SMH

I'm such a blogger slacker here.  I just with no abandon and don't really post what I'm doing.  Meh.

So, here's what I've been thinking lately.  Bored with your stash?  Not really inspired with what you've got?  Wanna swap? 

I used to use paperbackswap.com a lot to swap out my old books for new ones.  Why not have a yarn swap?  Granted, I was seriously trying to figure out how to rate the yarn for valuse upon posting, but possibly by dollar value?  $20 is 2 pts?  *shrugs*  It's a work in progress. 

I know local gropus do a swap.  I see the practicality of this.  You can feel the yarn, yadda yadda.  But for those a little more adventurious who are not schooled in ALL types of yarns and brands, etc, why not start a little internet swap?  Could be the next big hit in e-commerce!  Who knows?

So, if anyone still reads this, suggestions?  Thoughts?  I've done a basic search and haven't come up with an internet site like paperbackswap for yarn.  I could do a whole Swap like the gawk phenomenon that's going on.  Paperbackswap, yarn swap, kid swap, *snickers*  I know a few moms that would SERIOUSLY go for that last one...

*skips back to work*

Yes...I'm a blogger slacker

Actually, that is to say I've been a knitting slacker.  I got sucked into this whole world of FB games.  I managed to climb myself out when I realized it was killing my neck!  *sigh*  Who knew?

So, I've started up again with some serious thoughts on de-stashing.  Well, that's not entire true.  I started up again when I was inspired to create a scarf (or two) this Christmas.  It really felt good to have something besides socks on my needles.  Why socks?  Well, because their easy to take on the train.  Now, I don't have to take the train so I can knit whatever I want on the way home from work.  It's too dark in the car to try to knit in the mornings atm (at the moment). 

So, I knit a Sporting Clube Portugal scarf for a friend of mine...in Portugal.  Go figure!  I had some yarn left over (yes I had to purchase yarn to make this and the other scarf), so made a ribbed hat too.  Yes, the hat is rotated....deal.  Being as I haven't ventured MUCH into the colorwork world, the scarf did have a bit of bunching, which I'm sure you can see.  He won't care, but I'm not happy.  But not unhappy enough to frog the whole thing and start over!  *snort*

Next was just a plain burgandy scarf for S for Christmas.  It's a bit shorter than I think he wanted, but he didn't say he wanted it longer!  No pic of that...it's boring.

If you follow me on Pinterest, you'll see that I have ambitious goals for de-stashing my yarn...of which there is plenty.  And, if memory serves, some on cones, too?  I think? 

Anyway, the first of the de-stash was the Caron Equinox Top in Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Haze Heather.  Actually, I have it on today.  Here's the thing, I'm not a HUGE fan of all the pearl stitches, so I'm wearing it inside out.  It makes for an interesting and lacy pearl part of the rib.  And, well, my YOs on one side of the pattern just don't look like the other side.  I must play with this type or lacey ribbing to see if I can get it to look right.

I also have a pair of Dragon Skin socks I'm knitting.  Started those when I was still metroing in to work.  They just sit there and I work on them when I'm uninspired between projects.  LOVE that pattern!!  Especially in multi-color yarn.  Just looks cool!!

Okay, on to bigger and better things!  Someone posted a Spock hat they had seen on Ravelry.  I thought...hell I could make that!  She wanted one, so I decided to see if I could actually CREATE something NOT from a pattern!  *faints*  I did...  Check it!

The hat is your basic ribbed beanie.  It was the ears that I had issue with.  I actually DID write the pattern down.  Imagine that?  Me?  Write a pattern?  *faints again*  I haven't typed it all up yet, but I did. 

So...what else can I create?  I thought about cabled rib, done.  Tri-color rib scarf?  Yeah...did that.  Should post those pics too.  Hm....what's not been done?  What hasn't been tried and patterned?  This requires deep thought, but whatever it is will be in purple mystery yarn I bought in B'more many years ago when the yarn/knitting expo thingy came.  It was all I could afford...and only 4 skeins to boot.  The last thought before I went to sleep...a cardigan where the buttons and holes are hidden in the cable?  There's a thought....

Found some yarn!!

I found a skein of the yarn I needed for rectangula online, of course. It came in the mail last week, but I'm working on a Slitheryn scarf for my niece right now. When I'm finished with that I will finish up rectangula.

