Running out of yarn.

Which is what I'm doing on the purple sweater. SO, I decided to make the sleeves short. So far so good. I've increased as much as I need to and I just need to knit them a little longer before I work on the raglan part of the sleeve for the finishing. Hopefully it will all work out...

Worse than a cat...

So, we have a new addition to the family. Missy. She's a black lab dachsund mix and cute as can be! She looks like a lab puppy, but she's 2. So, I've been working on this sweater. Well, I haven't picked it up since we moved. The knitting bug just hasn't struck yet. However, I left the bag sitting out thinking, "She's a dog. What does she want with yarn?" Well, plenty!

We had her a couple of days at this point and she hadn't even shown interest in the bag, until one day. BF was gone for his review and I was the first one home that day. I open the door, and there she is COVERED in my nive sport weight grey wool yarn. I take two steps in the apartment and all the yarn in the bag was scattered to kingdom come! I just doubled over and LMAO! So, now the bag sits in the spare room with the door closed while I'm at work.

And yes, I know I owe y'all pictures. I've just been too lazy.

Okay...

So, I don't think I have enough yarn to finish the sweater I'm making. I think I'll just make it a short sleeve or 3/4 sleeve sweater. I still have to make the collar, too, so probably a short sleeve sweater will allow me enough yarn to finish the thing. It's been fun knitting it. I haven't done any cable work like this before. Makes me want to start a fisherman style sweater or something with more celtic knot work.

So...

I think I may run out of yarn for the sweater. I may have to make it a short sleeve sweater instead. *snort* It's not easy for me to reduce stitches in the pattern. SO I put the pattern in a sheet protector and took and dry erase marker and cross out the stitch as a decrease. That way I can tell where I am in the pattern and won't get confused as to which stitch I'm supposed to decrease next.

Keyhole Top

Yes, I made it in a lavender color. I didn't leave it open at the back, though. It looks okay. I need to get buttons and finish it, though...

http://www.interweave.com/knit/interweave_knits/galleries/bonus/spring_2007/keyhole.asp

Next Project...a sweater for me.

It's the Dickinson Pullover from IK Fall 07
http://www.interweaveknits.com/galleries/bonus/fall2007/zimmer.asp

Well, the back's not perfect, but I don't really care. It's the back. I'm not going to rip it out and fix it. I can live with it...The front on the other hand...which I haven't started yet, will be. So far, it's not been that hard to work on. The cables were a bit confusing at the beginning. I don't think I've crossed uneve cables before. You do a 3x1 and 3x2 cables during the pattern. I wasn't reading it right at first, but I figured it out later on and fixed the error of my ways. It's in a deep purple. The only color yarn I had for that project. I'm not ABOUT to purchase more yarn until I've dwindled my stash a bit.

I just hope after this that CTM will let me make him one...and I still need to finish that one for FH that I started before I left him. *snort*

Scarf is Done!!!

Yeah, now that it's warmer out and he doesn't need it, it's finally done. I need to wash and block it, though. It looks pretty good. Doesn't look like the picture, because that's a darker yarn, but the pattern is nice. It's VERY wide and VERY long. He wanted it long, anyway so he could wrap it around his face and neck. Hopefully, I'll get off my ass and take a picture of sometime soon, along with all the other UFOs that I have.

Holy Long Scarf!!

Thank goodness there isn't ANYONE at work this week. This scarf is taking FOREVAH! One row is at least 20 minutes. My hands are tired from holding the tiny little needles with ALL those stitches on them. It's easier to purl than it is to knit in this pattern. The slipped stitches on the knit side are harder to pick up as they're twisted. It looks REALLY cool though and I'll have to adapt that edge stitch for other scarfs. It's a nice finishing touch.

Serious Blogger Slacking!!

I need to take lots of pictures to post. I have a pair of socks that were a gift and A sock that I knitted the mate too. Not to mention the AFGHAN OF DOOM and the ugly warm socks. Maybe I'll do that this weekend. Who knows.

