fun to "come out" to the knitter that I sent gifts to, it was especially fun to hear from the sweet pal that gifted lil ol' me with all of this loveliness (I am still floored by her generosity!) Thank you so very much, Elka!!

As you can imagine, I have not had much time to knit in recent days because I have been busy with my aforementioned organization stash project and another big school project, and my new job, and the commuting... yeah, things have been busy... but, I plan to get some knit on tonight after this entry is complete... I have plenty of gifties to work on! More to follow very soon!

Thanks for reading and commenting as always, you all are the bestest!

Family and Friends

2004-11-29T20:22:00.000-05:00

Wonderful Thanksgiving with the Families

My niece McKayla loved her new scarf that I made and put it on immediately. Lil' Krista was not so crazy about her red one, but hey, she is three, and she has better stuff to do... Here is McKayla opening up some of her belated birthday presents from Auntie Lolly and Uncle Kris on Thanksgiving morning. We met the girls and the rest of the family at Kris' parents' house. Yummy dinner and dessert, and lots of time to play with the greatest nieces ever!

In regular Thanksgiving fashion, we stuffed ourselves at one place, and migrated to the next family's house to do the whole thing over again. Our parents live about 8 minutes apart, so there was not too much time to let the food settle! We had a nice time with my sisters and my dad and mom.

After stuffing ourselves, we had some time to do some crafty things! Maryn is doing a cute cross-stitch, Kris is sitting pretty, and I am knitting (surprise!)

We visited my sweet Nana in her assisted living home the next morning. She recently turned 88 years old. She is a beautiful little lady and I was so happy to spend time with her. She recognized my face, and after several prompts from my mother, she seemed to remember my name. We sang Christmas carols (which she really remembered well!) and talked about her family. Maryn and I found some of her old jewelry and brought it over for her to wear. She loved the black pearl necklace and put it on immediately.

College Flashback

My Becca-Boo (aka Rebecca) was in town for the holiday! We went to college together, went abroad together, and we are now starting the path of "adulthood" together. We (Kris, Becca and me) went to a great new vegetarian restaraunt in Clarksville, Great Sage. Check it out! The food was great, but I have to say that the company was even better.

We went back to Bec's parents' house for some tea and chatting. I miss you already Bec! Note the scarves in the pic: they are among my first knitted items--I made one for Bec for Hanukkah last year, and then one for me too!

Kris and I were not feeling well over the long weekend, but we did not let that stop our holiday cheer... so we put up our decorations. This is a big deal because we did not decorate last year, and this year we needed to rearrange our whole living room to make the tree fit... but once again, it looks cute--albeit kind of lop-sided, short and awkward. :) Kris put the tree together, and then we decorated it. We also put greenery and lights around the banister.

Even though we were feeling crummy, we had a little reunion night! Bec came over and so did our other college friend, Denton! We had not seen him in a couple of months, so it was so fun to hang out and catch up with each other. All four of us went to school together. Denton lived in the same dorm, and we hung out together all of the time. Those were the days...

Knitty News

Well, if you made it this far, thanks for reading about my holiday break... I did get some knitting done!

Lolly Wristlets
Patons Divine in Floral Fantasy
My own design and my first DPN project!

...and I finished a Christmas present that was really fun to work on. I love the colors and the design... I might have to make one for me! The picture is a little blurry, but you get the idea--stockinette or reverse stockinette can face out, and there is this 5-edge stitch that unravels to become a fringe in the end. I finished this up last night during Desperate Housewives (last night's episode was finally the suspense and mystery I have been waiting for!)

Thanks for all of the notes about Kris and his new knitting! He is still working on the ribbed scarf--it is actually going to be adapted to be a collar for our Jenny dog! :) Pictures when he completes it!

Big school project and research this week, so I hope to get some knitting done on the train, and I hope to be able to squeeze in time to check out my bloggy friends as well as make my own journal entry... *crossing fingers*

New Kid on the Block

2004-11-24T20:20:00.000-05:00

All of your well-wishes and good lucks worked! My first week (only three days) at my new job really worked--things went great! I was so happy to find out that they have all of the same systems as my previous job, so I did not have to learn all the ins and outs (and bugs) in the new systems. I think I can say that it has been a successful transition--even though I miss my peeps in B'more!

Long time no update--honestly I have not had much time to sit and run through all of my bloglines, much less update my own bloggy blog. The new job requires a very early start in the morning, and I am usually dragging by the end of the day (especially the nights I have class...) ...so much so that I have had to turn down TWO KNIT DATES! Sorry Knitibrarians! Sorry H and Ei--I would not have been good company. I was a zombie on both nights. I am hoping to adjust to the new schedule soon, and I can plan accordingly.

Such exciting news to share: Kris asked me to teach him to KNIT! It was completely out of the blue, but of course I jumped on it. He picked it up so fast! Within 20 minutes, he had cast on, and knitted about 4 rows of garter! I was so amazed. He also picked up purling in a few seconds. The only thing that need work is his tension... but that is pretty natural. I was just so excited that he even took an interest :P See his scarf here--knitting for less than 24 hours and already a ribbed scarf!

...and what is Lolly working on, pray tell!

It's a mystery (aka Christmas present) for a certain someone who might look at my little blog and see it... so the only clue:

Knit with the fun and fabulous K1C2 Tartelette in a lovely pattern (All will be revealed in due time, dearies!) But in the meantime, I think this yarn is pretty, and I think the recipient of this knitted object will like it too! (I hope!)

Since I have not blogged recently, I was not able to show all of my weekend activities! I was loving life and Kool-Aid on Sunday! I was part of the Project Kool-Aid Dye-Along and became quite addicted to this little experiment. I love the colors that came out with this "dye lot".

All balled up!

Short update today... hopefully more to come as I have the 4-day weekend to knit, Knit, KNIT (and do homework...)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Come and Dance with Me

2004-11-20T16:54:00.000-05:00

The title of this post was inspired by the song I am listening to right now... check out Franz Ferdinand--they make me wanna dance. Kris always laughs when this CD is in, because my feet immediately start tapping, and my legs start dancing :)

I just got back from a lovely afternoon with the wonderful Miss H and her best friend, Kelly. H made reservations at the lovely and quaint Tea on the Tiber in historic Ellicott City for the full-service Afternoon Tea. We had such a lovely time in this beautiful place!

We each got our own lovely teapot (here is mine--PINK!) We tried different teas and shared them. My choice was Apricot--and it was so great. We also got a full service of finger sandwiches, fruits, scones, and desserts. H told them that we were celebrating birthdays (November girls!) and they included a little candle on top of one of the cheesecakes...

After our spot of tea, we did a little shopping. Heather and Kelly both bought lovely teapots and cups.

We headed over to a new little shop in the area, the Yuppy Puppy Pet Boutique. An adorable addition to the storefronts in the historic part of town, this little shop has matching clothes for dogs and owners, as well as gourmet foods, toys, etc. This little doggie and HIS owner were wearing the same knit sweater!

I picked up some goodies (the one is a present for Kris, shhh!) and the other is doggy perfume! My puppy princesses will love it--I hope!

Thanks for the lovely afternoon, H!

I really had such a nice time! I needed a pick-me-up after my sad day yesterday...it was my last day at JHU, a job that I really loved, but was a really hard commute for me. I start my new job on Monday (ah!), and I am nervous, but excited at the same time. Thank goodness it is only a three-day week with Thanksgiving!

Saying goodbye was hard... I cried a lot (surprise surprise--I always do that). I have so many nice friends there. They gave me some little gifties to remember them by. Thanks!

Speaking of little gifties, Heather gave me some lovely (and useful) things! I am always losing notions (I think Jen and Bella eat them!) so I am in constant need--love the cable needles--I am lovin' the cables! She also got me the AC Moore specialty Cashmere Aran. This stuff is SO nice! To top it off, that little sweety gave me some cupcakes from a bakery too! They are delish! :) Thanks so much, H! :)

... and I have TWO FOs to report...

I know it is hard to believe--it has been awhile. So that means my WIP gallery is down one picture!

Christmas scarves!

Jen Supermodel Dog

Quince is more interested in playing with the pillow tassles than modeling...

They are small FOs... I am still undecided about the embroidery part. I initially planned to do a snowflake embroidery on them, or a small snow man, but I am a little unsure of myself. They are simple seed stitch that I was just thinking I could stitch directly onto the scarf. My nieces will look adorable (the pets are just modeling them now) Any suggestions? or should I just leave them plain? Let me know what you think, darlings!

I am off to finish up to more things, hopefully I can wrap them up and photo for an entry tomorrow!

Hope you all are having a lovely weekend!

Embellish This!

2004-11-17T21:09:00.000-05:00

Your birthday wishes really made my day very special--thank you!

My co-workers threw a party for me today, and it was so nice. It was half birthday, half farewell. Since Monday was my birthday, and Friday is my last day... Wednesday was the party day! I will miss working there, but I do look forward to the shorter commute, and the proximity to school. I have made some really nice friends, and I hope we can keep in touch as I head southward.

One of those friends you know very well, dear sweet Holly...

Miss Holly is working on an adorable little baby hat. So cute! She also bestowed a very wonderful gift upon me today... she knows me so well!

Lovely wool from a local farmers' market--handspun, hand-dyed PINK yarn! It even smells like herbs because she bought it with homemade soap... yum! Thank you so much Holly Llama--you are the bestest.

While Holly churned out the lovely baby hat, I tried to figure out my new Embellish-Knit giftie. So, Holly and I are intelligent girls (at least we think so!) and we could not figure this thing out! I was not so happy...

Big Knot Big Problem. It took a long time to get it out... nearly all of my lunch break (and then some--sshhh!)

Enter Kris who has been called a Boy Wonder on many occasions... and before long I had lovely I-cord streaming out everywhere. To my credit: he failed two times before figuring it out. I am a go-getter... but even I know that I am not good at everything (almost) and I know when to pass it off...

I-CORD EXTRAVAGANZA

This little machine really churns it out, after you get the directions down. One little hook makes the whole difference.

Moral of the story: Follow the directions to a "T" especially the part about the little hooks in Step 5. Then you can avoid a huge knot.

So the possibilities are endless! I-Cord is so fun! My mind is full of ideas! Perhaps I will actually follow up on a few of them... stay tuned!

I stopped by JoAnn today to spend the gift certificate that my little sis gave me (Thanks Si!). I got some things that I have needed for a while now...

Bag liners

Handles for the Lanscapes purse

Got home and I had mail (I adore MAIL!)

A Scrabble stitch marker from Carolyn! How thoughful--thank you very much!

My reading material (amidst the school reading material...) for the next few days. I have to space it out so I can enjoy it over several days!

Thursday knitty night will resume after my absence in New Orleans, and Eilene's trip to Las Vegas (check out her pics!). We will have plenty to talk about--like Heather's engagement! (check out her ring pic!) and plenty to knit!

Thanks again for all of your comments--I am still thinking of a name for Old Man Puppet... I am taking your suggestions into consideration.

CIAO!

24 years ago...

2004-11-15T20:22:00.000-05:00

...I was born in a small East Tennessee town to a pair of cute parents...

My sister and I went out on Friday night. We went to dinner and then saw The Incredibles (highly recommended). We had a great time--it was an early birthday celebration, and a chance for us to get together and have some fun.

Maryn bought this lovely bracelet for me while she was in Azerbaijan this past summer. This is amazing and exactly the one I would have chosen...

I got some pics of her too, in a scarf I gave her for her birthday.

You see a resemblance?

I think she likes it.

On Sunday, I headed over to my parents' house for a nice little get-together. My mom and dad were making a lovely dinner (tons of veggies für mich!)

Here is my youngest sister, Sarah, Mom, and Maryn. Sorry Dad (LBD)... I will get a good one of you next time... IOU. :)

Meet ______ (yet to be named)--My new puppet! I used to be a puppeteer and I really loved the work. It always makes people smile! I never had my own puppet, but my dad found this awesome guy at a specialty store in North Carolina. He is so expressive! You can expect to see much more of _____ (Help me come up with a name for him!)

Sarah picked up some lovely coffee mugs for me, as well as a JoAnn gift certificate (see this for a hint of what I will get with the certificate) Thanks Si! Mom and Dad picked up a beautiful clock with a pretty chime. Kris and I need to find the perfect place to put it. Thanks! :)

Kris, knowing the depth of my knitting addiction, gave me these knitty things:

Can't wait to try this Embellish-Knit. I will report with the results (and pics)!

Thanks to all of my knitty friends who sent e-cards, well wishes, and snail mail cards. You all are so great! You sure know how to make a girl feel special. Aww shucks :)

Have a good week!

WIPping Girl

2004-11-13T14:50:00.000-05:00

WIPPING GIRL
(To be sung to the tune of "The Muffin Man")

Oh, do you know the WIPping Girl,
the WIPping Girl,
the WIPping Girl?

Oh, do you know the WIPping Girl,
Who lives in Maryland?

---------------------------------

I have previously discussed my Attention Deficit Knitting. While I feel like it is not something to be ashamed of, I am diligently learning to live with this affliction. It has not be an easy road, but one that must be traveled in order to ever have an FO, leading to a happier existance...

