Monday, December 31, 2007

Happy new year!

As of midnight my yarn diet goes into effect. 100 days , no yarn, the 08' KO is exempt of course.
Here is the yarn I got off ebay "Lagoon" merino super wash from EY hand paints:

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I also bought 6 skeins of Vannas Choice to coordinate with some I have for afghans for Christmas next year and.... 6 skeins of dish cloth cotton. I'm addicted! But the good news is, is that this is how I'm bringing in the new year:

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Knitting quietly at home listening to the new episode of cast on. I have to work tomorrow so there will be no partying for me, at least not tonight.
I'm getting tired of knitting socks for awhile. I may replace them with dish cloths for awhile.Lord knows that I can't buy anymore for at least the 100 days if not more.

Happy new years!

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

You know what's really nice???

When someone asks you to make and pay for an item that you already have 1/2 finished in a bin in the closet!This post is the pro side of having many UFOS hid in the closet!
My sisters MIL asked me to make a baby blanket for a baby boy due in March. I have a lime green and blue mile a minute blanket over half done.I pulled it out, I need to re-do the edging on 2 strips and add a boarder to 1.Then I will have 10 completed strips,I'm guessing I'll need 16 for the completed blanket.I'm thinking I can do over this week and have it finished by the new year.These things go fast and are small enough to take to work in my knitting bag! I love knitting socks but after the "com socks" it's time for something different for awhile. I think I'll only charge $20 for the blanket just to add to the sweater/yarn fund. It's acrylic, it's small and totally a WIP as well as stash buster.
Right now I'm working on Britts blanket.I only really work on it while listing to the knit picks podcasts that I discovered 3 days ago.I'm on episode #28 of 30 so far. I know.I think if I segment projects to certain activities ,or podcasts, they will get more time in the project rotation. But I won't make myself not work on something if I'm really into it. That's just discouraging progress.
Anyway, I'm almost on skein 7 of 18 of the blanket.I have emptied a tote to put finished Christmas items.Next Christmas I will be taking the hand made challenge, and be doing my best to stick with it.
TTYL

Goals for the new year...

...and the process thus far:
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Brittneys blanket (5 colors in already!)
Devyns blanket (1 block done, need more yarn)
My blanket (Started Wool Ease)
Aryns blanket (Vannas Choice)
Bradys blanket (Ripple Vannas Choice)
Brianas blanket (Pink Vannas Choice)
scarfs (STASH)
8 pairs Mittins (Sheep shots mittin blitz)
8 pairs of wool socks (warm woolies)
Hats (STASH)
20 Wash cloths (no more new cotton yarn until tote is empty!)
Ripple (cotton ease)
1 pair of socks a month
Sample afghan from Vannas Heartfelt book

All but 2 of those projects I have the yarn for already.I wonder how many thousands of yards that is. I have My afghan and Brittneys afghan in my projects on ravelry and I think just between those 2 are over 4000 yards them selfs.
So now you see why I truly need a stash diet...

TTYL

Monday, December 24, 2007

Presants!

Ok, so I got my order from theloopyewe.com today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe how fast they were! I ordered on thursday it would have been here saturday, but I slept threw the mail man!
So here is what I got:
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2 skeins of the Kaffe Fasset Regia, 2 skeins Lornas laces in Vera (Firefly fans will get that one) and a skein of Opal Neon in what I'm calling the Valentines day color way. It's red and pink and orange and to me it just screams construction paper hearts!Oh yea, and 1 skein of Jitterbug in Popsicle.


oh yea, and for that scarf up there in the corner? That would be my pay it forward from Norma of http:nownormaknits.typepad.com fame!
Here it is wrapped:
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It is made from Noro silk Garden and is soft as I don't even know!
It is in similar colors as the Alpaca scarf I wear most days, and goes very well with the full-length leather coat my aunt gave me.
It will be well used, because we got a whole bunch of that cold white stuff yesterday.This is the view from my front door:

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Do you see him? How about now?:
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He's not even 6 feet from me and totally calm. In the summer the squirrels come right up to the door.The view is the one good thing being in this apartment building...
Anyway, I also got a $25 gift card to my LYS and $20 cash. The money will be going to my sweater fund. I'm planning on making Celtic Dreams next winter. Wish me luck. Oh, and by the way, does anyone know of a good heathered superwash that makes cables pop??

