100th Post and a FO

So this is it, my 100th post! I wish I'd realized this sooner. With a bit of planning, it could have been more impressive. As is... well, you'll have to make do with a picture in which I look crazy, but which shows off my So-Called Scarf to great advantage. I've received so many compliments on this!


Details:
Pattern: My So-Called Scarf
Yarn: Manos del Uruguay in Mulled Wine, 2 skeins
Needles: US 11

Thanks for all the good wishes and advice, I'm assembling my travel knitting as we speak. Updates on the progress of my yarn selection to follow, but so far, it's mostly socks, and yarn for a second Lotus Blossom Tank, this one for my sister in the new SWTC bamboo, which is so much softer than the old stuff!
I also bought a bunch of knitting magazines, 1 new knitting book, 1 new spinning book (which looks awesome), and size 0 and 1 DPNs. I hope they let me take those on the plane!

I'm going home!

I just got off the phone with the airline and I'm going home to Germany on April 3! It's so exciting because I haven't been there for almost 6 years now and because I haven't seen my sister since my wedding almost 4 years ago. Now I'm frantically looking around the house for something to knit. Something I can take on 9 hour flights and something I can knit while jetlagged and something I can knit while I'm there. I know I'll buy yarn when I get there, but I'm not going on a 6 week trip without bringing some extra knitting, just in case.

Now if only I can get rid of this nasty cold before I go...

Stitch markers and Manos

I got stitch markers! I won them on knitten kitten's blog, and they're fabulous! Look at them, aren't they pretty?
And yes, that's a crochet hook. My knitting is on size 11 needles and the markers won't fit. Not that I need 'em for that particular project.


Speaking of project, here it is, My so-called scarf in Manos, color: mulled wine. I love this yarn. It is beautiful, the colors are stunning, it's squishy, it's a joy to knit with. I only started this morning, but this is knitting up very quickly, and I think I'll make a hat to go with it.

Sorry for the sideways image. Too lazy to flip it.

Yarn sale: the damage

A Stitch Above in Providence is closing forever, and I went to their going out of business sale. I feel sort of guilty because I'd never been there before, and there's something vulture-like about a bunch of sale hungry people descending on a dying business. But such qualms aside, I'm ecstatic about the amount of stuff I got.


I got a bunch of yarn: 4 skeins in SWTC Bamboo, 2 skeins of Tofutsies, 2 skeins of sock yarn (Artyarns?), 3 skeins of Manos, and 4 skeins of Karaoke, in 2 different yet similar greys. I also got a thrummed mitten kit in a beautiful bright purple, the pattern for Fibertrends felted clogs, and Folk Knitting in Estonia. Now I'm on a yarn diet till the end of the year -- or till I get a job that pays well. Whichever comes first!

Spinning and knitting

I finally got around to dyeing and skeining the rest of my handspun. On the whole, I think my spinning has improved quite a bit since the first skein (the one on top, shown for comparison). It's more even and there aren't as many overtwisted parts. See, no white spots!


I've finished the sock pal socks, and now I have nothing on the needles! It's a scary feeling, must cast on, and quickly!

Right now, I'm swatching for 3 different things. The first is a super-secret, hush-hush SP project and shall not be revealed.

The second is a slip stitch sweater for my sweetie. This is a picture of the yarn, which he picked out himself.


I took him to Sheep's Clothing in Rhinebeck and had him fondle the fiber. Why? Because I'm married to a yarn snob. Neither of us knew this until he touched the WoolEase blanket I was knitting for the in-laws and made a face like he'd stuck his hand into something unpleasant. So now, no knitting happens until the yarn is sweetie-approved. I don't want to bust my behind knitting and knitting just to get a yuck face, you know?

The third project is a sweater for my dad in a gorgeous burgundy alpaca. I had a pattern in mind, but after swatching, I'm not so sure. The gauge was dead on, but I hated the loose fabric it made. Eileen, who has more experience knitting with alpaca than I do, pointed out that it has no memory, so now, I'll have to find a sweater knit at a finer gauge, with a stitch pattern that'll help the alpaca hold its shape.

My SP rocks!

My SP is the greatest! I got more of those amazing toffees I've been talking about for weeks now. Ever since the last package, those toffees have haunted my dreams, and I even rationed out the last couple so they'd last longer. Now I have more!

But I didn't just get toffees. There's also green tea (yum!), the latest issue of knitsimple (love that magazine but don't subscribe to it so I didn't have it), stitch markers (I keep losing 'em, so they're always welcome), stitch holders, and... YARN!


Yarn. Beautifully soft, and you can see for yourselves just how pretty it is. The lighter blues and purples, and then, the amazingly vivid, fuchsia-and-black yarn! Yes, it's vivid, it's weird, and I love it.

Thank you, BlueHen!

Pal socks, STR yarn... socks!

The pal socks are done. My first real socks on size 0 needles. One is a bit wider than the other because my gauge changed from sock to sock, but I'm sending them unblocked for ease of size adjustment.


Here's another shot. Jespere, I hope they fit!


And now, a picture of the Socks that Rock club yarn. I'm so excited. Look at those colors! It isn't something I would have picked out for myself, but now that I'm actually holding the yarn in my hands, I love the colors. It's soft and luscious and we'll see how it knits up.

New Mac!

I am back! One of the big computer chain stores is closing all stores in our state and I got a brand-new Mac on sale. This is my first Mac ever, so we're still getting used to each other. As in, I'm not even sure how to burn a file onto CD. But I'm learning, I'm knitting, and tomorrow, I'll put up some pictures.

One of the downsides of this sudden transition is that I lost all of my bookmarks. So if I regularly visit your blog but you don't hear from me in a couple of days, drop me a line. Don't be shy. I haven't lost interest, I just haven't found you again.

I broke it!

I broke my computer. I stepped on the monitor part of my laptop, and now it looks like glass superimposed over scorched paper. I can't believe I did this! Everything is on that laptop!

I hope they can fix it. Really. I can't believe I did this!

Rockin' Socks!

My first Socks that Rock package has arrived! I love the yarn, the pattern looks like it'll make a cozy sock, and I can't wait to start. But first: sock pal socks. Must not get distracted.
The lady at my LYS saw my finished sock and the amount of yarn I have left. She thinks it'll be enough, but I'm not sure because my row gauge is off and I have more rows per inch than the pattern calls for. The fabric looks beautiful, the fit is perfect, but oh, how I hope the yarn lasts.

Here's the irrational question of the day: am I the only knitter who somehow believes she won't run out of yarn if she knits faster? I know it doesn't make any sense, but I catch myself doing it anyway!

One down

I finished the first sock for my sock pal Jespere. I hope they fit!


I'm also hoping that I won't run out of yarn.

Here are some more thoughts on ML: At first, I thought it was awkward, but the longer I do it, the more I love it. No gaps. Anywhere. No losing DPNs. The only thing that gets lost are stitch markers, but that's why I use the cheapest kind when I'm on the go.
Now that I've knit an entire sock, I also have to say that ML is incredible for those last 8 or so stitches, which are incredibly frustrating on DPNs. 2 on each needle? I usually do that in my lap. No problems this time around!

Bad feeling

I'm worried. The first sock pal sock is nearly finished, but I may have used more than half the yarn. To make matters worse, I wound the ball around the little paper band that contains a few minor bits of information, such as the name of the colorway and the dye lot. Aaaargh!

I hope I don't run out of yarn.