OH and there's the top down raglan that I made for a knit-a-long that is poufy in the back and I probably won't wear it ever. I'll probably just donate it or I might send it to Mom. It might fit her and she might wear it. If not, oh well.

I'm currently working on the Henry scarf from knitty.com. I've never done a waste yarn cast on. I've never knitted a scarf lengthwise. 400 how many stitches?? I ripped it twice before I finally got the pattern in my head. Now, I don't really read the pattern so much as just count the rows. I know where the slipped stitches are supposed to be. My brain apparently wasn't functioning this weekend when I was working on it. It's gonna take FOREVER as the slipped stitches aren't easy to knit in such a small yarn with such a tight knit weave look. BF LOVES the pattern though, so it's always worth it.

The cast off should be pretty interesting, too. It's kind of a kitchener stitch with only one set of stitches. I just hope I can pull it off and make it look as nice as it does in the picture. I'm using a lighter grey yarn, but so far it looks cool!!

*snort*

Yeah, I know. I owe peeps pics of socks I received in the mail. I had the camera out this weekend, too. I such a slacker...

I received my Knit Picks Options needles this week. YEAH! I have been knitting like banshee on the AFGHAN OF DOOM with them. Man, it's so nice to NOT have to fight with the plastic cables of circular needles anymore. Makes knitting SO much easier. However, I wish I would have purchased a longer set of cables. This thing is HUGE! I ordered some permanent circulars for sock knitting, too. I can't wait to put my Lady of Cups on those. I may take those with me this weekend on our trip through the Blue Ridge. We hit the Skyline Drive part this weekend and had a BLAST! I need something to relax with, though, if I'm not too exhausted.

We hiked 4.6 miles with 1000 difference in elevation from start to finish. It was KILLER and I was tired, so I'm glad I didn't bring them with me. But this weekend, we're supposed to camp, and I may need something for some down time from all the excitement of the day and that might help. Just have to see.

I'm ALMOST done with the AFGHAN OF DOOM though. I have about 10 rows of red, then about 3 rows of grey and four rows of white then I'm done with the pattern. I just hope I can finish it before his birthday! That would be a cool present! If not, I'll just have to order an Indians jersey for him. *giggle*

SUPAH Blogger Slacker

Yes, I finished these a looooooooooooooooooooong time ago. And yes, I just around to photographing this past weekend. I'm a SUPAH SLACKAH! *snort* Anyway, they look weird in this picture, but they fit me fine. I just hope they fit the intended sockee fine. They're 100% alpaca. I had it laying around and just thought I'd make some REALLY warm socks for my switchee.

No, I haven't taken a picture of the AFGHAN OF DOOM yet. I should. It's getting pretty big. I'm probably about a month away from finishing it. It looks cool from the front. The back is decent for my first colorwork piece. We'll see what it looks like when it's completely finished. I can't wait. It's warm, that's for sure! I try to work on it when it's cold outside like it'll be tonight.

Queen of Cups Socks Part 2!

Here's a pic of the new BF and me from June when we moved his stuff from Cleveland. That was our last trip to C-Land! YEAH!

THEY'RE DONE! I need to take a picture of them. They're fuzzier than the picture on knitty.com, but they're ALPACA FFS! They SHOULD be! I had such a great time making them, that I decided to start a pair using my Kool-Aid dyed yarn. I needed a project for the bus. I have to take the bus. Long story, but it involves my SOON TO BE EX (effing) HUSBAND! He's such a D.A!!

Anyway, I'm still working on the AFGHAN OF DOOM! I'm FINALLY past all the many different colors and just have the black and grey for right now so I should be able to FLY through that part. It SHOULD be done in time for his birthday. At least that's what I'm shooting for. Then I'll finish the top down raglan. I don't know if I'll wear it. I think I've grown out of the yarn. It would have made a cool, funky, scarf, though. I'll finish it anyway. Someone could use it. Along those same lines, I'm going to finish the SWEATER OF DIVORCE! *snicker* I figure I can give it to my BIL (brother-in-law) for Christmas or sumfin. I'll just have to see how it goes and if it's big enough. If not, I might just donate it. Someone could use it, too.

