Dancing Knitter

Trellis Lives Again

2012-01-04T16:22:00.000-08:00

When my cousin had her first baby, I knit Trellis. It was the first baby sweater I knit, for the first baby in that generation of cousins. Sadly, the sweater was stolen. I wrote about it here.

Now that I am having my first baby, I decided to reknit this sweater. I may have mentioned before that I don't always love knitting cables, but I love the way they look. All I can say is thank goodness this is a baby a sweater. It might be her only handknit cabled sweater, but never say never.

When knitting for baby, I have been trying to stay away from pink, assuming that we would get tons of pink clothes (which we have). I had pink buttons for this sweater already that I bought about three years ago when a knitting shop closed. I thought about doing a white sweater about a minute before reminding myself that this would be for a little person that will probably spit up a lot. So, pink it is!

Also, this year for New Year's Eve, we didn't really do anything. My sister-in-law came over and played video games with my husband while I finished a book I was reading. We kept it low key and just stayed home and I was actually able to stay up late enough to watch the ball drop.

Here's me & baby on NYE, 36 weeks :)

Catching Up

2011-12-03T07:44:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it is already December! Yikes! I haven't even started thinking about Christmas knitting. All I can think about are baby knits!! Fortunately, I have stock piled some finished knitted items throughout the year. Just have to figure out what goes where.

So, finished knits. I did end up finishing the rainbow striped socks; and in less than a week. Definitely worth frogging!! They are plain, simple, and I love them.

I have a bunch of leftover rainbow yarn, so I made this baby hat:

Then I seemed to get on a kick of baby knitting. During a recent knit night, one of the knitters brought some of her leftover sock yarn and let everyone have at it. Now, I have a ton of these leftover sock yarn balls, but somehow when it comes from someone else and there are different colorways, it is just so much better. With the one ball I took, I made this hat:

I thought I had enough leftover still to make a pair of infant socks. I got this far on the second sock and ran out of yarn:

So clever knitter that I am, I ripped out the top part of the hat and knit off from the hat onto the unfinished sock and then finished the hat up again. Hopefully the hat will still be long enough. Here are the finished socks:

Next I decided to knit another pair of infant socks that would match the first baby sweater I made for our first baby. You would think that I would have learned my lesson. Here is the first sock:

And the second sock:

As you can see, I managed to do it again. Unfortunately, this time I did not have a rolled brim hat that I could steal some yarn from. Doesn't quite work the same with a finished baby sweater.

Recently, when listening to the Knitmore Girls Podcast, they advised that "it never hurts to ask." I am usually one that doesn't like to ask for help or especially for freebies. Don't get me wrong, I love freebies; I just don't like ASKING for them. But then I remembered the knitter from knit night who gave away all those leftover balls of sock yarn and thought I would turn to Ravelry.

I just have to say, knitter's are the nicest, coolest people ever!! Within a couple hours of posting my desperate request, a fellow knitter on Ravelry (who I did not know previously) offered to send me the required yarn to finish off my sock. Amazing!! And, to boot, she let me know that she wouldn't be able to mail it to me until Monday because she was in the process of moving. Are you kidding me!?! Awesome!!! There should definitely be some good knitter's karma coming her way.

So basically in the last month, I have been doing more knitting than blogging, which I sometimes feel bad about, but not really. Let's face it, it takes much longer to knit things to blog about than it does to actually type up the blog post. Besides how can you resist knitting when it's cold outside and this is your view from the couch:

(That boy LOVES the fire!).

Also a baby "bump" (more like bulge) update:

Thanksgiving, 31 weeks

Crazy or Brilliant?

2011-11-09T07:50:00.000-08:00

Now I am sure we all have those projects that need to spend some time alone and think about what they have done to us. They get put away in a bag, a drawer, or shoved into the back of a closet. I recently pulled out one of these such projects. This guy had been on "time out" for about a year (not really sure, because for some reason I never entered it on ravelry...so not like me). Here is the project that had to think long and hard about what he did:

They are sideways socks. The pattern wasn't particularly hard, just a different way of constructing socks, which I thought would be fun when I started them. I also thought it would be cool to have sock with vertical stripes instead of horizontal ones. Turns out I was wrong. These socks were not fun at all for me. If I was dreading working on the first sock, what made me think I would ever do the second sock? It might have been my first case for Second Sock Syndrome (SSS).

So the sock was shoved in a bag and then smashed into the bottom of my knitting basket. I pulled it out the other day and didn't want it sitting there unfinished any longer (maybe pregnancy is causing finishitis). I hated to rip it out because I spent so much time on it already, but after realizing that I would have to keep knitting this sock plus the second one in order to finish the pair, I finally decide to frog it (something that is sometimes very painful for me as I watch hours and hours of work be undone in minutes).