I give you my gallery of WIPs (Works in Progress):

Exhibit A

The Landscapes purse
90% complete
Needs to be lined & seamed; attach handles
Christmas gift for sister

Exhibit B

Dead Muppet Cardi in Patons Cha Cha
65% complete
Finish front; sew in sleeves; sew on ribbon tie
Belated Birthday for niece

Exhibit C

Die Tasche
90% complete
Line and Seam; attach pocket or crochet flower?
For me to schlep around

Exhibit D

Seed Stitch Christmas scarves
70% complete
Finish scarve; Weave in ends; Stitch on winter motifs
Early Christmas for nieces

Exhibit E

FCEK Cardi
35% complete
Knit both front cable panels; Knit sleeves; Seam
For me to wear forever

Exhibit F

Kris sweater
30% complete
Finish back; Knit front and sleeves; Seam
For meine Mann, Kristopher

... and finally, the most recent WIP...

The most difficult thing about this project? Getting the second one to remotely look like the first one! AH! I have started and subsequently frogged THREE times. Maybe FOURTH time is a *charm*... I really like the first one though! I tried a thumb hole, but then I frogged back on that and just went for a bell at the bottom. Very warm and cozy--they are so cute. Once again, I am smitten with this yarn!

... yeah there are more WIPs... but to protect the innocent I cannot reveal them! (Mainly because some of the people read my blog!)

-----------------------

In other knitty news, I got over to the Baltimore Museum of Art to see this show. Ms. Stefanie Glampyre has several knitted objects in this show! Unfortunately I was not able to get any good pics because I was reprimanded/threatened by the guard--even though the museum pamphlet explicitly says that PHOTOGRAPHY IS ALLOWED for educational purposes (of course my blog is EDUCATIONAL!)

I managed to get this ONE pic of some of the knitty objects in the show. Sadly, I was not able to get a full shot of the dressform with the garments on it (it is on the far right of this shot... you can barely see it). Stef made a great sweater with her signature skully on front (pink with white skull), and the mannequin was wearing a very familiar garment as a skirt--v. cute! Also featured was Stef's cool fat/skinny scarf in pink and red. If anyone is in the Baltimore area before November 28th, go check it out. Great stuff!

My little sis is coming over soon and we are going to go OUT! Woohoo!

Have a lovely weekend all!

Purl Girl

2004-11-10T17:16:00.000-05:00

Thanks for commenting on my vacation pics--I know there was not a lot of knitting content, but that is what today's entry is for!

Megan recently said she wanted to see what my "little knitty hands" were working on... as you can imagine, I was seeing the city, but I did get some knitty time in on the plane, as well as some before going to bed at night.

Here is one of the things I worked on... Mohair Mystery

This wrap/shawl/whatever was made with the lovely Sublime Mohair. I completely recommend this yarn if you like working with mohair. It is very pretty, easy to work with, and comes in very lovely colorways. This Mohair Mystery was knit in garter stitch on size 17 needles with a decorative drop-stitch edge pattern. I "winged" this one, and I wish it was a little longer... I might try to stretch it with some blocking.

As many of you might remember, I will be leaving my current position at my beloved university library, for a new job at a new exciting (and closer to school) institution. There are many things I will miss about my current job... but I have to tell you the main thing:

Holly and I have recently became friends, and I wish we had met sooner. However, in our short time, we really formed a bond. She is my yarn girl! She understands me and my fiber madness! We talk constantly about her llamas and their fleece, about our patterns, about luscious yarns! I knit with Holly 3 days a week... and after next week, I will not be able to... this breaks my little knitty heart.

It really is so nice to have friends to knit with, especially after a crazy morning in the office... I know I can go upstairs and let it all out with Holly and with the needles. I am going to miss you girl!

Okay, now to see what dear sweet Holly is working on...

BOOGA

...and what is Lolly working on?

Pulled out the DPNs again, and this time things are going a lot smoother! (Better than last time...) I am working on fingerless mittens! I am trying to get them done soon so that I can use them--It has been cold! I am using Patons Divine (which is just that, imho) in Floral Fantasy. I am still slow with the DPNs, but I am getting better.

This feels like such a short entry after my previous gargantuan ones...

Peace out.

Big Easy II

2004-11-07T13:35:00.000-05:00

It is great to hear from everyone! :) It is nice to be back with all of my knitty friends. I have to catch up on all of your blogs! A lot can happen in one week! (especially one like last week...)

DAY ONE AND TWO

Now, where were we?

DAY THREE

First day on my own (Kris and Alycia had the conference seminars all day) and I decided to go back to the Garden District and visit this little shop. I am so glad I did! Great shop with tons of yarn and supplies! I walk in the door and am greeted with many friendly smiles and hellos. I felt very welcomed, and once I saw their selection, I was in love!

Sock yarns!

Colinette wall!

Lucky Lolly got to see all the new Rowan products (here they are stocking them!), and there was a lot of squishing going on (I thought of you, H!) I flipped through a lot of the magazines and books, and finally decided on this one... there are so many nice designs in here! (Bloom and Maki were two of the designs that tipped the scales for this magazine.)

I had to keep my purchases on the light side (I did not have enough room in my suitcase!) so I came out with the lovely magazine, some tapestry needles, some size 6 dpns, a cable needle, and one skein of Plymouth Sockotta for my dear sweet Holly Llama, and one skein of Trendsetter Quadro to make a scarf like their cute store sample. Not a lot, but a nice trip, and I definitely recommend this shop for your fiber needs!

As I left the shop, it started raining hard. However, I was not going to let this rain get me down! So, I did some shopping! Picked up a lot of great things... gifts, stuff for me, some other gifts, and some other stuff for me... *oops* does that sound selfish?

Got back to the hotel and planned the evening activity... I am a big fan of hookahs ever since I tried them when I was in the Middle East in 2000. There are several hookah bars in my area, but I have never been to one up here... yet, the one in New Orleans sounded particularly interesting... Hookah Cafe.

Yes, that is smoke coming out of my mouth... cherry-flavored smoke. I am not a dragon... don't worry.

Puff the Magic Krissy

See the E in Alycia's smoke?

... oh yeah, the food was pretty good too...

DAY FOUR

Again with the rain... and this time it was like the sky opened up and God showed his wrath... lightning everywhere. Rain everywhere. This coincided with Bush winning the election... Anyone else think this is a harbinger of what is to come in the next four years?

I went shopping again on the Riverwalk near our hotel in the French Quarter. Got some great stuff... new clothes, some silk scarves (I lurve scarves), more gifties... then I went back to the hotel room and knit while it was disgusting outside.

Alycia found a great sushi place, Rock n Sake in the Warehouse District of the city. Kris got this lovely spread you see here, and I got this yummy meal (seaweed salad and tofu steaks! *squee*) This place is highly recommended for any sushi lovers out there!

Now for the real party! Kris and Alycia's conference sponsored a night at Mardi Gras World, which is way gaudy and kitschy, but really fun! I thought it was a perfect location for the 1500+ people that showed up. This place is part museum, part warehouse, and it is where they create and store the floats that are made for Mardi Gras. There were huge floats and smaller ones. Scary ones and pretty ones...

Kris and I both got our caricatures done, and in the end we drank and danced the night away... it was a blast. Let's just say that this was my vision for the rest of the night...

DAY FIVE

Last day of the conference for Kris and Alycia, and the last full day for me to explore the city! I decided to take a guided tour of the French Quarter. It turned into a lovely day, and it was a very informative tour. We saw Jackson Square (at left) and visited the Ursulines Convent. I learned tons of little facts about the quarter, and I think it was the best $20 I paid on the trip (toss up between that and my new sun hat!)

Kris and I went back to the French Quarter in the evening for dinner and listened to some great music and strolled around the streets. New Orleans is the perfect city for strolling.

DAY SIX

We had to be at the airport by 2:30/3:00 pm, so we had enough time in the morning to do some more sightseeing. Kris and I love aquariums, so our trip was not complete until we visited the New Orleans Aquarium, located convieniently across the street from our hotel!

Coral Reef Kris

Amazon Lolly

Kris dabbles in nature photography (mainly his four fish tanks at home, and our dogs) but he shot some really nice shots at the aquarium.

Then back to our home sweet home, Maryland USA. It was great to get home and see our doggie girls, and even though Rusty was sick (he is getting better) and the leak sprung in the bathroom (it is fixed now!) there is no place like home!

...Now back to your regularly scheduled knitting blog... :)

Big Easy

2004-11-06T14:57:00.000-05:00

I am back! Unfortunately I came back to a sick kitty and a leak in the ceiling... so this morning has been very nuts. Rusty appears to have some kind of bladder / UT infection, the vet said it was inconclusive till we could get more samples... yum.

Then this leak appeared downstairs underneath our master bathroom. Evidently the showerhead is leaking and has caused a crack in our ceiling. Kris and dad are out at the local hardware store get all the stuff to fix that up...

SO, as you can see, it was a lot to come back to! We actually had a GREAT trip. Thanks for leaving all of the well-wishes on the comments!

Without any further ado:

LOLLY'S WEEK IN THE BIG EASY

DAY ONE

We got a shuttle down to Reagan National (not the airport closest to us... all for a direct flight) and we waited at the gate. I finished the strap on the purse I have been working on for ages... it is loosely based on the SnB Zeeby bag, but the more I do, the further I stray from the pattern.

We got to New Orleans around 10am local time, so the day was ours! We quickly took off our sweaters and jackets in the 80 degree weather. We met up with Kris's co-worker, Alycia, who was also in town for the conference. We immediately set out on the palm-lined streets toward the boisterous French Quarter... mind you it was Halloween day, so we had to find something for the parade!

We decided to go the easy way and just buy masks for the Halloween party. Kris got a cool racoon mask, and mine is a sequin peacock mask... The beads we are wearing were not acquired by showing any boobies--they were in a pack at the ubiquitous Mardi Gras stores.

Sights from Bourbon Street Halloween Parade

DAY TWO

Kris and Alycia had most of Monday free before the conference, so we headed down to the French Market (a big flea market/farmer's market) on the streetcar (not named Desire, rather, French Market, go figure). Streetcars are cute and slow, and you could probably walk faster than they move, but they are a novelty, so why not?

We took in some lovely sights, like this Joan of Arc statue. Yeah, Joan of Arc was French, but she was the savior of Orleans, France, so, New Orleans claims her as well. The quarter is known for its distinctive architecture and its rich history. I just eat this stuff up...

...Unfortanately, my feet were getting tired and I needed a brief respite. What is the prescription, doctor?

THIS GIRL NEEDS SOME FIBER, STAT!

Thank goodness a yarn shop was nearby... albeit extremely overpriced, and not very organized. They also lacked that southern hospitality, as we did not even get a nod when we came in. I still used the opportunity to gaze at the Noro Wall, and fondle their stash.

We went to the Garden District for lunch, and for an afternoon stroll (er... hike) and went through the Lafayette #1 cemetary. Very interesting history here. All of the bodies are kept above ground because of the city's altitude is below sea level.

We got caught in a freak rain storm after walking around (no umbrellas), so we headed back to the respective hotels to doll up for our Dinner Jazz Cruise!

We met at the boat and boarded soon after. Dinner and drinks were really great (they even had some nice vegetarian options!) and the cruise down the Mississippi was grand! The band played old jazz, and I danced in my new shoes!

We promptly went back to the hotel and crashed... busy day!

More to come... very soon!

Bis Bald Lieblings!

2004-10-30T20:48:00.000-04:00

...bags are packed...
...dogs were taken to Grammy's...
...alarm set for 4 AM...

I finally picked up a guidebook for New Orleans today. It has some really nice things in it. I am a teensy bit nervous about the food situation, however. New Orleans is one of the top destinations for culinary/epicurean delights... but there are not many vegetarian options that I have found... oh well, I should be okay. I have done it before! Thank you for all of your suggestions about New Orleans sights. I have a nice long list of things to do!

I picked up some light reading for the plane... I think Kris and I are going to be rolling in the aisles :)
We Jon Stewart!

Hopefully I will get a nice TSA inspector who will let me through security with my needles... I am taking plastic and bamboo only so there is no problem with the metal. I will be taking some odds and ends to knit... mainly WIPs. Status reports when I return.

...and my little bit of serendipity today...

I found a German knitting book this morn at my German school. In my time there I have found many academic works, etc., but never anything like this! Now I can learn all of jargon auf Deutsch *yippee* The other book was on clearance at my favorite bookstore ever. This book looks great!

I voted, and so should you!
Vote with your conscious...
Vote with wisdom...
Vote for democracy...

Take care and I will see you all soon!

Have a lovely week, all!

Tuffetting

2004-10-29T18:17:00.000-04:00

You all are great with your well wishes! I am a lucky Lolly to have all these cool knitty friends :)

I have to share a lot of news, so this will be a heavy picture post. Oh how I love clicking pics of everything...
especially with my new camera!

We just got it tonight. We used the trip to New Orleans as an excuse, but both of us have wanted a new one for a long time. This camera is so HOT! We got a case too, because this baby is gonna get a LOADS of use! (Its all for you, my darlings!)

QUESTION: Guess what I did last night?

HINT: CHAMPAGNE + LUSCIOUS FIBERS + CUTE GIRLS = TON-O-FUN

ANSWER: Had a lovely evening with my dears, Heather and EI!