CTM bought me Custom Knits earlier this month. There are some nice patterns in there. I really need to learn how to alter fitted patterns to make them more fitted to my body. Between this one and Fitted Knits, I should be able to learn all I need to to make better fitting garments. Of course it doesn't help that I've been knitting square and bulky things to use up some stash. LOL

Apparently, I'm a speed knitter. *snort* I've been going to this knitting group in Del Ray for a couple of months now. They all give me a hard time about knitting so far. Granted I'm just knitting in the round, but this week they all agreed that it didn't even look like I was knitting. *shrug*

It's a great group of people. We have one token male knitter. He's funny! They're all funny! I don't think I've laughed so hard in a long time. I never really thought of myself as a very knowledgeable knitter, but apparently I am. There's two of us that get asked questions a couple of times a night. It's nice and I'll miss them when we move. I'll have to find a new knitting group where we move. *sigh* Just when I start to settle into a group, we move. Hopefully we will find a place that we're happy with and won't have to move every couple of years. Well, at least until we can afford a house of our own. Yeah, right! Dream on!!

FOs

I finished the Panini, but not the Rectangula. I ran out of yarn for it and haven't found the color at the store yet. I think I may have to break down and buy it online to finish that stupid thing. The panini is at work. I need to fix the seam at the shoulder. I didn't do such a great job at sewing it together, I guess. *snort*

Right now, I'm working on some baby sweaters. Somewhat long story, but I started the back of one baby sweater in a light blue Simply Soft before we left for FL. We visited with CTM's mom and step-dad and then his dad and step-mom. Well, we arrived in Avon Park Friday late afternoon. Unless you golf, there's N O T H I N G to do there. So, I knitted all day Saturday and at least 4 hours every day until we left on Wednesday to see his dad. Yeah, I got as far as I could with that yarn (yeah ran out again) and then had to go to WalMart to buy something to work on while I was there. I made it all the way to the sleeves of the second sweater before we left. I didn't knit at all when we were at his dad's.

When I'm done with all that, I'm going to make a cardigan coat type thing. Not sure which pattern I will use though.

I am soooooooooooo making these!!

My friend Jen made the Pomatomus socks from Knitty.com in Lorna's Laces shepherd sock in the Seaside colorway. I don't know that I'm a fan of the color, but the pattern is gorgeous! After I finish reading two books, I may start knitting on my commute to work and socks are a perfect small project to take on the bus/train. I bought a sample pack of sock yarn from KnitPicks.com, but I don't think two skeins will be enough to make socks that long. Then again, with my GINORMOUS calves, I may not make them that long to begin with. I don't think I have the patience to try to alter the pattern to fit my calves. No, those aren't my limbs in the picture.

So, as I was wandering around on Knitty.com, I saw these patterns from the current issue that may just have to put on my list of things to make.

sunday swing
mermaid's lagoon

Not that I need to add things to my list, but they have interesting patterns.

Yeah, I'm a serious slacker

So, I've made soooooooooo much since I last posted this. I made a shell that I hated out of Micro Spun in turquoise. I made CTM a sweater from some Knit Picks yarn. It's a 3/4 zip sweater. Yeah, you read it right. I put a zipper on a sweater for the BF! *snort* I made many, many, many...many scarves. Too many!!

Right now, I'm trying to destash so I'm making these two patterns out of yarn I already have. I found some nice and easy patterns to convert to the gauge for the yarn I have.

Rectangela - I'm making this in a Simply Soft purple. I thought I would have enough...turns out I didn't. So I had to set it aside until I could get some more to finish it up. It's easy enough to convert to any gauge yarn, which is what I was looking for. Besides, I'm always looking for something to throw on at work because I'm always cold.

I also have Panini on my needles. When I ran out of the yarn for Rectangela, I found another sweater that was easy to convert to this turquoise and chocolate brown boucle I had for a cardi wrap. I can't find the rest of the pattern for the cardi wrap so I had to rip that project out and start on this Panini pattern. I haven't really been knitting too much lately. I'm either too tired or not tired enough, so I've been reading before bed. The new schedule is wearing it's toll on me until CTM gets his work schedule down to a routine.

And I'm not a huge fan of the new late night alarm clock named Missy. *snort*

The Dog Sweater

So, she's really long, but that doesn't mean I should make the sweater longer than her. And my colorwork just doesn't look right. Any suggestions on a good reference for good colorwork technique? I just had two colors and knitting back and forth and in the around...



*sigh*



Now I'm working on the Equestrian Jacket from IK last fall I think with that possum yarn Mom brought home from New Zealand. We'll see how that works out. I just hope I have enough yarn.