TTYL

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

com sox


com sox
Originally uploaded by possum19871016
Finished the commissioned socks!!!!
Happy to have them done, now what shall I cast on next???

Super cute!

This weekend has been about super cute things , item 1 Baby socks:

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Made in Bernat hot soxs, a sock yarn I LOVE, but don't have access to.

Item #2

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A Hello Kitty ornament for my friend.

Tomorrow my mom is having some work done on her stints in her heart, so I'm fully expecting the commission socks to be finished. All I have left is a toe and they will be done!
Well, I'm exhausted so I think I'm going to go to bed now.

TTYL

Monday, December 17, 2007

I want to blog more

I really do, but my work schedule does not allow for it. I mean, I could blog at after midnight, but after a hard days work I just don't feel that inspired.
I made something that I can't tell you until tomorrow but it is SO cute! You'll love it.
I'm at the middle of the foot of the second sock of the commissioned socks. I knit nothing but those for almost a week. I just seam to want them done and I'm willing to be exclusive to do it. That is rare, fore I am such a project, for lack of a better term, Harlot.

TTYL

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

whatsit


whatsit
Originally uploaded by possum19871016
Whats it? It's a Whatsit! Pattern found on Ravelry, Totally adorable!
From reading the description he is much like a Gnome, taking things out of fascination and generally just making life harder for us humans!
Originally I just did his whole face in purple, but decided he needed black eyes. I didn't want to rip out his face so sharpie to the rescue!!!!
I wish I knew of a local source of more sizes & colors of snap on eyes... *sigh*

oh well ttyl

tiramisu


tiramisu
Originally uploaded by possum19871016
This is the Tiramisu baby blanket. Finished last night, finished sized 32 x 29 I think. used 5 stashed skeins of Cotton ease from 2(?) years ago. I just did a double crochet boarder for the finishing. That was over 1000 yards in less than 5 days folks!
So I finished that and started a Whatsit from my Ravelry queue. Useing left over red heart sport from the stash.
I'm 1/2 way down the head already. I'm hoping to have it finished soon.
Thus semi begins the Ravelry queue purging and the stash purging.
I ripped the Wool ease sweater, hated the neck, and started a granny blanket with it. It will be black with stripes of red and yellow. It will be big and it will all be from the stash. That alone will empty 1 semi large bin.
Thats all for now. ttyl

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Craft diet finalized

Ok, I think I finally know what I want to do. I am going to go 100 days without buying yarn starting Jan 1st 2008.
Loosely fallowing Wendy knits guidelines, sock yarn and dish cloth cotton doesn't count, as well as buying more yarn to finish a project. 1 day a month is open for stash enhancement.
My goals are simple, to deplete the stash as much as possible. Finish more of my wips. Start and hopefully finish some of the bigger projects I have yarn for.I really want to empty some of my bins!
I have started a top down sweater, I'm hoping this will take up all my black wool ease.
I also want to make a second Tiramisu blanket out of some mystery cotton from Goodwill after I finish this one. Each Tiramisu blanket takes about 1035 yards of yarn. Great stash buster!
I also want to work my way threw my Ravelry (knittyauntie) queue.It mostly involves small crochet/knit toys that I want to make out of my old acrylic stash. As well as some scarfs and baby clothes.So that is what I'm going to do. I hope the quick turn over of small projects in my queue will keep me interested enough to not want to buy yarn. I know I have more than enough yarn to keep my occupied over the course of my yarn diet. :)

ttyl

Monday, December 10, 2007

knitting reindeer


knitting reindeer
Originally uploaded by possum19871016
HI everyone! I'd like to introduce you to Darla the Christmas knitting reindeer!
I do believe she is the most perfect ornament I have ever seen.
She has sass and class in her hand knit aran sweater along with her 1st class merino ( I think) in her basket from Gucci.

One question I do have is, how does she knit with those hoofs?

Sunday, December 09, 2007

100 days

I was listening to stash and burn last night and they have done well on there yarn diet. I was just wondering,could I make it 100 days with out buying yarn?
I don't know, but I can sure try! As on Jan 1st I am going to try to make it with out buying yarn for 100 days. This does not include sock yarn,because we all know that sock yarn doesn't count,as well as dish cloth cotton but I'm going to try to keep that as a minimum.
I'm losely fallowing the Wendy knits guidelines for yarn dieting found here: http://wendyknits.net/stash2007.htm
Ok, I guess I'm going to sign off for a second time. TTYL

candy baby


candy baby
Originally uploaded by possum19871016
I managed to tear myself away from the blanket to finish this sweater.
It's the nothin but a kids t-shirt in the 6 months size. I made the sleeves 7" long to make it a sweater. I also used a seed st boarder instead of a hem. I used Bernat Softee baby in the candy baby color on size 6 needles.