Here are the pics to prove it...see H's blog for all the other pics. This is a very well-documented evening!

Got to Eilene's lovely home and she prepared the wonderful champagne in her lovely hand-painted champagne glasses...

H jumped right in with her Zim-Zim-Zimmerman pullover. (Can't wait to see how this turns out! Monica just finished her version!) Love this picture--take a looks at this sexy engineer! Rrrrr!

Ei let me use her umbrella swift and ball-winder (these are amazing inventions) to make my little yarn tuffetts. This is their technical name.

You may recognize the lovely Ironstone mohair from my last trip to Folk Art Studio, as well as the scary Rio de la Plata... but what is this lovely morning glory colored tuffett? None other than the handspun from Harlot!

H mentions my Mohair Mystery on her blog (check out her pics!) and I like this title, so this is now going to be known as Mystery. This mohair is so yummy, and you see the colors, so you know that I love it... I have a specific idea in mind for this, and it will be revealed right before your eyes...

I received a very sweet RAOK from Lynne. Thank you so much for thinking of me. This squiggly yarn will make a great scarf! Umm... and the chocolates are already gone...

I want to leave you with Heather's adorable bumper sticker. It looks so cute on her zippy red car! :)

I will talk to you again before I leave for NOLA... on Sunday... at 5:30 AM! *bleh*

Ch-Ch-Ch-Change

2004-10-27T06:55:00.000-04:00

I want to thank you for all your kind comments after my last post. I cannot tell you how much I love the knit bloggers out there--I have a feeling that many of you feel the same way. A wonderful group of people you are :)

What I could not say before, I can say now. I had to make a pretty big career decision. My career is extremely important to me, so each step is a big one. I will be starting a new job sometime in mid-November (the date is not set) and I am really looking forward to it. You might remember my rant about commuting a few weeks ago... and now, with this new job, I will be closer to my school and I will not have to spend as much time in the car... BUT, I will get the chance to do a lot more KIP (Knitting in Public) as I ride the subway everywhere! So, this is exciting for me...

Speaking of school... I got to hang out with the Knitibrarians on Monday! We actually met to do a school project, but we knitted while discussing the project... but we ended up doing more knitting than projecting...

Shayna is making this!

Jenn continues this!

I finished the back of my FCEK cardi, and started on the front panel. Not much to show for that. I did start on a quickie little scarf diversion though for some Christmas presents... It seems like I have a zillion things going at once.

They are both seed stitch patterns, made with acrylic yarn. I have grand plans for these little scarves, and that will just have to wait till next time...

Because I love to see craftiness and creativity, I wanted to show you this picture of Maha, a friend from my current work. She crocheted this scarf, and it is way cute (so is she!) One of our library patrons came in with this little wrap number that was secured with a brooch (so chic!), and all three of us wanted to see how she made it. It was so cute, and SO easy. If a person comes into the department with a cute knit, you can guarantee that we will notice and try to figure out how to make it!

In other news, we leave for New Orleans on Sunday! I am really looking forward to it! Evidently Halloween is BIG TIME in the city, so I guess I better plan a quick costume--any ideas? I need something for Kris and me. I am not into creepy scary stuff, but I want something cool and maybe a little bit cute. There are so many cool things to do there! I don't think I will have a dull moment :) we are going to have a SUPER time! I plan to take plenty of knitting with me... have not yet decided what to take though.

Did someone say SCARY?

Lolly shows the new Rio de
la Plata who is boss! Rrrrr!

See, Bella was cowering!

Since I showed you our prom pic from nearly 6 years ago, I thought it was only fair to see a picture from now...

A little more fat, a little older... but still SO happy!

Nostalgia

2004-10-22T21:16:00.000-04:00

There are changes on the horizon, nothing really major, but still things are a little *up in the air*, and there are some decisions that are weighing on me... so, knitting has been a very nice therapy for me lately.

My FCEK cardi is growing to gargantuan proportions. I am making one of the larger sizes, because I wanted to wear a top under the cardi comfortably. But, I still think it might be a little big for me... I checked my gauge and everything, but it still looks huge.

Maybe this is the impetus I need to get my self on the treadmill. Anyway, the color is so great, the yarn still sucks, but I am sticking with it. I am nearly finished with the back. Anna finished hers the other day, and it looks SO great. I am really tempted by the 3/4 sleeves. I'll see what I want when I get there... I can only pray that mine will turn out half as good!

Holly and I "knitted it up" this week, and she brought her amazing blanket to show. We have an arrangement: she brings the lovely items to show, and I photograph them for the blog world. So, she is living vicariously through me :)

Amazingness! She is working on the Big Bad Baby Blanket from SnB in Noro Fuji. The picture does not do this blanket justice... I swear this is one of the most amazing things I have EVER seen! This will be the luckiest baby on the planet! Too bad it will probably throw up on it...

Got the new Family Circle Easy Knitting mag, and I do like some of the patterns in it. I think there are some nice sweaters like Arctic Blue (in a not-so-furry yarn though, IMHO), and the cabled sweater (I would make it in a pink or purple, naturlich!) , among others. My favorite two knits are not previewed on the website... they are the ballet wrap cardi, and the turtleneck sweater on the following page. Both are on the *TO KNIT* list!

Kris and I just finished watching Mean Girls, which I thought was a pretty cute movie. I am a Tina Fey fan, so I liked to see her script, as well as her acting. The story had some similarities to my own... like how I moved from a far away land (New Mexico), and met a cute boy (Kris) while in my junior year of high school. The similarities end there, no "plastics" or sabotaging or getting run over by buses.

...so, in that spirit of nostalgia, and remembering high school, I thought I would show you a picture from senior prom. Kris and I had been together for about a year at this point... *sigh*

Party like its 1999!

Back to 2004 -----> I wish you all a lovely and relaxing weekend!

Eternal Sunshine

2004-10-19T06:39:00.000-04:00

*Running around like a chicken with its head cut off* It sounds gruesome, but that is a pretty good description... nonetheless, I have a lot of great knitting things to tell you about--almost too many!

On Sunday, I met with M and M to knit it up at Folk Art Studio in Bowie. Meg drove an hour plus to come and visit us... the other Megan lives right around the corner. (Lucky girl!) We had such a nice time. Wish we could have knitted longer, but we all had to head in separate ways after a few hours.

We all came out with some goodies, and plan to go again in the future. Thanks for a nice getaway, girls. Maybe I could change my name to Megan too... :)

I left the Studio with some nice stuff, pictured here. 2 hanks of the lovely Rio de la Plata (the other Uruguayan yarn), 2 hanks of Ironstone mohair, and 1 hank of Ironstone cotton tape. The Studio has such a variety of things, and it is so hard to narrow down what you want...They just expanded the line to include some Debbie Bliss and several Noro yarns, so check them out if you have the chance!

I got a very special RAOK from Amie (who just got back from Rhinebeck!). I can't wait to learn, Amie! Thank you so much for sending this to me. I love the hand-painted spindle, and the roving that you bought is so yummy. We should set up a time soon!

We celebrated my niece, Krista's, birthday this weekend, and I gave her the "Dead Muppet" cardi that I made. I was worried that it would not fit, but it ended up being just fine. When she opened the gift, she squealed, then promptly threw it aside to play with new toys--that was expected. I finally got a picture of her wearing it... she would not try it on for me, because that required standing still. Yet, I got her older sister, the lovely McKayla, to pose with her. Still no cute smile, but she is wearing the cardi. Of course, it looks strange here because she has a sweatshirt on underneath.

I knit with dear sweet Holly yesterday, who says she "does not have enough time to blog"... who does, sillyhead? I already made up the perfect name for her blog, now she just needs the time to sit down and do it. :) Let's cheer her on-- go Holly! :)

The Bluest Eye
Holly continues the lovely Fortissima sock. This girl is a speed demon with those size 2 dpns. I would still be on the second row with those toothpicks, but she has a good start on this sock! Granted, she is also working on some other lovely projects which I hope to show you all soon... bring in the blanket, H!

...and I have been working diligently on this FCEK cardi. The yarn is very annoying, (LB WoolEase splits like nobody's business) but the color is so great, so I keep going. It seems very big... perhaps it is a little stretched in this pic...

And I leave you with a pic of my little menagerie:

Quincy and Rusta (the kitties) sit near the window, while Bella and Jen (the pups) hang out, and you can even see one of the fish tanks in the background!

Thanks for reading everyone, can't wait to hear from you!

Official Alchemist

2004-10-15T19:14:00.000-04:00

...I just have so much to report...

First of all, I want to tell you about the generosity of my Secret Pal. I am astounded... look at what she (I think it is a she...) sent me! ALCHEMY!

Silk Purse

Promise

She sent me enough to make this lovely pullover:

Such a nice elegant knit! Secret Pal, wherever you are, I want to thank you so much for sending me this lovely gift! The mohair matches my morning glories (which are slowly passing as it gets colder...) and the colors make me smile every time I see it. When the postman was at my house yesterday, I was walking to my car, and he asked me to wait one moment and he could give me a package. He said "I know you will like this one." My SP emailed the other day and told me it was on the way, so I became very excited. I was on my way to meet with the KnitKnite girls, so I knew I had to take the special package along to show all of them!

So I headed over to Eilene's house for our group with the yarn right next to me! If you check out their blogs, they took a picture where you can see me cradling my new prized possession :)

Nicole, Ei, and Heather

We had a wonderful time, and I got to meet H's very cool (and cute) daughter, Jenna! Eilene gave me a nice hank of Cascade 220 7804. She knew I would love the pink! Thank you!

As if this was not enough, I have more knitty news!
I knit with dear sweet Holly today (who I am trying to convert to knitblogdom. She would have the hottest blog because she would have two amazing co-stars--her llamas!!!) and she is making great progress with her toothpick socks, as well as a beautiful swatch with her lovely mohair. She is going to make a beaded wrap with this yummy stuff! mmmm

Holly's WIPs

I finally cast on for my FCEK cardi, but I have a lot of other stuff to work on for gifties, so this one will probably be on the back burner for a while... Anna and I talked about doing a knit-along for this, but she is way ahead of me, so I think that that idea went out the window. I love the way hers looks! Here is mine so far:
Yeah, not too much, huh?

Want to know what I was really doing in our lunch knitty time?

Dreaming about our life together! I know we just met, Alchemy, but I am really attracted to you, and I think we could make it work. Let's give it a try. *smooch*

From the Archives

2004-10-14T06:26:00.000-04:00

Things have been very busy in Lolly land, and I have not been able to knit as much as I would like (Papers to write, books to read, classes to attend--ah!). So, in lieu of all of my new knits, I decided to show you some of the things from the archives (days before I had a knit blog).

Enjoy, and I hope to be back soon to write a real entry!

I made this shawl with Bernat Soft Boucle. I have been wearing it often because it is getting chilly in Maryland now... I love this weather! It is a simple rectangle pattern about 6 feet long and 2.5 feet wide. I wish I had made it a little thinner, but it is still a nice wrap on the chilly morning.

I knit this wrap pattern with Colinette Tagliatelli. This yarn is so fun, and I think the end result looks like a web. The texture is very cool, and it is a fun and funky design. A simple v-style shawl that I made on 35 needles with one hank of the yarn. I increased with YO up the side to create the V.

I never made a formal post about this scarf, but I am pictured wearing it one place... so a few details about this beauty: Knit with Colinette Giotto on 15s, I finished this scarf and wear it at least once a week. The yarn is so beautiful, and with all the colors in the scarf, I can always match it to an outfit!

Last, but not least, this picture was featured on my sidebar for awhile, but I never gave details. I made this hat with Bernat Boa (which was a b*tch to knit with, btw), but I perservered and now have this cute hat to show for it. I used the pattern that was on the label.

I am knitting with Heather and Eilene tonight, and H's daughter is coming along *Pixie*, as well as Ei's friend, Nicole. I am sure we will have fun... more to come.

Thanks for walking down the knitting *memory lane* with me! :)

Lolly Scarf Style

2004-10-10T16:42:00.000-04:00

First off, I want to thank you all for your encouraging comments about the DPN experience. I did not practice a lot this weekend, but you are right, it does get easier!

But, this is what I have been working on:

I started the green cabled scarf for my sister last week. It is Araucania New Wool Chunky in Forest Green. It is a beautifully variegated yarn, and was very nice to work with. I made up this pattern, because I wanted to incorporate the cable, as well as make it lie flat. You may recall I was having problems with *knit math*, but I got everything figured out... 11-stitch cable with 2 reverse stockinettes and a rib on either side and then 4 stitches of garter stitch. Voila! The blue scarf is knit up with a recent purchase from Jo-Ann. This is one from their new Sensations line, called Angel Hair. It is a wool/acrylic/nylon blend. I love this yarn! Not only is it a beautiful color, the quality is nice, and it is so soft. One skein made a 4.5 foot scarf in a 2x2 rib of 16 stitches. Very easy and very fast!

GREEN GIANT DETAIL SHOT

Which one is sexier?

BABE THE BLUE SCARF

Looking eerily similar to Paul Bunyan's sidekick, Babe the Blue Ox, eh?

Other knitty news: I picked up two froggy sweaters at the thrift store. I am a big proponent of recycling yarn! You can find some quality stuff, and pay 1/16 of the price! I got these two beauties:

This is a wonderful wool jacket that I started frogging last night. It will take awhile to unravel this one because there is a lot of design work, but this yarn is great, so it is worth it.