In these situations, all you can do is slip the needle out and RIP IT!

It actually ended up looking like really colorful top ramen, which is kind of fun. Plus once it was all ripped out I immediately cast on a pair of basic toe up socks. I finished one sock in about two days and have already cast on number 2.

I felt a little crazy at first when I frogged all my hard work, but felt brilliant once I had finished that first sock.

Made My Day!

2011-11-01T14:47:00.000-07:00

About 5 years ago, I was able to go to a book signing for the Yarn Harlot. Me, being a shy person (and newer to the knitting world), didn't say much. Just got my audio book signed, took a picture, and that was pretty much it.

Stephanie just finished another book tour, and there weren't any events close enough for me to attend, but there was one in Portland where my cousin lives. I begged her to go so that I could live vicariously through her. I informed her that she should take her first pair of socks and at least one of her kiddos so that she could be on Stephanie's blog.

I am so glad my cousin made it to the event and she went all out! She took both kids and her husband. I don't think she showed Stephanie any of her own knitting. She had everyone in the family wearing or holding something I had knit for them. She even told Stephanie that they were there for Aunt Amanda and that I had knit all those things. To this Stephanie said, "Aunt Amanda rocks!" That was seriously better than if I had gone to a signing by myself and not said much to her.

Here is the post. My cousin is Laurie, with husband, Timothy, and kids. The Yarn Harlot even mentions "Auntie Amanda." Absolutely awesome!!!

Excuses, Excuses

2011-10-12T07:59:00.001-07:00

In my last post I said that I had been super busy, but didn't explain why. Without going into a drawn out story of every little thing we have been doing for the past six weeks or so, I will just say this: we bought our first house!! This is a very exciting time, but also very exhausting since the house we purchased needed/needs a lot of TLC. Hopefully I will be able to post some before and after pictures soon.

On top of all the house projects, I have also been working on growing our baby :)

We found out we are having a GIRL!!

On the knitting front (somehow I was able to sneak it in...including while standing in line at the paint counter at Home Depot), I have some finished projects to share.

Remembering that I have been busy, you must also keep in mind that it was just easier to take pictures with my phone and upload them that way. Translation: quality of pictures sucks.

After finding out we are having a baby girl, I immediately started and (relatively quickly) finished this sweater:

And these longies:

I also made slippers for my niece. She turned four and there was a cute conversation her mom had posted on FB about how she was born in the year of the "Piggy." Being born in the year of the Boar myself, I appreciated the change to the year of the "Piggy" and I figured these slippers would be the perfect gift from me to her:

A View From Behind the Needles

2011-08-30T18:08:00.001-07:00

During the last week or two, I barely have enough time to go grocery shopping, let alone knit. So for my post today I bring you another "AVFBN" (see title).

This is where I could squeeze in about 25 stitches today:

That's right, the car wash. Fun times.

Craft Bug

2011-08-22T20:46:00.000-07:00

Lately I seem to have been bitten by the Craft Bug. I know that knitting is crafty, but I have the urge to branch out. Some of these crafty things remind me of my childhood, like making friendship bracelets. I used to love making and wearing them. I just finished a bracelet this week, although the method of making it was new.

So basically you just keep moving the thread to the opposite side of the wheel, rotate and repeat. Then a bracelet comes out the other end. Amazing! (What can I say, I'm a simple girl.)

Then after looking around on my new obsession, Pinterest, I found wire wrapped rings, so I decided to make one of those as well. Super quick craft!

Also, on Pinterest, I found a ton of nail art. I was inspired. I used to do fun things with my toenails all the time (again, feeling a little nostalgic). I did something fun with my toenails for Fourth of July this year, but what to do next??

Zebra print!! DH just laughs at me. Oh well. I might as well enjoy doing fun things on my toenails now. Soon enough I won't be able to see my feet anymore. The beginnings of the bump:

One Year Ago Today...

2011-08-14T07:27:00.000-07:00

I married my best friend.

We have accomplished so much together in our first year of marriage. Here's a quick run down and review of the last year...

You started your new job and we moved within our first month.

We carved pumpkins together for the very first time.

You prepared and barbecued your first Thanksgiving turkey and now you may be stuck doing it forever. Seemed like nobody could get enough of it!

We celebrated Christmas and sent out our first family Christmas card.

Then we went to Reno with friends to bring in the New Year.