The baby blanket is now 19" and counting I'm working on the 3rd skein.

Saturday, December 08, 2007

cleaning out the stash


100_0048
Originally uploaded by possum19871016
I've decided I need to clean out at least 10 more skeins before I buy my sweater yarn.
The Tiramisu blanket will take at least 5 maybe more.I'm addicted to this blanket. I can't put it down I'm already 1+ skeins in about 10 inches.I'm thinking it will be rectangular and I'm going to maybe alter the edging to be more gender neutral. I think it looks a little bit girly, but I'm reserving judgment until the end.
But it is going so quickly, I've maybe worked on this for 3 hours and I'm this far in.
I have been working on this while doing my favorite thing: Listening to podcasts and watching flickr sideshows of yarn and projects.
I really want to knit a pair of fuzzy feet. That would be 2 more skeins, and a pair of fingerless gloves, that's one more.I gave away 2 more skeins last wensday, a scarf 2 skeins of the caron simply soft shadows, 2 skeins patons sws for another scarf, 3 full skeins and 3 partial skeins for my garter scarf. That's just what I can see from sitting here on the bed looking around. Then I think I can justify the sweaters worth of Cascade 220 superwash.

Friday, December 07, 2007

Cast on!

I've been good about finishing stuff lately , so I have allowed myself to start something new.A pair of socks that I'm being payed to knit I just started the cuff on the first last night. Then I started the Tiramisu blanket
http://rosylittlethings.typepad.com/TiramisuBlanket.pdf
For a co-worker due in spring. Made out of some stash-busting cotton ease, will be the perfect baby gift! Color is pistachio, so it will be gender neutral.I got 5 skeins of this in the cotton ease buying spree when the old colors were being clearanced out to make room for the new ones.
It will be crib size , I have some contrasting great looking yellow for the boarder if I run short of the pistachio.
I need some fingerless gloves for typing. I may start that this week.
I want to clear out a few bins of yarn this winter.I have a couple afghans worth that I need to use.more later
TTYL

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Magic 28 parade

I just finished my 4th pair of magic 28 socks:

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Tuesday, December 04, 2007

A small FO parade

The past 2 days have been very profitable in my knitting and just life in general.We got the tree put up and presants wrapped:

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In the past few days I have finished Marcis socks:

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Wrapped:

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Fell in love and crochet a Baby it's cold outside sweater:

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Moddeled by a bear I won along with a Rudolph out of one of those claw machines 2 for 1 on my first try for $1.

Tonight I finished the Green bunny turned bear. Ladies and Gents. Meet Mr.Green:

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Knit out of 5/ish skeins of mystery goodwill acrylic on a g hook is SO SOFT. I'm talking crazy soft. LOVE HIM!

Now I'm off to diddle with some other yarn maybe tomten, maybe something new. I think I've earned it!

Monday, December 03, 2007

Taking stock

I'm trying to get things in order before my vacation starts on friday night.I'm totally useing some of this time to clear up some ufos so,Here is a not so complete list of my ufos/wips:

The Green Bunny that I'm working on tonight and will hopefully finish by the end of my weekend.
Tomten
Nothin but a kids t-shirt in the 6 month size
Bobbi bear
corner to cornner afghan in Cotton tots
Chevron scarf
Devyns blanket
Magic 28 socks


Long term projects:
Cotton granny
The Queen sized blanket
baby log cabin
The Fish afghan
Babette

I have the yarn, but have not started:
Ripple in Cotton ease
A sweaters worth on lion brand wool-ease in black
the wedding shawl
A lot of hats and scarfs
baby it's cold outside #2

There are at least 5 projects that I could finish on my vacation, but I'm not going to push myself.I do however hope to have a good parade of finished objects next wensday after 5 days off in a row with minimal interuptions.At least some good progress pics if nothing else.
BTW, Marcies Socks are finished. probally will save the pic for the parade...