Unfortunately the color did not come out right on this shot, but this is a raw silk/cotton blend sweater (L.L. Bean) that someone gave away because it had a small snag. Lucky me! This fiber is so yum.

Thanks for all of the suggestions about New Orleans. You know me, I will definitely take pictures! Kris and I leave 3 weeks from today, and we are SO excited!

DPN = Double Pointed Nightmare

2004-10-07T18:01:00.000-04:00

Like any seasoned traveler, Lolly Lauren knows that you must be prepared for any situation. Just think how awful it would be if Lolly Lauren had a spare moment, and did not have any needles and yarn to knit with? or even a book to read? It is a tragic thought, but thankfully, Lolly Lauren thinks ahead... and carries around her trusty project bag. Yeah, it is a small bag, but it contains three projects: Kris sweater, Green Giant cable scarf, and the newest addition... the DPN practice tube.

Don't leave home without it!

Yes, you heard correctly. The girl who is afraid of DPNs stepped up and decided to face her fear...

Dear sweet Holly picked up DPNs last week to make a baby hat. Now, she is working hard on some socks for her momma. She has no fear in her eyes, just a fierce determination, and swift and adept fingers... She diligently counts her stitches with the lovely self-striping Fortissima Colori on her size 2 toothpicks! Look at her go!

Yet, across the table, a poor girl tries to wrap her head around the idea of these strange creations... DPNs? What are these tortuous things? Like a kindergartner with the "large" pencil and the "death grip", Lolly Lauren tries to knit with size 8 DPNs. No such luck... at least on the first ten tries...

Okay, now I am back to first-person singular. Yeah, so I have 4 rows of stitches on the DPNs. I only have this because I was "resolute" and "stayed the course". They are not pretty... but I am practicing! I would have prefered to work on Green Giant (who is growing big and strong at a mighty three feet!) but today was the day to learn how to use the 4 (or 5) needles of death.

Darling Jeanette, a co-worker and friend (as well as a great crafty gal), crocheted these loverly hats for a charity project. We are constantly talking about knitting, crocheting, and yarn, and our fellow co-workers have finally realized that we are not going to stop, so they might as well get used to it.

Here is Darling Jeanette modeling her new hat, which perfectly matches her outfit (was that planned?). This is what I like to call the PINK LADY shot! *Do your little turn on the catwalk!* One of these days I am going to sit down with Jeanette and get her to teach me how to crochet... I really would love to learn! We tried once before and I was able to get a few rows, but I think that that was by a total accident...

In other news, Kris and I got our tickets for New Orleans! I am really looking forward to our trip! We have not been on a vacation in quite awhile, so this one is long-overdue in my book. Loz Lauren suggested some nice places to check out while in town, and I am open to more suggestions! :)

Green Giant

2004-10-05T20:10:00.000-04:00

Just got back from class... busy day! I am glad to sit down for a few minutes and catch up on some knitting blogs (and update my own!) Thank you all for your kind comments!

I started this cabled scarf for my little sister, Sarah. (Not the one in the pics below... I have another one, who is yet to be pictured... I will snap one of her soon!) She does not know I am making it for her. I hope she likes it, and I hope she likes the color choice. This is the Araucania that I picked up at AC Moore. I like the way it knits up.

I had some difficulties starting this scarf because I am not good at *knit math*, and when a pattern says 11 + 1, yet I want an edge stitch... anyway, I figured it out, and it is symmetrical, and that is really all that matters! :)

I got my Yarn of the Month Club package today. Yeah, they are small samples, but they are nice quality things. I think I will stick with it for awhile. They also sent a nice shrug pattern, as well as an info sheet on dyeing yarns with natural things (that can be found in your backyard!) so I found this exciting.

I signed up for this Club in September, so I am thinking that they owe me September's yarns too... they sent October's. Anyway, the yarns are (l-r) Chamonix by Jaeger, Squiggle by Crystal Palace, Promise by Alchemy, and Pacha by Bouton d'Or. As I mentioned, they are all very nice yarns... but pretty small swatches... enough to whet your appetite!

My SPIII received her presents over the weekend, and I think she really liked them... at least she said she did!

I got a nice RAOK CD from Mindful Moderation over the weekend, so I wanted to send her a special THANK YOU. What a great compilation! You are so kind!

EI posted the pics from last Thursday on her blog, and I just wanted to reprint one of them here (See her blog for the other one!) Heather, Eilene, and I met up at Clyde's in Columbia, and had a very nice time. They are both headed up to Stitches East in Atlantic City, NJ, this weekend! Have fun ladies!

Happy knitting to all and to all a good night~

Whole Lotta Love

2004-10-03T20:22:00.000-04:00

Wrapping up a nice and relaxing weekend...

Kris and I had a nice German class yesterday morning. Unfortunately it was not a pretty day--rather foggy and rainy. After class, we went down to Kris's parents house to celebrate his brother's birthday. Lil' David turns 17. Wow... time flies.

I heard that there was a new A.C. Moore in Bowie, so you know I had to check that out. They carry some quality stuff, and I was able to walk out with some nice goodies:

Two skeins of Fisherman's Wool (PKA!), two skeins of a mohair yarn called Sublime, three Wool-Ease skeins for anotherIrish Hiking Scarf, two hanks of Araucania Nature Wool Chunky (this stuff is delish), and some other goodies that caught my eye, including some DPNs (Heather, this is for the wrigglers!)

No big plans for Sunday. I swatched around this morning practicing cables and lace for some holiday projects... they were fun, but I am not a whiz at "knitting math", and these kind of things require some of that. Nothing to show for it yet... hopefully soon.

After lunch, I went out with my mom and sister for a little shopping. We staked out Jo-Ann, and I just got some ribbon and stitch markers... nothing really exciting and picture-worthy.

Here are some pictures of me and my little sister, Maryn. She is so *cute*. She is most likely moving to Hawaii next summer--I am so excited for her!

We went to Borders and grabbed some yummy drinks (try the Caramel Apple Smoothie!). I snapped a pic with my pretty mommy...

... and then I did some browsing in the crafts section. I was looking for Scarf Style, but they did not have it anywhere. (This book sounds great--do any of you have it?) I found the new Knit Wit by Knitty Amy. I quickly looked through it, but of note is the stand-up format of the book, or as they call it: Hands Free. There are several patterns in the book that have been featured for free on the website. I don't know exactly what to think about that. There were some other cute things, but I am not in a big rush to acquire the book.

... and I came home to a lovely meal provided by my DH! He made the polenta/tomato sauce recipe from the cover of the book that Bethany sent to me last week! So good! Thanks again Bethany... it was so great!

There is a very busy week ahead, and I was glad to get out for a little while today and have a good time. There will be more knit-related blogging this coming week--promise! :)

Olive Juice

2004-10-01T19:43:00.000-04:00

Remember when people use to mouth the words "Olive Juice"... and it looked like "I love you" ? Yeah... I just remembered that...

Lolly

Kris

Yeah, so that is definitely more punky than I am, but I thought it was cute. The image of Kris is pretty close... except Kris has a nose.

Unfortunately, I cannot remember the website where I made these little images, but I will try to find it again.

It has been a few days since I wrote last, but I have been knitting, and have generally been busy. I have a lot of school work that is piling up, and unfortunately, my blog comes after the homework... yeah, I know... I need to get my priorities straight.

Kris and I got some great mail today!

This is the new Dyson vaccuum cleaner. It totally sucks... and it is cute to boot! Look at that yellow!

This is my order from Elann.com. It got here so quickly. Two Patons pattern books and some Classic Elite '03 Tweed for the Irish Hiking Scarf Knit-Along.

I met up with Eilene and Heather for a fun dinner last night. We did not knit, but we had a great time. Thanks ladies for a nice time! :) Eilene took a picture, so I will post it soon... in fact, Eilene inspired the title of this post [Olive Juice] because that girl loves her some martini action! She asked for olive juice on the side! :)

I started on this purse on Wednesday, and it was a super quick knit. I still have to weave in the yarn and sew it. I thought about felting it, but I was not sure--your thoughts? I used Lion Brand Landscapes in Autumn Trails. The yarn is a step in the right direction, but I became frustrated when I started a new ball and it came unspun and began to unravel. I will probably use these handles or ones a little smaller for this purse.

The new Lion Brand catalog had some okay stuff in it. They are definitely obsessed with all things fuzzy and furry, but I try to look past that and see the garment construction, and overall, I thought it was a pretty good catalog. I thought that this capelet was cute. I might decide to do something like this, and hold off on the Pink Riding Hood. I think it is pretty, but I think it would look totally dumb on me. *bleh*

Lest you forget the Kris sweater? Yeah, it was on my back burner too. I know he will not wear it any time soon (he loves the cold, but does not really dress for it) so I am not knitting it too quickly. I just bound off some stitches for the armholes... so it is coming along as well.

Wow, Carolina put up some pics and a link to the new Rowan Vintage Knits and I am totally in love... I need this book. If you want to see some great knits (in my opinion) check out this lovely book! *counting my pennies*

Okay, I need to run and do some Hausaufgaben (homework!).

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

Busting up those stereotypes

2004-09-28T09:53:00.000-04:00

The Catholic school girls got knitty last night!

Jenn is working on a beautiful sweater coat (from Hip to Knit) with Brown Sheep Co.'s Burly Spun in Forest Floor. This stuff is so luscious! It will be a great coat for the winter!

Shayna is working hard on the ribbed scarves for her friends who are getting married next week. She is knitting fast to finish them up. Poor Shayna has to wear a brace when she knits because of wrist pain. So, she puts her *cast on*... eh, stupid knitter joke... sorry. It did not go over too well when I tried it last night, either! :)

The phenomenon continues! Everyone wants to be a knitibrarian! I know there are several of you out there, so I made a little button for us! I will improve it sometime in the future... when I get a little more time.

Kris and I are planning our trip to New Orleans, and I was looking up some yarn shops down there... and then I stumbled across something a lot closer to home! KnitNStyle's website has an LYS locator, and they have a listing for my town! I heard about this shop from Amie a few weeks ago, but I did not know when they were opening. So, I called the number on the website, and they have their grand opening on OCTOBER 8th! If any one around here would like to go that day, let me know. We can give the new shop a warm welcome!

I received two wonderful gifts yesterday from some very thoughtful people:

From Harlot Steph!

From Bethany!

Harlot's handspun arrived (I was worried it had been lost in the mail!) and Bethany sent THREE great cookbooks! She is a vegetarian hockey-lover like me! Thank you both for the sweet gifts!

I just ordered some goodies from Elann.com for some holiday gifts... it is that time of year...

Rusta is so tired he can barely hold his head up... he works so hard! He is almost the same color as the floor! *meow*

Lust for Life (and Anthropologie)

2004-09-27T16:22:00.000-04:00

So, Tiny Owl and Froggy have both raved about Anthropologie... so I went to check it out. I was so totally impressed with their stuff--I am so inspired looking at catalogs and magazines and seeing beautiful knits--and this catalog has so many things! This cape/wrap really caught my eye. I think it is beautiful because 1) it is pink, and you probably know how I feel about that, and 2) because of that girly flower, and 3) because it is a great shape. However, I have a bad feeling that if I were to try to knit something like this, it would look silly (and not as good as this) and dated by next fall. Let me know your thoughts? Yea or Ney?

Yesterday, Kris and I went to a BBQ with some friends. It was actually like a baby jamboree... and of course we got the inevitable question: So, when are you two having babies? I don't mind kids, really, but I know that I am not ready for them now. Yet, I like knitting things for them! :)

Holly and I knit during lunch today, which was so fun! Our stuff was admired by several people in the staff lounge.

This is the Holly collage! Here she is fondling her Wool in the Woods yarn. It is so pretty! She is also doing her first double-pointed needles project--a baby hat! Yeah, those things still scare me... I can't quite figure it out...

Here I am modeling my headband. I made this awhile ago, but I never remembered to take a picture of it. I bought three spools of ribbon on clearance after Christmas last year, and knit up this headband. It is 4 stitches across and about 25 rows on size 11 needles. I attached ribbon at the edges to tie around the base of my neck. It holds the hair in place easily because it is stiff ribbon. It was a fun and easy project that took about 20 minutes to make!

Cute Pattern

I found this great little doll pattern on The Knitting Garden website. I love how it can be easily adapted for a boy or a girl, and it looks easier than some other knitted toys I have seen. I will probably make some for little presents...

I have a Knit-ibrarians meeting tonight with my Library School girls! It should be fun... and you know I will take pictures!

Superfantastisch

2004-09-25T21:31:00.000-04:00

Things have been busy in Lolly-land! Kris and I started German classes this morning at the Goethe-Institut. This is our fifth semester in this program, and I feel like I am really starting to "get" it. Of course I need a ton of practice in vocabulary and conversation, but I think things are definitely moving in the right direction.

We just got back from a dinner celebrating my father-in-law's birthday. In the W family, September and October are the busiest birthday months. My brother-in-law's b-day is next week, and then both of my nieces (McKayla and Krista) are after that... so you saw the cardi I made for Krista, now here is the one I started on for McKayla:

You may remember me saying that I would not use this yarn again. Yeah, I remember that too... but then I thought how cute it would be with matching cardis, so I am working with the yarn to make that dream come true. However, I do NOT endorse this yarn--you WILL drop stitches, and it will be annoying the whole way through, but after it is complete, it is SO cute!