After that, I'm going to start some socks for my new BF, whom I LOVE very much and seriously think I could even knit a sweater for him and it would be fine. But, I'll wait a few years on that one. *snort* I need to knit SEVERAL baby things, too. Almost all my friends are preggers. Those are fun though...and SO CUTE!

I will take a pic of the socks BEFORE I mail them out, along with the blanket and the top down raglan, maybe even MY queen of cups socks, too.

Queen of Cups Socks

So, I'm making these for our sock exchange on the WW KnitWits board. Of course, I haven't posted there in EONS! I can barely keep up with the two threads I post on now as it is. Oh yeah, I'm supposed to post on three. Forgot about that third one!

http://knitty.com/ISSUEspring07/PATTqueenofcups.html

I set aside the afghan of doom to start on these socks. I was gonna make them outta this blue wool sock yarn I bought, but I really didn't thin the color suited the pattern, so I decided to pull the alpaca outta the car from my de-stashing bin and double up on that to make these socks. Well, they don't QUITE look like the picture because it's double stranded yarn, but they look cool non the less!! I'm having a blast making them.

Well, I had to rip the heel. The pattern doesn't say how many stitches to pick up for the gusset, but I think I picked up too many. So, I ripped it out and started that part over. My hands get soooooo tired working with those little needles. I wish I knew how to do them on one circular. I should Google that....hm...

I knitted about 15 min on them this morning, too. It's getting easier to knit them on the DPNs, so I'm making more progress on them. BF just laughs at me and says, "Knit, baby, Knit!" He's so funny. I need to restart his dish cloth to just all knit for right now. The knit then pearl thing gets him confused right now. I miss our knitting nights. Guess I should start them back up again. At least we're there in spirit!! Maybe?? okay

I'm going to take a picture of me first, because I look HAWT today and then my sock in progress ON FOOT as usual. *giggle*

I'm a blogger slacker!!

Yes yes, I know. I haven't been to SLK Knitters in toooooo long! I'm still working on the AFGHAN OF DOOM, though not as often as I should. Something about laying in the floor watching movies with my boyfriend that seems OH SO more appealing.

Okay, I can SQUEAK by and pay bills and rent, but I cannot afford extra expenses, hence not going to SLK. That and the honeymoon phase of him moving in hasn't left yet, so I just don't know if I want to drive an hour there, knit for an hour, then drive an hour back. Yeah, I'm a whiner because I know Lynn drives MUCH FARTHER than me to join y'all. Just burns up too much gas for me.

BUT, I am still with the SLK knitters in spirit every Thursday as I sit down to knit on the afghan. I will have to set it aside though because I need to get the socks done for my exchange in September. I'm looking forward to making them, but I'm not happy about having another project on needles... *SIGH*

Okay, This One's Not About Knitting

It was a rough weekend physically and emotionally. I'm ready for this weekend, even if it means I have to sit in hours worth of traffic to get out of here. I missed knitting two weeks in a row due to moving into my new apartment. I hope to be able to make it next week.

A LOT has happened these last two weeks. I don't think I could be happier if I tried. I came to realize that the only thing my mother will be happy with are the things I do that are her suggestion/idea. She hated my apartment and my new friend even though he drove 6 hours to help me move. Man, if I was unsure about his intentions, I'm not anymore!! *giggle*

Dad thought he was great, even in the little time we spent with Dad. I KNOW they will get along and Dad's opinion is the one that counts the most right now. I've about had it with my mother and her sneaky ways. Yeah, I bet she reads my blog, too, to see what's going on because I won't tell her every little thing that's going on in my life. When I refrain from doing that, she thinks I've gone astray and need her help to get back on track. I'm 34 FFS! (If you don't know what that means, you probably don't want to.) I've got to be an adult at some point in my life and she seems to think I need her help to be one.

