Uh oh, more yarn! Pattern suggestion needed

Sorry no pictures this post. I know it needs them but I just haven't had time to get around to it recently. Take it as a giant IOU and in the next couple days I'll post nothing but pics. Not that anyone really has even be visiting this site besides myself... If you are out there, post me a comment or something!

I should let you know, up until now most of my stash was free. It was also mostly cheap acrylic, but what can you say when a person hands you a big bin of yarn to feed your fiber addiction? They didn't know any better, and it's great to practice with anyway, right? Still, I really haven't done much besides look at it and make up a few granny squares every now and then.

There is some yarn in my stash that I purchased myself- all the cotton for my dishcloths and the wool used on my felted Jeep hats, and a few other little odd balls here and there like the few things I acquired at my first ever LYS, which of course was during a going out of business sale. I would have bought tons then but the funds weren't there at the time. And now....

Well, now I have my wonderful job which means a wonderful paycheck twice a month. YARN MONEY! Sad to say, my yarn stash grew a whopping 30 balls last weekend. Granted, I got a deal. $50 bought me 20 balls of cotton for a few summer tops and 8 balls of sock yarn. Then I spent nearly $20 on a ball of Austermann Step sock yarn from "Ewe Knit" when I finally got around to visiting the shop I discovered a month or so ago. I would have gotten so much more, but for some reason my paycheck was unaccounted for at work and I didn't get paid until Monday morning. And then, while we were visiting my future in-laws we all went out to eat for Mexican- which I had a huge margarita that I sadly couldn't even finish- too strong- and was feeling a wee bit tipsy- and they decided they needed to go by Walmart while they were in the area so we go over there and I decided to buy some Lion Brand Wool because they don't sell it in my area and while it is cheap (in more way then one) it makes for good practice in dyeing. So, I'm wandering around a Walmart that I've only been to once, in a slightly intoxicated manner... by myself! Let's just say I got more then a few looks. Haha!

Speaking of dyeing, I had my first experience with koolaid/jello dyeing last week. We had a box of orange and strawberry sugar free jello in the cabinet and I had some leftover white Lion's wool from making the last Jeep hat so I just decided to have at it. I think it turned out ok. The colors took magnificently, but blended a tiny bit more then I would like. I haven't knit it up into anything yet- still trying to find the perfect pattern so any suggestions would be helpful. I guess I have about 2/3 of the skein left- maybe about 100 yards.

As far as works in progress, I'm still working on that Liesel scarf and haven't made very much progress. I actually sent it in as my item for the Completion swap on Swap-Bot (my newest addiction, you should check it out). I'm going to training next week away from home and I've decided that it is the only project I will take with me, that way I should get a good bit done on it. My goal is to have it finished by July 4... we'll see!

I also started another pair of ankle socks out of the leftover yarn from my first sock endeavor. Those were some fast knitting socks too. Less then 24 hours after I started the first sock I was stitching up the toe. And once I got around to starting #2 it went pretty quickly too... that is until I ran out of yarn half-way down the foot. That of course left me with a few options- have a permantant WIP (or I guess that would be UFO- unfinished object), pick another yarn just to finish the foot (it will be in shoes most the time and no one will see anyway), or order another ball. Which did I choose? After a quick search on ebay, I found and purchased yet another ball of Magic Stripes in Sea Blue. I must be crazy- I hated this yarn coloring and the patterning almost the whole time I was working with it. But I have hope that maybe I can find just the right sock pattern to justify the purchase- besides being able to finish that UFO sock.

The only other thing I have worked on any is that I "designed" (using some inspiration from random websites) a couple of hackey sacks for Patrick. I signed up for the XY KAL on getstitchy.com and that is what he requested of me. And I do actually have some pictures of those!!!

The P is a little wonky because of course, you aren't supposed to do intarsia in the round, but he insisted and I figured that since it is just a toy anyway so I don't care.

And I know that I was planning on keeping this a strictly "knitting adventure" blog, but I just want to add a big of my other passion- my flowers! They were looking amazingly beautiful recently so I just had to take a picture to share.

That's all for now folks. I swear I will get those pictures soon. Maybe I'll even do a full out stash flash!

(Long Past) Time for an update...

I'd say I've been working on a lot recently, but seeing my project list, I guess I'd have to disagree. I try to spend almost all my free time knitting, but unfortunatly, I have two issues with that, the first being that I have very little free time as of late, since starting my new, first ever, REAL job. The second being that my dear sweet fiance believes it a waste of time and throws a multitude of distractions my way whenever I do manage to pick up the needles. Nevertheless, I have gotten some done.