I received a wonderful surprise present today from Dani! I was so excited to get these little gloves in the mail. Thank you Dani, you made my day! They are so cute and small. Whoever made them is highly skilled in miniature knitting!

So, to give you an idea of scale:

They fit perfectly on the top of your fingers!

I saw this post on LadyCrochet's blog, and I just have to pass it on, because it is so cool! File this under the "Why didn't I think of that?" category.

Yarn of the Month Club

I am definitely going to join--I think it sounds like a great deal!

Have a great Sunday everyone! I hope to hear from you soon! :)

Pretty as a Pin-Up

2004-09-22T19:54:00.000-04:00

Original froggy girl!

Miss Sweater Girl!

I found these pin-ups, and they were too funny and knitty not to post!
I hope you like them as much as I do. We should have a Miss Sweater Girl competition! Whose in? What is the criteria? Is there a (knit) swimsuit competition? :P

Things have been slow and steady on the knitting front... not too much to report. I am still plugging away with the Kris sweater. I have not had a vast amount of time to knit lately (due to commuting, school, commuting, work... did I mention commuting?) I wish I could knit and drive at the same time! I feel like half my life is spent in the car.

A special thank you to ... I could not commute without you!

I have such a wonderful group of knitters around me, both online and in real life! I thank you all for being so supportive and so accepting, I really love being a part of this group!

Here is one of my knitty girls, HOLLY!! These are our intense knitting faces:

We knit with each other on our lunch breaks at the library. It sure helps to knit after a hard morning in the office...

Holly made these cute little baby booties for one of our co-workers who is having a baby boy. She is already working on another pair for another friend who "has a little bun in the oven".

Around the KNIT WORLD in 80 words!

Go see Katherine's adorable new hoodie!

Carrie's new poncho is great!

Mandy's new cardigan is a work of art!

Megan has been busy, and she has two sweaters to show for it!

Marta is almost done with a beautiful zip cardigan!

Lisa just got a deal to sell her felted purses and soaps at the library's artisan show!

Kelly is finishing up a lovely Booga bag!

Beth has just finished this hat that she made from Missa's site--LOVELY!

Knit-Out 2004

2004-09-19T19:07:00.000-04:00

So I set out this morning on the Metro to go to the National Mall for Knit-Out 2004! The weather was pristine, so I knew it was going to be a great day!

I pulled out my needles and yarn on the train (as I always do) and was knitting away so diligently! I like knitting this sweater a lot. It is not difficult, and I can kind of knit mindlessly, and it still comes out looking quite nice.

Once I pulled the needles out, I attracted the notice of some other knitty girls that were also riding the train! It was as if we had an instant connection, and we decided to hang out for awhile. Meet Rose, Virginia, Kelly, and Lisa!

This adorable little girl and her dog, Max, were part of the fashion show. Max is sporting a very patriotic sweater while the little girl is wearing a capelet. The fashion shows were sponsored by some yarn distributors, like Lion Brand, and some yarn shops as well. There were some great designs!

I met up with Jennifer, my fellow Knit-ibrarian, and had the opportunity to meet her wonderfully talented mom, Harriet!

...and I knew that my favorite LYS, Folk Art Studio, would be present...

...so I sought them out for a photo op!

But the coolest thing about the whole day was definitely meeting all of these ladies!

(Amie, me, Megan, Kim, Christina, and Jennifer!

...and Jenna gets her own pic!

It was so great to meet everyone!

************

In other news, my dad recently got back from a trip to Chile~and he brought me some presents--one of them is this great wool! It is hand spun and so yummy! The texture and feel remind me a lot of Noro. I have no idea what to do with it... but I know it will be great to work with, no matter what. There is enough to make something special with it... but what to do... hmmm... any ideas?

This weekend, we celebrated my MIL's birthday. We had a great dinner and a fun time visiting. Here you see Kris, and my niece, McKayla, who will be seven next month... I have a special surprise for her birthday planned that I will be starting this week.

And this is the barrel full of monkeys known as Krista, my other niece. Can you see her wearing this sweater? I made the sweater for her birthday, which is also next month. I think it will fit her very well--she is so cute!

As you can see, I had a busy and fun-filled weekend! Thanks for reading, everyone! As noted in the previous entry, I now have HaloScan commenting system, so please leave your info so I can go visit you! :) Unfortunately, I still have not found a way to recover my comments from the past two months... I am hoping that there will be a way! I got so many nice notes from so many people... but that is all the more excuse for you to leave me more comments now!

HaloScan Commenting

2004-09-19T09:42:00.000-04:00

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to my blog.
So, feel free to leave your email, and URL so I can check your site out!

I just realized that HaloScan erased all of my previous comments! arghhhhh... Does anyone know of a way to recover them? I hope there is... or else I might cry... I love your comments so much!

...more tonight after the great KNIT-OUT...

Looking For a Good Time?

2004-09-17T16:48:00.000-04:00

Looking for a good time? Do you feel lonely? Call Heather and Lauren for a good time! They know how to PARTY!

Well, that is if your idea of partying is 95% knitting talk and 5% gushing over Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice!

Heather is working diligently on the Klaralund, which is turning out absolutely gorgeous. Great work, H! This girl has got an amazing stash ~ and I had the amazing opportunity to "rifle" in it! She showed me some of her great RAOKs (she got a whole bag (!) of Noro Silk Garden from dear sweet EI--who was greatly missed last night!) and we drank coffee and did our fair share of *giggling* Can't wait to do it again--thanks Heather!

Two very special people RAOK'd me yesterday!

From Lauren!

From Heather!

THANK YOU!

Big weekend ahead, with the definite highlight being Knit Out! I can meet tons of you there! ... and then I have homework to do too...

~Aloha Knitters~

2004-09-15T21:28:00.000-04:00

My sister, dear sweet Mimi, sprung some interesting and exciting news on me this past weekend--she is planning to move to Hawaii after she finishes college! So, in preparation for this event, the doggie girls threw a luau!

I am very excited for little Mimi, but I am a little sad that she will be moving thousands of miles away... but then I can go visit her, right? If you have any fun Hawaii facts or cool stories about places in the islands, please send them my way!

...

The Blue Razzberry batch of the froggy wool came out pretty well--it is a dark teal/medium green. The color pictured here is pretty true to life. I have to come up with something to do with all of this wool! I have an idea to make a huge Farmer's Market felted bag (like in Weekend Knitting) but I am always open to some more ideas!

Another KnitKnite plan tomorrow: Heather and I will be kicking it at her crib! We will be Ei-less (she is having a ball in So Cal!) but I think we can still manage some fun! So, you know that that means more pics! Stay tuned...

I casted on for the Kris sweater tonight. This is what it will look like. This is what I have now:

...lest I forget my Zeeby? Nein! I am still working on the longest gussett in the world! I swear that I will finish this bag someday. I am enamoured with this yarn--it is acrylic, but it is great! TLC Essentials in Cranberry.

I mailed out some presents for my SPIII today. I hope she likes the things I got her. She is a pretty popular knitty girl, and she receives a ton of presents from her other knitty friends, as her blog attests to, so I am hoping that these will not be lost in the fray... *crosses fingers*

Once again, a big thank you to everyone who reads my blog. Your comments keep me going through some hard days! I love hearing from you all! :)

Working again?

2004-09-14T21:38:00.000-04:00

CUTE PATTERN ALERT

Click on pic!

It appears to be working again, so now might be the time to go and print it out! I hope it stays this way...

Knit-ibrarians (or Librarians are knitty)

2004-09-13T23:20:00.000-04:00

As you may have seen in some of my previous post, I am a graduate student... in Library Science. With my keen observation skills, I have noticed that a lot of librarians and library workers like to knit. What is the link here?

I would like to introduce you to a few of my library knitty girls and their purty projects:

Holly is modeling a beautiful "ponchette" made with the softest Reynolds yarn EVER. Holly works with me, and we know how to clear a room! Holly has two precious llamas. They are her pride and joy, and she plans to sheer them to get some yummy fleece!

Meet Shayna, one of my fellow librarians-to-be, she is also crazy like me, doing a double masters--she is studying music as well as LS. Unfortunately Shayna had a small accident here and had to frog back a row, but she is working on some lovely ribbed scarves. Shayna has been knitting for three years--the longest in our group.

Jennifer is working on a lovely vertical stripe scarf with multiple yarns. This girl has got some yummy silk, some cotton tape, some cashmere... it is gorgeous piece! Jennifer attends grad school with me in Library Science, yet, this girl is ahead of the game--she already graduated from law school too!

Julie is the newest knitter to the bunch. Shayna brought some yummy yarn and needles for Julie to start with. Julie got down the slip knot and cast on in record time, and should be knitting intarsia and fair isles in no time. Julie may be new to knitting, but this girl has been crafty for a long time! Julie is also studying library science right now.

...and who is this mystery library student knitter???

...the world may never know...

In other knitty news, I received a package from dear sweet Lizzi today! She sent some great brown/red yarn that looks and feels soo cozy! Can't wait to use it! Thank you also for the nice candle and potpourri set~I am in love with Lilac!

KNIT OUT IS JUST FIVE DAYS AWAY

Thanks for all of the comments, everyone! I love you all! *tear*

I still have not heard from the bootie designer (that is what she is known as in my head), but I may just go ahead and scan these in--they were (and should continue to be) public domain, in my opinion. So stay tuned for some bootie...

Mohair Mama

2004-09-11T21:24:00.000-04:00

When my mom and I went to Folk Art Studio a few weeks ago, she bought this mohair and asked me to make a shawl for her. I gladly accepted... it gave me the chance to work with this amazing yarn! I think mohair is my new favorite.

In my free-form fashion, I just decided to work up this mohair with a simple YO edge increase. I think it looks like a web. The colors are even better in real life! I hope Mama likes it!

In other knitting news, I am still free-forming this chenille. Here's a detail. I decided to make it a poncho, but I am still undecided on how to sew it up. It will be a gift for my little sister who can wear a poncho and not look silly (like I would if I did!)

**I want to send a HUGE shout-out to Mandy, who is the new technical editor of Knitty. This is an amazing issue, and everything looks superb. I know how hard you worked on it, and it is great!

I decided to pull this little baby back out... it is so pretty, but the needles are very small, and it never looks like I am getting anywhere. This is supposed to be one of the tanks from SnB -- the name of it slips my mind right now. Anyway, I will probably alter it because I never keep to patterns. We shall see what happens here.

CUTE PATTERN ALERT

Click on pic!

These slippers provide a great way to use up left-overs, and they are cute to boot! *punny* If you sewed a little traction on the bottom, you won't slip on the floor, and they will be perfect for cold nights! I hope to use this pattern for some Christmas knits! Enjoy!

Edit: This link appears to have been taken down since I put it up last night. I am trying to contact the designer, and ask if I can reprint the pattern here. Sorry for the inconvienience!

Non-knitting news, but still cool...

I went to the Library of Congress today. If you are in DC, you must make time to stop by this beautiful landmark. There are wonderful exhibitions there, and the artwork and architecture will make your jaw drop. SO pretty!

I wish you all a wonderful Sunday~

This post is dedicated to my favorite little fishy who passed on to the "big fishbowl in the sky" this week... Butterscotch Ram, you will be missed!

R.I.P. Butterscotch Ram 2002-2004

Pull this Thread

2004-09-09T19:54:00.000-04:00

You may recall the huge shawl-collared men's cardigan that I acquired from my parents' closet cleaning jamboree... it looks a little different now!

The unraveling process proved to be a little more tedious than I envisioned. It was not simply "pull this thread and walk away..." I guess when you have a sweater that is nearly 30 years old, things are bound to be a little more difficult.

There was a lot of cutting seams and scrap thread and yarn, but I managed to get a few small hanks out of the left side panel of the cardigan. I did hit a few snags where some strands broke, but I fixed it pretty easily. This picture show a better representation of the color of the yarn than the first pic.

! BUBBLE BATH ! Yeah, the sweater was sitting in the back of a closet for quite a while, so it had that nice seasoned dust smell (yuck!), so I freshened it up with some shampoo! I also wanted to get some of the kinks out.

I was on a roll, I could not stop there... I looked over and saw the last three Kool-Aid packages, and I knew it was time... to DYE!

I think that this red is so pretty. I just did some test hanks, but I cannot wait to dye the others (still need to be unraveled). Kool-Aid dyeing is so much fun! I was excited to try it with a darker base, so the colors would come out darker, and not quite as "candy-colored" as the other Kool-Aid dyed yarn I have done. (Don't get me wrong, I love those too!)

...and now for the reason that most of you are even reading this far...

I am so elated and thankful for the generosity of Ms. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. Who knew that a little post about a flower in my back yard would bring such a wonderful act of kindness? (If you don't have the faintest idea what I am speaking of, check here!) Thank you so much Stephanie for visiting my little ol' blog, and remembering my post. Thank you also for giving me six or seven times my normal hits! Wow, it is so nice to see everyone coming over! I would love to hear from you all... I LIVE FOR COMMENTS! Of course, I need an idea of what to do with this lovely yarn once it arrives, so please, let me know if you have a great design that will do it justice!