Alright, enough about that...

So the AFGHAN OF DOOM is coming right along. I'm making some more dish clothes for myself. I LOVE the one that I'm using that someone made me. I can't wait to try them all out! They're awesome!

So, I finally slept in my bed for the first time last night. I was sleeping on an air mattress in the living room until I got some of the boxes and bag put away. I still have more shit to pick up at the condo, but that's going to take some time. I want the tax write off so I'm taking my time downsizing considerably!! Need to make sure I have room, just in case. *giggle* OH OH OH and SHE was bitching about all the yarn I have. She bought MOST OF IT FOR ME FFS!! *SIGH* Sorry, just had to throw that in there. I'm sure my stash is pathetic compared to some of y'alls!! *sigh*

Okay, enough complaining. I'm still happy as a clam and hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend hope to see everyone next week at the knitting group!

The Afghan of DOOM!

At least that's what I think Nina called it. Yes, folks, I am INSAIGN! (I spelled it incorrect on purpose, don't ask me why!) Okay, so apartment hunting and commissary trips prevented me from attending these last two weeks and BOY did I miss it!! Everyone looked so good! All the projects looked awesome! I just LOVE the toe socks!! I can't wait to see how the lace pattern turns out!! I need to start my exchange socks at the end of next month, so I need get cranking on this AFGHAN OF DOOM!

Yes, I am insaign. So, yes, I'm dating this guy from Cleveland. I mean, he lives in Cleveland. *sigh* Long distance relationships just suck, but I always manage to wind up in one every now and then. He's DA BOMB, though. I couldn't be happier!! So, I'm making him this intarsia Ohio State logo blanket. Yes, I'm insaign. Not only that, but I try and drive up as often as I can. As soon as I get an apartment, he will drive down and see me, too. *giggle* Hence the push to find an apartment!! So, here's the chart and part of the blanket. We have a running joke that I commute to VA every week for work. I wish I didn't have to, but time will tell what will happen. I'm gonna try my damnedest to keep this one. He treats me like a queen. I HONESTLY couldn't be happier! So, here's the logo that the chart is based on. Yes, the chart is 33 squares per inch. It doesn't look THAT small to me!! *giggle*

Okay, so I just checked my voicemail from Friday and I WAS APPROVED AND GOT THE APARTMENT! I have no idea when I move in, but I can't wait!! Of course, I need to find peeps to help me move because I have NO ONE here to help out. Guess I may have to shell out for some starving students to help me move my furniture. That's all I would need help with. All the other stuff I can take piece meal. I'm thinking the furniture will take at least a day to deal with. I just hope it all fits so I don't have to put any in storage. That would defeat the purpose. I'll just have to see how it all works out.

So this blog wasn't so much about knitting this time. Guess life just comes out eventually in any blog. *giggle snort*

Twas the Night of FO's and Mass Txting

Yeah, well, he's usually not like that and doesn't bother me much while I'm knitting. For some reason this particular Thursday he was VERY MUCH into txting me. *giggle* He's probably gonna kill me for saying something. Then again, I don't think he reads this blog much. If he does...*smooches sweetie*