Mid-May Dishcloth KAL- I still need to tuck in the end and block it, but I love it already. I think it was called Stepping Stones? If you'd like a link to the pattern, leave me a comment or something and I'll get that to you.


I started the Liesel scarf (I can get you that link too if requested- I'm just too tired to hunt them down right now). It seems very similar to the Branching Out Scarf featured in Knitty, but I think I like the look of this one a bit more. I'm about halfway through the sixth repeat and it's nearing 10 inches long. I can't wait to get it done and block it!


This weekend I decided to continue work on that crochet piece I believe I mentioned in the last post- Lion Brand's Four Seasons Bolero using Matrix yarn. I finished the back section a while ago and and doing good progress on the front left panel (when I pick it up to work on it anyway). Hopefully it will look a bit better after washing and blocking, 'cause I'm not impressed as of yet.


And finally, the wrap that I started on the trip to Jacksonville... sadly it has been put aside since that trip since I rarely find myself in a bathing suit nowadays. Just no time. I had thought I would have it finished in no time, but it seems those rows just keep getting longer and longer and I made so many mistakes on the last row and didnt' feel like back tracking so I just put it away. At this point, it's approximately halfway done and getting no closer.


I did try to start another pair of socks this week, but to no avail. I wanted to try my hand at toe up and I just couldn't get the cast on- atleast not while trying to control my DPNs while bumping around in the passenger's seat... I think I'm going to give it another try though before the weekend is over- I need some small project to have with me at work! (only for during my breaks, of course :) )

not much going on. currently I am working on a crochet project... can't for the life of me remember what the pattern is called and I don't feel like searching for it right now. basically, it's a bolero that is originally designed to be done in 'Trellis' but I happened to have picked up tons of 'Matrix' a few months back when Michael's had it on sale for $.99. I figure it shouldn't be too different- they're both railroad/ladder yarns. I think Trellis might be a little bit bigger, but the pattern is basically measures in inches so I'm not worried. and I'm doing a bit larger size then what I would normally wear. I just really didn't feel like swatching- I'm horrible about that anyway, but this yarn isn't exactly fun to work with. atleast crocheting it, it comes together pretty quickly. I had tried to knit with it on a different pattern but that was HELL!!! I'll post pics of the progress, and links to the pattern, soon.

my first socks

I finished them Tuesday on our way to my fiance's parents' house to take care of some car registration stuff. I'll admit that for a while I had second sock syndrome but forced myself to start it and it actually went quite quickly when I set myself to working on it. (but that waited until after I finished the felted "Jeep" beanie for my future MIL- still have to make his dad one...) So, I did the first with DPNs and the second trying Magic Loop. I made them ankle socks because I don't like tall socks. They look fat, but I love them and they fit perfectly!!!





Lion Brand Magic Stripe yarn in Sea Blue Stripes- Basic Sock Pattern.

and I still have close to half a ball of yarn left since I decided to keep this one's short. I might make some matching fingerless gloves or something with it...

first post ever- a knitting world for me!

I have a myspace where I hang with my friends, but honestly, I have no fiber friends. No one I know personally knits or crochets (or else they won't admit it!) but I always read everyone else's blogs about knitting and what they are working on and what yarn they are using and so on and I have longed to brag a bit on my own knitting life. unfortunately, whenever I talk about knitting on my myspace blog, it seems I get fewer comments so... but now, I finally have somewhere to put my FO! and I've been saving up... lol

• scarf I worked on forever- 3 stranded garter stitch- I was still learning at that point.
  
  
• and my first ever finished dishcloth a Grandmother's favorite, in different Sugar 'n Cream yarn- I let one of the girls I babysit pick the color pattern...
  

I've got a lot more finished in the last month that I hope to get pictures of after done blocking. I tend to be one of those people who stock up a lot of FO to block all at once...

OTN-

• "It's a Wrap" beach wrap from The Garter Belt in some clearance yarn I got a Joann's
• Second sock of my first ever pair using Lion Brand's Magic Stripe Basic Socks in their Sea Blue Stripe color. I'm on the foot part so almost done. I did the first one on dpn's and now I'm trying it's match with Magic Loop- we'll see how that turns out.
• I also have several WIPs that were given to me so I have to figure out what they we're using needle-wise and finish them up, or else FROG! FROG! FROG!

I'm hoping I still have time to knit and keep this new blog up since I should be starting my job next week. I'll do my best anyway!