I came across two lovely knitted pieces today that I just have to share, because they are so pretty:

Purl Press is knitting up the lovely FCEK cable cardigan. I plan to start on mine soon, I really hope it turns out as great as hers!

Megan "Princess Papaya" is knitting a heavenly baby sweater! This red cabled sweater is so hot! Little Gwen will be the best-dressed babe! :)

Another Knitty Night

2004-09-07T18:43:00.000-04:00

Although I was only able to stay for a little while (homework!) I was able to get some quality knitting in with the lovely ladies of KnitKnite!

The Maryland KnitKnite is held on the first Monday of every month at the Borders' Cafe. I missed last month's meeting, but I got into contact with Amie, the coordinator, thanks to Eilene.

Here are some pictures of our fun time:

(l-r)Amie, Londa, Tish, and Shirley knit away, and discuss their work.
Note: See the great felted bag on the table? Shirley does beautiful work and even has a business selling them. I wish I had gotten a picture of her knitting bag. It is gorgeous!

Julie, Susan, and Ingrid knit and chat...

Ingrid, Ann, and Eilene sit and knit here.

I cannot wait to see you all again next month! I hope I can stay and visit longer then. If you are reading the blog and realized that I spelled your name wrong (or missed it altogether, I hope that is not the case!) please email me or comment with your correct spelling. Thanks!!

Here is what I worked on at KnitKnite:

"What is it?" I hear you saying... well, I am not entirely sure. Maybe a shawl, maybe a poncho... but it is fun to do, nevertheless. Kind of free-form knitting, you know? Just go with the flow!

Raiders of the Lost Closet

2004-09-06T21:17:00.000-04:00

After a nice breakfast and a parting-is-such-sweet-sorrow departure at the airport with my girl, Bec, Kris and I headed down to my parents' house for a little visit. They were doing some major cleaning when we arrived, and Lucky Lauren got to take some of dad's old sweaters for some unraveling fun!

I am not entirely sure that I want to unravel both of these... I like the purple one a lot the way it is... it is pretty big on me, but this cable work (I don't know if it will show up in this pic too well) may be difficult to unravel. Maybe I can alter it? They are both tweed-style wool.

This one is an old shawl style cardigan circa 1977. I want to unravel it and then possibly dye the wool. I have seen that when you dye darker colors with Kool-Aid, you get darker dyes (I guess this is pretty logical) so I wanted to see how something like this would do with a pink or red dye. It is 100% Shetland Wool, and looks like it will be pretty easy to unravel. Plus, it has cool buttons that I can recycle on a future project!

I also found some other goodies at mom and dad's!

Mod purse!

Ruby slippers!

My big find was this great cardi. It belonged to my grandmother, and amazingly (as if it was divine providence) it fit me! (It is so surprising because my grandmother is short and petite, and ...ahem... I am not!) I am not crazy about the color, but I love the design. I decided to add my flower pin for some color!

I got my mother to pose for a shot! This is a shawl I made for her for her birthday, last April, and was never able to take a pic of it till now. I like the way it turned out. It is done with LB Homespun in seed stitch.

Mom gave me some presents too! Thanks Mom! :)

As a follow-up to the Kool-Aid dyeing yesterday, these yarns are "all balled up with no where to go..."

I like the way that they look balled up rather than in hanks. It shows the colors better. I was really unhappy with the red/green one after dyeing, but all balled up, I actually like it! I hope it knits up nicely.

...and to make you smile, here is Rusta on his tuffet...

Sense of Accomplishment

2004-09-05T10:48:00.000-04:00

I finished the Krista sweater! The true test remains... will it fit her? My initial idea is that it will be too long for her. I followed the pattern exactly, but I still think it is pretty big. I will let her try it on, and then figure out what to do after that. I guess I could hem it somehow.

I love how the purple bow looks! Well, I went through my stash and remembered that I bought 4 more balls of Cha Cha to make a matching sweater for Krista's older sister, McKayla... so I am not done with Cha Cha yet. I will work with the annoying yarn just so they can have cute matching sweaters! (Maybe I a m giving it a bad wrap... it is just very easy to confuse what is the eyelash, and what is the main thread, which lead me to several dropped stitches.)

I woke up pretty early this morning (courtesy of my alarm service: a black labrador's wet nose on my feet) and did some dyeing.

I had some leftover packages from last time, and I combined them with some new ones. The first picture shows Black Cherry/Grape mix (1), Black Cherry (2), and Grape/Pink Lemonade (3).

The second picture shows my incompetence : ( This skein turned out ugly and uneven--I ran out of the color and was left with these spaces at the bottom. I was hoping for something red and green for little Christmas felts... I guess I can still use it, but it is not what I wanted. The other skein is Black Cherry again.

Last night, Kris and I went out with Bec to see Garden State.

Wow, what a great movie! I laughed, I cried... this one was probably the best I have seen all year. Great writing, great acting, great soundtrack... I think I liked everything about this movie. I even loved all of the previews. There were several movies that picqued my interest.

After the movie, we went and got some drinks, and craziness ensued... well, we really just talked...

Kris and Bec looking cute, and Kris and me. The picture of Bec and me was weird, so maybe a better one will come from her camera.

We have plans to get together with some friends from high school and college tonight. It will be nice to see everyone there... other than that, I think I should catch up on some homework reading...

Charity Knitting Opportunity
Food and Friends is a really great nonprofit in DC that supports people with AIDS.

**JOIN THE FOOD & FRIENDS KNITTING PROJECT**
It's time to dust off your knitting needles! We're already
collecting donations of yarn and scarves for the 2nd Annual Food &
Friends Knitting Project. Please donate your creative talents to
ensure that each Food & Friends client receives a unique, hand-made
scarf for the winter season. Last year we delivered over 270 warm and
wooly scarves and we'd like to make even more this year.

For more information about how you or your knitting group can join us in this effort, please contact Diane at dtollick@foodandfriends.org or 202-269-6824.

If you are interested in participating, let me know! I would love to donate some nice scarves to this organization.

Have a great Sunday everyone!

Friday Night

2004-09-03T22:30:00.000-04:00

... and the mood is right
Gonna have some fun
Show you how it's done
TGIF...

Remember that? Wow, that stupid TV jingle is with me from 15 years ago, yet I forgot the stupid password that I made up yesterday!!!

If you have not seen Stef's blog, and her new design, you have not lived... go check it out NOW! I LOVE this sweater!

So, this little baby has been simmering for awhile, and I decided to heat her up. It is the Krista sweater, named after my niece, who will be 3 next month. I saw this little cardi, and thought it would be so great for her! Yeah, I know, it sort of looks like a dead Muppet... that is not why it reminded me of my niece.

Click on the pic to go to the free pattern!

Here is my version:

The yarn is Patons Cha Cha, which is cute, but I don't think I will use it again. It is pretty difficult to knit, and you cannot keep track of your stitches that well. However, it makes a cute cardi for a cute niece. I just started on the sleeve...

...

I had an über crappy day at work, and my ever-so-sweet husband decided to make a wonderful dinner to cheer me up! He loves to cook, and he is so good at it. He made this yummy potato pasta from scratch! He used several ingredients from our garden: tomatoes, chives, parsley, cilantro, and basil.

He followed this recipe for Gnocchi with Vodka Cream Sauce.

My best friend, Bec, is in town for the long weekend, and I cannot wait to meet up with her tomorrow! Other than hanging out with her, this is my only plan for the weekend...

We shall see how that turns out!

I leave you with a cute pic of Quincy... no doubt he is plotting something mischevious...

Secret Pal 3 Questionnaire

2004-09-02T19:11:00.000-04:00

I got my Secret Pal assignment, and I am ready to spoil my girl! :) At the request of my Secret Pal (hi!), I am posting these questions. Of course, there are some nice discussion points here as well, so feel free to comment!

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer high-end/natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?

No, I will knit with anything... sure, I love the nice fibers, but I have no aversion to the acrylics, etc.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?

I have played around with crochet, but I would like to learn more about both.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)

I don't like strong musky perfumes, or smoke smells. Some raw wools give me a rash, but nothing really terrible.

4. How long have you been knitting?

November 2003--almost a year!

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Yes! It includes some of my graduate study books, but there are a lot of knitting and crafty books as well. See it here!

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)

I love orange and citrusy stuff... I also like light floral/herbal scents. I like lotions and scented body sprays more than perfumes.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?

Yes... nothing with gelatin though (Skittles, Starburst, some jelly beans) cause I am a vegetarian.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?

I enjoy sewing and beading too... but knitting is the real passion.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if you want to make her a CD)

Lately I have really been into world music and blues... but I am a rock girl. I like older music more than the stuff they play on the radio now (with some notable exceptions)

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer?

Hard question... I think that green and blue and my favorites, but I have been really into pinks/reds/purples lately... too hard! I love all colors.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I live with my husband and my 4 furry babies (2 cats, and 2 dogs) and several finned babies (we have 4 aquariums!)

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)

Isn't this where everyone says that they want to have a yarn shop?

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?

I love Colinette. They have some beautiful yarns. My favorite Colinette is probably Giotto. On the cheaper end, I love Patons yarn. They have nice quality stuff for good prices.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

None... unless it makes me itch

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?

I mentioned I have been really into pinks/purples lately. Accessories are always fun. I would say that a recent obsession has been Kool-Aid dyeing. I am hoping to felt something soon too.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

Is it a sin to say that I like to knit stuff for myself? I like purses, hats, and scarves, and I have recently gotten into garments. I like small projects while I am working on large projects.

17. What are you knitting right now?

Zeeby Bag from SnB, a cardi for my niece... and some other stuff on the back burner...

18. What do you think about ponchos?

I think that they are cute, but definitely a trend. I like to see people wearing them, but I have not made one for myself...

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?

I like both for different things. I have a million straight needles, but not many circs or dpns.

20. How did you learn to knit?

I took a Knitting 101 class at JoAnn Fabrics

21. How old is your oldest UFO?

A cabled scarf I started... about 8 months ago...

Schule hat begonnen

2004-08-31T20:29:00.000-04:00

School started today! I packed my Trapper Keeper, and my lunchbox. I got my pencil case and my backpack. Okay, not really... but I wish I had all that cool stuff... I just had my notebook and an old pen, and these:

Don't they look riveting? Such is the life of a Library Science student...
Actually, I only had one class today, and it was quite interesting!
So, Tuesdays and Saturdays are now official class days.

I knew that today would be a good day...
I was greeted by these little beauties when the sun came out:

The color almost took my breath away! I would love to find yarn this color!

Here is a funny picture of my three cuties: Kris, Jenny and Bella

And ... here is Rehoboth in her near-finished state:

She is not done. I still have the neckline to do.

I hope to finish that tonight or tomorrow... the sweater came out a lot "boxier" than I intended. I have had this problem with my other sweaters as well, and of the three I have made, this is definitely the best sweater so far. Perhaps I am using too big of needles and too chunky of yarn? I don't know, but I really hope to make something that is a little more fitted...

A great big thank you to everyone who reads and sends me feedback! You all make my day! I really love reading all of your blogs as well! :)

A Tale of Two Knitties

2004-08-29T07:30:00.000-04:00

It was the best of times, it was the ... best of times!
Especially when you enjoy a day at the coolest little shop in Maryland, Folk Art Studio and Cafe! ... and that is exactly what Megan and I did yesterday! We got our knit on... and ate the best grilled cheese sandwiches EVER... and drank yummy chai... and talked to the awesome staff... the list goes on.

We met up at the shop, and unbeknownst to us, it was their Open House day. We walked in and there was a knitting lesson going on! Jeannie was showing a customer how to knit with some luscious Lamb's Pride.

(L-R Top: Kathy (shop owner), and Megan modeling the cutest baby sweater!
Bottom: New knitty customer, and Jeannie)

Megan began working on her baby blanket (which will come in handy in three months... She is due in November!) I worked on a quick ribbon scarf project in a drop stitch pattern.

Megan and I show off our projects, and the lovely atmosphere of the shop.

Erika, one of the lucky staff members, models her shawl, fresh off the needles! Bellisima!

The cafe offers some delicious vegan / vegetarian treats, and tons of good drinks!

...the time came for us to choose some yarn to take home with us...

Megan's Stash

Lauren's Stash

It is a little unclear, but we both made out like bandits! It was discount day, and we took advantage of that.

Megan was wooed by the captivating Colinette Giotto, (we can have matching scarves!) and we both got hanks of the lovely Ironstone New Wool.

We got swifted...

and had to take off after 4 hours of fun!

We had a great time! If you are in the Maryland suburbs area, you have got to stop by Folk Art Studio and Cafe. You will find lovely yarns, great staff, and yummy food and drink.

Check out Megan's blog later today for her pictures!

OTHER KNITTING NEWS

Rehoboth (Pink Monster) is nearing completion... I have a few more inches, then my new and improved neckline, and she will be prêt-à-porter!

My mom's ribbon drop-stitch scarf is done! This was tons-o-fun to make!

And my final stash enhancement tally:

3 balls of Lion Brand Landscapes (I made a quick trip to JoAnn!)

1 ball of Ironstone mohair

1 hank of Ironstone New Wool (to match the one I bought last week!)