It was also a night of finished objects for me...and the night to show off my dish cloth exchange items. So, I'm on this message board and we've done a scarf exchange (see my archive around V-day time), now this dish cloth exchange, and we're going to do a socks exchange in September! So the scarf idea was mine, and it just sort of took off!! *beaming* So, here are the dish clothes that I received (on the right). They are GORGEOUS and I can't wait to use them. The mottled one is actually a potholder. On the left are the ones that I sent to my exchangee (supah supah late because I'm a supah slackah). Actually, my life was so messed up these last two months I just couldn't get my head on straight! The top pictures is some Williamsburg soaps I sent with mine. Felt a "special" gift was warranted being as I was so late. The second one is a yellow fan shaped lace on, the third and fourth are of the same cloth. I knitted it reversible, meaning I used both hands to knit in continental and throw at the same time. It was fun! It's a drunk looking star. What it is with me and the drunken knitting? The fifth one is a standard basketweave pattern. I felt something functional was needed. The sixth one is some other lacy pattern. I can't remember at this point. They all kind of look the same to me. It was fun to make, though. This last one is another lacey one. I used all dish cloth patterns from www.knittingpatterncentral.com, well, except the reversible knit one. That's from www.diynet.com.

Okay, so I FINALLY finished that lace, toddler sweater from www.knitty.com. I feel like I've been working on that thing FOREVAH! It is the cutest little sweater I've ever made and will TOTALLY make one for my friend if she's having a girl. Of course, at this point, I have no idea if my friend is coming to see me or not. I hope so so I can give him the sweater, but it's a long story as to why I hope he doesn't, too. Sometimes platonic is hard.

Finally, I brought in the cammo, baby hoodie I made for my friend who has three, count them, THREE boys and they're all big into hunting and outdoors stuff. so I told her I'd make her a cammo baby sweater. Isn't it just the cutest? I used the Bernat cammo yarn. Not the itchy Red Heart stuff. ICK!

AND, last but not least, is a picture of me working on my top down raglan sweater. I need to put the stiches on waste yarn so I can see how it's fitting. Seriously, I need a cape...a bedazzled cape wiht SUPAH SLACKAH on it.

Limo Rides to Middleburg for Dinner!

Yes, that's where I was last week. The office was in a limo that was comped to us by a client simply for blogging about it on our work blog!!! Can you believe that? So, we all piled into a Reston Limo (insert shameless plug here. http://restonlimo.com) with Mike as our driver and headed out to Middleburg. Mike was a very talkative and attentive driver. The last two limo drivers I have had were just there to do their job, but he was pleasant and took a picture with us! It was nice to have someone with a personality taking care of us!

So, we drove the loooooooooong trek through rush hour traffice to visit another client who owns Salvia Ristorante Italiano! (insert another shameless plug here http://www.salviaristorante.com) on mainstreet Middleburg! We had calamari and antipasto to start with. A bottle of champage was provided compliments of the owner. So, we toasted to........

THE BLOG! *giggle* We toasted many things, but blogging was my contribution to the toast. I thought it fitting being as blogging got us the ride there!

We had foccaccia with DELISH olive oil and spices. A nice pinot noir was purchased that was very mild and light in flavor. Dishes ranged from eggplant parm rolls to steak to veal and finally to my dish Linguine Pescatore! It was chock full of calamari that WAS NOT, I repeat, WAS NOT rubbery. It was cooked to PERFECTION! There were HUGE shrimp and muscles in there, too. The portion was not so large that I felt like I had to eat it all and be overly stuffed, nor was it so little that I thought I was would startve. I feel like Goldilocks..."Just right!" For dessert, we feasted on carrot cake, canolis, and ice cream! Yes ice cream. Angela LOVES ice cream.

You can read about the whole experience on our work blog: http://6155mcguire.blogspot.com/

You can also read about the limo service on their blog: http://www.restonlimo.com/blog/

"He HAD the Toes!"

For some reason, the story struck us as humorous. It was the way Nina kept saying, "He HAD the toes!" Don't ask me how we got on the subject, but we did. Nina was telling a story about a friend or acquaintance of hers that had their toes chopped off by a lawn mower and while he was in the hospital he got the chicken pox. Well, I think that's how the story went, anyway. Miraculously enough, the toes didn't grow back, but there was definite cartilage that did emerge from the accident so he had these kind of webbed things attached to his foot. Sharon, for some reason or another, didn't realize he HAD the toes at one point in time and then lost them in the accident. I'm not sure exactly WHY we found it funny, but we did. Then Dionne had to go and make that little gesture with her pinky and I about fell out of my chair laughing so hard! You just had to be there to appreciate it.