2 hanks of Knit One Crochet Too Tartalette

2 hanks of Colinette Mercury in Alabaster and Turquoise

2 sets of darning needles, because mine always disappear

Housekeeping

2004-08-27T23:20:00.000-04:00

So, I changed the look of the blog... I made a little graphic up top, and found this paisley background that I was quite fond of...

and made buttons: (they will be on my sidebar from now on)

Buttons are super fun to make! I could make a thousand (well maybe not really that many...) Feel free to use it, but as always, please download to your own server. Many thanks!

KnitKnite Extraordinaire!

2004-08-27T06:23:00.000-04:00

I had the wonderful opportunity to meet two other Maryland knitters last night, Heather, and Ei. Knit, chat, talk about blogs we love... it was great fun!

Three devout bloggers present, and I was the only one to have a camera with the memory cartridge, so these are only my accounts of what actually happened at KnitKnite...

Ei recently finished the lovely Audrey pattern, and was helping Heather get through some particularly nasty increases. Don't give up H, you are so close!
Take note of Ei's awesome Pagan tank top, and it may be hard to see, but Heather has the coolest pink poncho EVER.

Heather worked on Audrey, Ei swatched for the Klaralund knit-along with some beautiful Noro, and I got a few more inches into Rehoboth (aka Pink Monster).

The Lessons I Learned at KnitKnite

Denise Interchangeables are a little piece of heaven

Knitting is so much fun with others!

Caramel Macchiatos are delicious! (I already knew that actually...)

Tricot means "knit" en français

"We are comment hookers" said by Heather, but believed by all! Leave comments on blogs!

Thanks ladies for a lovely evening! Lets do it again soon! :)

Pink monster

2004-08-25T20:54:00.000-04:00

Can I get away with all of this pinkness? I have been told that pink is a great color for me... but is this too much of a good thing? I really love the color, but I am just trying to figure out if it is too bright!

BACK

FRONT

I have made fast progress on this sweater... I am planning something special for the neckline. I got the inspiration for it this past weekend when I went to Rehoboth. Therefore, this sweater will forever be known as the Rehoboth. :)

I came across a very nice store in Baltimore today--Beadazzled, in Mt. Vernon. What a wonderful place for any crafty person. They have some beautiful beads and jewelry in the store, as well as classes on how to make your own stuff. I noticed that they had some books for sale, and came across this book:
.
It has some nice designs in it, but I would mainly use it as a how-to and then go off and make my own beady beauty. Have any of you ever worked with beads before?
I plan to go back to the store (there are two other locations--in DC and in Tysons Corner) and pick some beads for a knit project. The problem will be finding the perfect beads... it seems like there are a million beads in the store!

In other news, I am really excited! I found out that I have the DIY Network on my cable package. The thing is, I just found out about it, and I have had this whole season! That means that I missed all the earlier episodes of Knitty Gritty and Knit One, Purl Two! Please play reruns!! I could kick myself for not checking my schedule before now. So, I set up a Tivo Season Pass for both--not going to miss anymore!

Cute pattern alert!

Click on the picture to take you to the pattern! What would I do different? Take off the stringy flower on the front... if it needed something there I would do a simple chain crochet flower. Otherwise, I think it is cute, and I plan to make it sometime soon. I do not have the yarn yet, but it is easy enough to acquire.

In closing, I will leave you with a cute picture of my Bella Hund!

She always looks so shy in pictures...

Weekend Warrior

2004-08-23T17:43:00.000-04:00

I finished my blue cable sweater! It is not perfect, but the thing is I gained a lot more practice, and it may be a little wearable. My biggest complaint (which I did not even notice until it was finished) is the length. I wish I had made it longer--I am not a belly barer. The problem can be fixed by wearing an undershirt, but then it does not match the sweater.

So, I finished this on Saturday night while watching Law & Order: SVU and the Olympics. I am not a big fan of finishing projects, but I have to say that the sewing went pretty fast, and was not too difficult.

We woke up early on Sunday and headed over to Rehoboth, Delaware. Kris, his dad, and his brothers went clamming, while his mom and I went shopping at the outlets. Wow, I got a ton of GREAT stuff. I got two great sweaters, a beautiful cardigan, some tees, some cute accessories, and a great book. I had really had my eye out for a nice black cardigan. I was going to make one, but I began to think that it might be cheaper to buy one since the yarn for a quality project like that would cost quite a bit. So, when I saw this cardigan at the store yesterday (for $14.00!) I could not pass it by.

On the drive over there, I worked on this pattern. I have used the pattern as a guide, and I think I am going to change the neckline, but so far it is working out very well. I made some good progress while driving between Delaware and Maryland. I just started the armoholes on the back.

I am using LB Homespun in Boston Rose. This picture is a lot brighter than it is in reality.

So, I worked a lot this weekend! I probably will not have the chance to knit this much in the near future with school starting (in one week!) but I hope to have some time to break away from homework!

Folk Arts Studio plug

2004-08-21T19:49:00.000-04:00

Megan and I have tentative plans to visit one of our Maryland yarn shops next weekend, but I could not stand the wait (plus I was in the neighboorhood anyway) and stopped by the lovely and oh-so-groovy Folk Arts Studio in Bowie, Maryland. If you find yourself in this "neck of the woods", you should definitely stop by this shop! The shop also includes a pottery studio, a cafe, and a great area for waxing poetic and just plain ol' lounging. They have some ads for local musicians, and really promote community artists. The owner, Kathy, is an avid knitter, and has devoted a good portion of her space to a beautiful selection of yarns. She has a beautiful selection of Colinette (which I am a HUGE fan of), and has an extensive collection of Trendsetter, Fiesta, and Brown Sheep Co. There are also some other great finds... one particular line that I found today was Ironstone. Wow, they have some beautiful stuff! So, I walked out with:

3 hanks of Knit One Crochet Too Tartelette in Wild Cherry and Denim Blue
1 hank of Ironstone Mohair in Seaside
1 hank of Ironstone New Wool in Combo 15
1 pattern (not pictured) for a "self-fringing wrap" They had a great store sample, so I wanted to try it!

Now I am off to finish my sweater! I am sooooo close!

Stash / Notions Enhancement

2004-08-20T22:32:00.000-04:00

I am not picky about what I knit with... I knit with acrylic yarn all of the time, and there are some yarns that I really like. Red Heart TLC happens to be one of those! See the pretty BH that Carrieoke made with it! So, I stopped by Joann and picked up some TLC in Dark Plum. I have had this overwhelming desire to knit with purple yarns lately... so I got this. No idea what to do with it yet, but it sure is pretty! (Unfortunately the picture is pretty dark, but trust me, it is nice!)

As you can see, I also got some circular needles, and a purse handle set (50% off!) I always love to find good deals!

Kris and I are heading over to Delaware on Sunday for a little excursion. I am really looking forward to it! Unfortunately, the dogs cannot go, but I am sure they will be doing this anyway...

Thanks to everyone who responded to my last post about a knitting group! I am excited about the KnitKnite coming up, and meeting everyone in the near future.

I hope to complete the cable sweater this weekend--I should have some good time on the drive over to the beach!

The Call of the Knit...

2004-08-18T20:04:00.000-04:00

On the way home from work, I got this idea in my head that I needed to do some more exercise. So, I came home, and got on the treadmill. I turned on the TV (which always makes it go faster), and jogged for about 20 minutes and walked for about 15. I was very proud of myself... I need to do it more often... and there is no excuse not to do so...

Knitting News:
Sleeve Two is moving much faster!

The sleeve is not lying flat in the pic, so it may look a little uneven. I have been working on this sweater sleeve at home. Kris and I have been watching Six Feet Under, which in my opinion, is the greatest, (I also like 24, but that is not on right now) so I have had the chance to knit for awhile. We do not have HBO, but we watched the first two seasons on DVD, and then obtained the third and the fourth seasons by "other means"...

I pulled out this baby and started working on it again. I even took it to work with me... I have a bad tendency to move on to the new cool project and leave other projects behind. I am so close with my Zeeby bad though. I am knitting the gusset right now, and it is super fast and mindless... 8 stiches of garter for 52 inches (I made mine bigger than the model). After that, the strap, then it will be done. I am thinking of adding some embellishments to it. The one in the book has a pocket inside the purse, but I think I may put one outside and make it all cute and colorful.

I am in love with this color... it is so deep! The yarn is TLC, and it is knitting up quite nicely!

I had a pretty nice day at work. My friend was out of town for three weeks, finally returning yesterday. I missed her company! We had lunch yesterday and a coffee break today, and it was really fun to catch up. Then I had lunch with some girls at work that are also in library school, and we had a nice discussion about geeky library stuff, and politics... usually I avoid politics with others, but I knew that we were all in agreement, and I would not be stepping on anyones' toes. So, as the saying goes: "Fun was had by all". <---That is a weird statement.

One last note... I want to have knitting friends! I have a lady that I always talk about knitting with at work, but our schedules do not match up for us to sit and knit together. Stefanie, who used to live in my hood, told me about a knitting group in B'more that meets at night, but I need something that is more daytime, since I work part-time. I would also settle for meeting at night near my house, or further west (towards DC, but not really IN DC, you know?) I love DC, but it is a schlep to go down there at night and then come all the way back up to Columbia. I know of a SnB at one of the LYS, but after going a few times , I was not feeling it... I felt very left out, and my attempts to make conversation were met with silence or disregard :( , and I am a very friendly person. I guess I want to start my own group, or join an existing group. Anyone have ideas on how to go about this? Unfortunately, my town does not have a LYS, only craft stores, but is there a rule that you have to meet in a yarn shop?

Dogs and Tomatoes

2004-08-16T19:20:00.000-04:00

We just got back from taking Jenny and Bella on a walk... You would think that a walk is the best thing that ever happened to them.

And while we were on the walk, Rusty and Quincy held down the fort.

...and, in unrelated news... Look at these yummy tomatoes!

They are so big and leafy, you can hide behind them (here is Kris doing just that)

Yeah, so not really any knitting news to report, other than I am still working on the other sleeve of the cabled sweater. This one is going faster!

Knitter's Progress

2004-08-15T21:40:00.000-04:00

Day 2 of the Project Kool-Aid did not involve any actual dyeing, but it did involve drying! My yarn took forever to dry... even after most of the day outside (Maryland humidity could have something to do with that, though!). For the skeins that were completely dry, I started the winding process.

I need to repaint my toes...

I find this process pretty relaxing and I get to see the multitones in the yarn. I think it should knit up quite nicely.

As I was surfing around other knitting blogs, I noticed many people had the same design that I had--one of the regular Blogger templates. So, daring to be different, I created something a little different with the argyle theme in the background, nothing special or really technical, but more of a personal touch. I hope it does not make anyone's eyes cross... Let me know if it is too busy! :)

I also finished the neverending sleeve... wow, this thing took forever! I don't really know why either.

So, here is the sweater so far...

One more sleeve (I hope this one goes faster) and the neckband and we are DONE!

Thanks to everyone who checked out my blog and my Kool-Aid yarns! I really appreciated your comments!

Brave New Yarn

2004-08-14T18:32:00.000-04:00

I woke up early this morning, and started the day by joining Project Kool-Aid, where the participants post their progress and creativity with Kool-Aid dyed yarn. I had never dyed yarn before, and I was really looking forward to it after I picked up the skeins of wool on clearance a few weeks ago!

After buying my supplies (32 packets of mix, and a baster), I started on the project!
(These are abbreviated steps--please check here for the full directions!)

Wind 'em up...

...into hanks...

...and put into a large stainless steel pot and soak for 20-30 minutes...

...and prepare your dye mix (these are Strawberry Lemonade and Lemon Lime).

Put yarn in pot and stir immediately and watch it change colors!

Here is the first skein (drying phase)

... and here is all of the first batch (2 8 oz. skeins)...

... and I was a little more experimental with the second batch.

Overall, I am really happy with how they turned out! My favorites are the purples and the reddish pinks. Those colors take the dye best. My little orange/yellow/green creation was completely experimental... I am still not decided whether I like it. I tried some different techniques, like gradation, which may be evident in the above pictures. I like the effect. If you want to know what flavors (colors) I used, drop me a line, and I will try to remember! :)

I still have one and a half skeins that I will dye in the near future. I want to pick up a blue color (I could not find one at Safeway!) and make at least two hanks with that.

I plan to make some felted things with these revitalized yarns--but I don't know what yet. Anyone have an especially great felted item to tell me about?

Knit and Knitability

2004-08-12T20:23:00.000-04:00

I have been thinking of future projects, and I was looking at some patterns online and in mags/books. I have such a difficult time deciding what I want. Sometimes I absolutely fall in love with the yarn, and then try to figure out what to make with it... and other times I see the pattern and then seek out the yarn, or try to see if something in my stash will do the job.

I am planning on making this sweater for Kris

and this cardigan for me, (bad picture out of the Fall FCEK)

but I did not plan to buy the yarn yet...

HOWEVER, I stopped by Michaels to pick up one pair of 17s and use my 40% off coupon... lo and behold, huge sale... lots of yarn and notions... and I walked out with all of this...

Notice that I did get the needles...