Yes, I am still working on the lace sweater. There's a picture of my hands making the sweater and a picture of the back of the sweater, done. I haven't really gotten much work done on the sleeves. I've had to put it on hold and I'm still not sure when my friend is coming to visit. In this picture on the right, I'm working on the sleeves. I'm making both at the same time so if I make a mistake on one, I can do the same to both. It's a neat concept, I think. It may seem like it takes that long, but once you're done, they're both done!

There was much discussion to be had on our end about socks. Not sure why, but I'm guessing that's how we segwayed into the whole toe chopping incident. Something about doing a sock KAL where you make your own pattern as you go along, king of like the raglan KAL we were doing. I'm ashamed to say that I still haven't worked on mine much. I hope to get it done sometime in the near future. I will have to make an OSU throw sometime between now and November, too, so I have THAT to think about, too. AND we're doing a sock exchange on my OTHER knitting group that I belong to.

I got some LOVELY dishrags in the mail from that exchange. I'm such a slacker and have one more to finish before I can send mine along. Just haven't had time to knit on the weekends like I have been. Hands have been occupied...er, they're being held all weekend, that is. *giggle* Really, they are. We just sit there and hold hands while we watch movies all weekend. It's nice. Doesn't leave much time for knitting though. I told him this weekend that I didn't want to waste the last night I have with him knitting. He was so cute to want to learn!! Anyway, I digress. Some of the funnier quotes of the night, besides the whole toe chopping off incident:

"I dare my socks to need darning!" "Toe jail=toe sock." You know, those socks with the places for the toes like gloves?? Toe socks? I LOVE the few pairs I have.

"I hate the pearl in conjunction with the knit." Nina...gotta love her and the whole pearling dilemma. We were talking about needing our space when we knit and not wanting our SO's to be so close to us when we're knitting because it stresses us. "I'd rather make my yarn tickle his feet." It's so funny that I wrote this quote down. My friend was helping me this weekend by pulling the yarn out of the ball for me. He was intentionally putting the yarn so when I pulled it it tickled his leg. He was just giggling away. It was JUST the cutest thing EVAH!

So, I missed last weeks meeting. I will blog about why in a few minutes.

Still Working on the Lace Sweater

Okay, so I'm ATTEMPTING to make this lace cardigan for a friend of mine who's supposed to be here next weekend (as in the first weekend in April). Well, at least I THINK he's going to be here next weekend. I'm not so sure as to when he's actually coming. He has this CUTE AS CAN BE 2 year old daughter. It's a Knitty.com pattern. Everything as going fine with the back and made the left front. The right front was giving me one HECK of a time. I had to rip it out at least three times and have Svetlana help me figure out where I was in the pattern. This is the first time I've knitting with a chart before so I having a hard time figuring out where I was in the pattern.

Not to mention the fact that I didn't take my contacts out before I came so my eyes were REALLY tired AND found out from a friend of mine via text message that Tubby Smith was FINALLY leaving Kentucky to coach in Minnesota. I feel sorry for Minnesotans. In any event, I didn't stay long Thursday. I needed to best rested up for my EXCITING trip to Cleveland. *giggle*

No pictures of me this week as I didn't stay long enough. I finally finished the right front and it looked NOTHING like the left front. Conveniently enough, there were NO dimensions for the right and left fronts so I could make sure that I was making it correctly. So, I ripped out part of the left front and made it match the back and right fronts. Now I'm working on the sleeves. I hope I can finish it in time, but at this rate, I doubt it!! I'm supposed to have finished at least 3 dish rags for an exchange I'm on and I have been a TOTAL slacker on that exchange. I started working on them this weekend. I will be putting the sweater on hold until I can get at least 3 rags done.