So, the tally is:

2 skeins of Chunky USA (green and red Christmas stuff for the nieces)
2 skeins of Chenille Thick and Quick (undecided)
7 skeins of Wool-Ease (for the cardi above)
7 skeins of Bernat Denim Style(for the Kris pullover)
Fall 2004 Vogue Knitting International (great issue!)
Boye size 17 aluminum needles
Boye row counters (Bella ate my other one!)

Some sleeve progress to report... a lot slower than the front and back...

Now I am off to read the new Vogue Knitting!

Lucky Knits

2004-08-11T21:25:00.000-04:00

So I received my new issue of Lucky, and there are so many great knits on the fall forecast. The front page of the Lucky website features a cute cardigan with a nice satin ribbon around the collar. I love that little ribbon, and I am thinking about working some ribbon into some of my knits. You can see some cool stuff on their site, but I also took some pictures of my favorite knit-related things in the magazine. It is a great issue if you want to check it out! There were too many to scan in, but here are the highlights.

There is a layout on vests and the mag includes some runway shots, but here are three that I liked:

Capelets
Not huge, but may take a few seconds to load...

Cardigans
I saw a similar pattern on Digital Yarn.

...And on my knitting needles... the sleeves of the Cable Sweater. I rushed through the front and back of that sweater, but I am going a little slower on the sleeves. I should be done soon though.

Knit-Out & Crochet 2004

2004-08-11T07:09:00.000-04:00

I just found out about the Knit-Out & Crochet 2004 in DC! It sounds so fun! Has anyone ever been before?

As I Lay Knitting

2004-08-09T18:34:00.000-04:00

The front of cable sweater is complete! I was on a knitting marathon this weekend. So, within one week, I did back, front, and half of one sleeve. I am not trying to race through it, I just had more free time than usual.

I noticed that it looks a little uneven in this shot, but it matches up in the stitches, so all is well.

Jen is making sure I did it right.

The weekend was very nice and relaxing. I already mentioned that I had a lot of free time. We did our obligatory parental visits this weekend (no, it was fun, it just always seems so routine since they live in the same town) on Saturday. On Sunday, I drove about an hour north of my town to meet someone I met through one of my favorite sites, BookCrossing.com. We had a nice chat, and planted some books in the cafe where we met. When I got home, Kris had a nice lunch ready! We hung out for the rest of the afternoon and then headed to Kris' hockey game. Another successful game--they won 5 to 3. Kris got some points for assists, but no goals this time. Since his team has only lost 2 games this season, they are the first place in the division. The playoffs start next week!

I just dropped a load of money paying my tuition for grad school in the fall. I am glad to have that out of the way! I am really looking forward to this semester. Since I graduated from college in 2002, I have been taking German classes, but this time I will really be going back to class, in a program track... lots of homework, lectures, and then more homework. Yet, I am so very excited! *nerdy Lolly* Unfortunately, I will not be taking any history classes this semester, only Library Science.

Rare Books Librarianship (This is my focus)
Organization of Information (Required class)
German (Excited! Ich liebe Deutsch!)

Cable while watching cable

2004-08-07T10:27:00.000-04:00

I always like to catch up on my shows on Saturday mornings (namely The Daily Show with Jon Stewart... I often have to put the needles down because I am laughing so hard!). I started the front of the cable sweater, and I really like the way it is turning out.

Detail shot:

Sure, it is simple, but I like the bold statement! The color of the yarn is a little weird in both shots. I think the color is more periwinkle in natural light. Hopefully one of the pictures will convey the true color.

Looks like it will be another glorious day in Maryland--we have the windows open! Here is Jenny being happy--I love how you can see her tail wagging. In the background you can see our HUGE tomatoes and our abundance of peppermint. We love our garden!

Happy Saturday everyone!

Autumnal Offerings

2004-08-06T22:13:00.000-04:00

Today was such a gorgeous day... it was not humid, and there was a light breeze. I think it was in the low 70s. It was just beautiful! I love it when I can put on a cardigan or a light pullover and not be overheated.

So, obviously I am looking forward to fall. Here are some other reasons why:

Scarf Style (Release date: September 28th)

25 Bags to Knit (Release date: October 1st)

Stitch 'n Bitch Nation (Release date: November 4th)

Knit Wit (Release date: October 1st)

...I am sure there are many others that are coming out. Knitting has become so popular, and fall is the prime time to get those new patterns out! Let me know if there are any new books that you are looking forward to! It just so happens that I have a fall birthday... how convienient.

And in other knitting news, I have completed the back of the cable sweater, and started the front. Kris and I have been watching taped episodes of Six Feet Under (wow, I love that show...) and I have been knit-knit-knitting away. Will post a picture when you can clearly see the cable.

Cha Cha Cha

2004-08-05T20:01:00.000-04:00

On a recent trip to Michaels, I saw this new Patons yarn, Cha Cha. When I saw it, I knew that it was perfect for my nieces. It is the kind of fluorescent eyelash that only little girls can get away with... I would have loved this stuff when I was a kid.

I found a great pattern on Joann.com and started knitting away on K's cardigan. I think she will love it!

I bought the yarn for M's cardigan the other day... I want to give the cardigans to them in October (both of their birthdays are in October) and the weather will be perfect at that time of year for this little garment. Here is the colorway for M's...

... and another picture of an unfinished object. I have a feeling this one will take awhile. The needles are small, and the yarn splits pretty easily, but I love the color (kind of a cobalt blue). Maybe that will be enough for me to keep knitting...
It is the beginnings of the SnB Little Black Top.

Small finished objects

2004-08-04T19:27:00.000-04:00

My mom bought me some fun eyelash yarn on her recent trip, and I was thinking of something to make with it... so I came up with the idea of a neck warmer / ear warmer combo. It turned out pretty well. I knit the eyelash (Schachenmayr Brazilia) with a viscose (Cascade Fiesta). It is hard to see in the picture, but it is very nice when you see close up.

Neck Warmer version

Ear Warmer version

...and I wanted to test the new yarn Patons Divine... so I knit up a quick scarf on US35. I really like this mohair blend yarn--and there are some beautiful colors in the collection.

Little bit of progress

2004-08-04T18:33:00.000-04:00

After three days of no internet (ahh!) I am back with some nice progress on my SnB cable sweater. I really like the way that this one is shaping out with the raglan sleeves, etc. My hope is that this one will fit a lot better than my previous burlap sack sweater incident. (Okay, so it is not that bad, but I have to kvetch a little about it!)

Work totally sucked today, so I was so ready to get home, take my pictures and post to my blog!

Without any further ado, here is the near complete back of the cable sweater (I too am looking forward to the cable on the front).

It was another hot day in Maryland, and Bella has decided that the best way to cool off it to sit on the air vent! Here she is "chilling out"...

Attention Deficit Knitting

2004-08-01T20:42:00.000-04:00

Yeah, so I like to knit a lot of stuff... I start something, set it down and do not come back right away. I had been sitting on this Zeeby bag (below) for about 6 weeks, and just started on it again this weekend.

Anyway, I started my next project! It is also from Stitch 'N Bitch. It just so happens that I am doing two patterns from this book... believe, I like other stuff too! I have amassed quite a "to knit list" in the past few months of serious knitting.
So, this is my first cable garment. I have practiced the technique quite a bit, and I am ready to make the leap. Kris' mother got some nice Caron acrylic yarn for me last Christmas that I was just waiting to use. When I saw this pattern, I knew it would work nicely. I was able to knit to gauge without changing needles or anything. This is the back of the garment, so you won't see the cable there... that will come soon!

So, a little progress. I like the way it is turning out.

Other knitting news: I am adding to my knitting library. Here are my two most recent acquisitions...

The Animal Knits book has some great intarsia patterns for kids sweaters/blankets, etc. I have not tackled intarsia yet, but this book will be great fun when I learn it.

Rowan's It's a Tape Thing has some great designs in it. I will have to alter some of the patterns to fit me properly in the bust, but I am up for the challenge...

Hockey Games

2004-08-01T12:35:00.000-04:00

Kris always has hockey games on Sundays and I love to go and watch him play. I always bring my knitting along. I like how I can bring a sweater along to wear inside the rink, even though it is about 90 degrees outside! I love living in Maryland, but I seriously hate the weather here. I really wish it could be more mild. The humidity is the thing that bothers me the most though!

I took along the gusset for the SnB Zeeby bag. I am about 30 inches in, and I need to get to 52". (I made mine bigger than the pattern calls for).

So, they ended up winning 9-3! Kris got 2 goals and 3 assists.

SnB Zeeby Bag

2004-07-31T10:29:00.000-04:00

This bag has been on the back burner for so long... so I decided to pick it up this morning and finish the back panel while watching Ned Kelly. (The movie is pretty good, btw)

I am working this in Red Heart TLC in Cranberry. The color in the picture is more pink than it is in real life. I decided to add a few more stiches to make the bag wider, so I accomendating that with a larger gusset. I am going to use a contrasting royal blue color for the pocket and stiches on the front. I hope to get to this soon. I also bought some remnant fabric with which I will line the bag.

Also, I was getting some complaints from the kitty department that they were not getting the attention they deserved in this blog, so I want you to meet Quincy and Rusty.

Bella hates the camera

2004-07-30T21:31:00.000-04:00

Bella really does not like the camera for some reason, but today I snapped a pretty good one of her!

Jenny, on the other hand, is very photogenic...

Yarn Therapy

2004-07-30T21:07:00.000-04:00

Work was hard today... had to say goodbye to two good friends. Both are moving away, and it happened that both of them had the same last day. So, I needed a pick-me-up. When I got home, there was a package with the beautiful Colinette Point 5. I ordered it from eBay last week! So, the yarn gave me a smile.

Wow, this stuff is beautiful. I just need to figure out what to make with it...

Burlap sack = my first sweater

2004-07-29T19:03:00.000-04:00

Well, I finished it... my first real sweater. It is WAY too big for me, the sleeves go over my hand, but I don't care, because this is a landmark! Since it was my first sweater, I knew there were going to be mistakes... so I went cheapo on the yarn. I used LB Homespun--I don't remember the colorway. Whatever it was, it was $2 a skein at JoAnn's, so that was enough to make me buy it. I started out using a pattern, but then I scrapped it. I did not like where it was headed, so about 7 or 8 inches up in back, I went my own way. Does this make it my own design?

It is a nice comfy "around the house" sweater. My favorite thing about it is the improvised boatneck. I cannot believe it turned out so well.

Puppies

2004-07-28T19:14:00.000-04:00

I wanted to introduce my puppies to everyone... meet Jenny (r) and Bella (l). Bella decided to play shy and shut her eyes on every shot. This is the best one I could come up with!

Bargains

2004-07-27T20:30:00.000-04:00

Who does not love a good sale? I happened into my local Michaels today hoping for just that... and I found it! They had LB Fisherman's Wool for $5.00 / skein. I cleared out their stash (5 skeins in all) and I am planning a great kool-aid dyeing project this weekend. There is a nice tutorial on Craftster and I particularly like her green and blue. After I dye it, I have enough to make something substantial, but I may just make small gifty things too. Perhaps felted bags or slippers... to be decided.

One of the best things about working in the library (specifically the Interlibrary Loan dept.) is that I can order books from all over the country. I have been sampling a great number of books lately. With the new Knitting "Renaissance", several books have come out, and there are some great ones.
Some of my favorites:

Weekend Knitting by Melanie Falick
There are some amazing designs in this book. I picked it up and with just a flip of the pages, I knew that I needed to purchase it. Each design is presented with several pictures. Many different skill levels are represented. I have not knit a pattern from this book yet, however, all the patterns seem to be very well-written and easy to understand. Cannot wait to have my own copy.

Knitting on the Edge by Nicky Epstein
There are 350 designs in this book. The possibilities are endless! Organized by ribs, ruffles, fringes, and other structures these details are laid out on full sized pages with large color photographs. Each is accompanied by a clear pattern. There is a special decorative edge for everyone in this book--beginner to advanced, no one will be disappointed.

Hot Knits by Melissa Leapman
This recently published book (June 2004) has a lot to offer. There is something for all levels of knitters, and some very stylish designs. The usual fare: sweaters, cardigans, tanks... but it is still a fun book that any knitter will enjoy.

Giotto... most beautiful thing...

2004-07-27T19:48:00.000-04:00

I am simply in love with Colinette... and I recently bought a skein of Giotto in the Gauguin colorway. Since I could only afford one skein at the time, I wanted to make something special with it.

Simple stockinette on large needles--I wanted the yarn to be the star of the show.

Here is a detail... unfortunately the camera did not capture the sheen of the ribbon.

And in other news, here is my new project.

It is a poncho with Patons Divine mohair blend. Holding two strands together, and using US50 needles, this is knitting up very fast. I hope to post a finished picture before too long.

First post

2004-07-24T06:27:00.000-04:00

Well, I was a little depressed when the first entry I wrote the other night was eaten by the computer, so I had to wait and cool the flames before I could repost.

Kris and I went over to my parents' house last night for a belated birthday party for my sister. She was in Azerbijan for the last five weeks, and we missed her birthday... I gave her some things before she left, but I knit up a quick scarf at Kris's hockey game the other night, and wrapped that up for her too. It was the Trendsetter Savvy chenille/eyelash in a blue/green colorway. The yarn is quite nice and knits up so fast.

Here it is one me... I want to get one with her in it...