In February, I started my new job. We also hosted our first Super Bowl Party, which I'm sure is something that you would love to repeat every year :)

In April, you spoiled me on my birthday and we celebrated Easter with both of our families.

In May, we found out that our family will be growing :)

For the Fourth of July, we had a great view for fireworks and the least amount of traffic I have ever experienced for a fireworks event. (You were right!)

We celebrated our anniversary early in Pismo since I would be starting work and wouldn't be able to go anywhere during our anniversary weekend.

In August, we celebrated your 30th Birthday.

Currently, we are on the final stretch of owning our own home. It's hard to believe all we have done in one year and I can't wait to see what the next 74+ years (as you say) has in store for us. I love you!

Yum Yum

2011-08-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

I love fresh baked goods on a Saturday morning! Is there anything better? It also makes me feel amazing when I can put together some simple ingredients I have on hand and create this:

Bar Exam Update

2011-08-02T07:49:00.000-07:00

Let me just start by saying that no, I was not allowed to knit during the Bar Exam. Yes, I knew that would probably be the case, but better safe than sorry.

Last week I proctored for the Bar Exam. I got this assignment through a temp agency and didn't really know what to expect. All I knew was that I was scheduled to work Monday 12-5pm, and Tuesday through Friday 9-5pm. Turns out what little I did know was incorrect. The hours for Monday were correct, but the rest of the week was basically Tuesday through Thursday 6:30 IN THE MORNING to 6:30 IN THE EVENING! Needless to say the "short" work week was very long. Especially when you add in the hour it took me to get home everyday with traffic. One day it took 35 minutes just to get out of the parking lot!

The way I can best sum up proctoring for the Bar Exam is this: I don't know who has it worse. The person taking a test for 18 hours over three days or the person just watching people take a test for 18 hours over three days. At least the people taking the test have something to do!

Now I know I was paid to watch people take a test, distribute and collect test questions, and watch for potential cheaters and they had to pay to take the test. I guess you also have to figure in all the hours they spent studying to prepare for this test knowing that only about 50% of them would pass. But if you just think about those 18 hours, I think the proctors and myself had it much worse!

I tried to keep myself entertained by counting how many people had sandals on, or were wearing jewelry, or were younger than me, or had long sleeves on, etc. Some proctors even created scavenger hunts to trade with other proctors for their different sections. Each proctor was watching over 30 people and there were about 1500 examinees (which I kept calling them testees, after which realizing how that sounds).

Needless to say, I don't know that I would do it again. If they let me knit, then it would be another story. I could have knit a baby sweater and then some!

Just In Case

2011-07-25T10:19:00.000-07:00

This is my last week off before I go back to work. What am I doing with my last week, you ask?? Working.

I can't complain because I've already had five weeks off. It just so happened that the only week the temp agency called me with an assignment was my last week off.

I will be helping to administer the BAR Exam. This sounds somewhat interesting, but will most likely be very boring. I have given the CA State Standardized Test to elementary and middle school students for three years now, so I assume it will be very similar to that, except with adults. Basically checking people in, reading directions, and then hours of monitoring and watching for cheating. When talking to my mom about this I said, "Do you really think I'll have to monitor them the whole time? I mean they are adults and they will be lawyers." My mom's response: "Exactly. They will be lawyers." No offense if you are one or know one (I know a few myself), but I see her point.

I was really hoping I would have some time to do some knitting while they're testing, so just in case I started these infant socks.

Here's hoping it's not too boring and that I can do some knitting.

Little Monsters

2011-07-19T15:02:00.000-07:00

I love these little Monster Chunks. Not only are they quick, easy, and use up leftover sock yarn, they are adorable too!

I really prefer the eye placement of the monster on the left. I completed the one on the right first, so I guess it's like the "first pancake," the one you throw out because it doesn't turn out as well. I won't throw it out, but I might donate it to the cats. They seem to enjoy it.

Lack of Knitting

2011-07-14T10:05:00.001-07:00

I have not been knitting as much as usual. I did not even post during the month of June, which is somewhat disappointing since I had been pretty consistent up until that point.

Instead of posting about knitting, I will just post pictures from what we have already done during July (I don't even have pictures of anything for the month of June. Not sure what happened there).

We went to the Alameda County Fair with my parents (an annual tradition). They were able to beat the World's Record for the largest hamburger, so of course we had to take this dorky picture.

We ate corn dogs (a fair must!).

For the first time, we went and watched the pig races. How have I missed this in all the previous years we've gone??? Hilarious!

I don't know why, but I always love wearing things that relate to a holiday, like black and orange on Halloween, or red, white and blue for the 4th of July. So on the Fourth I wore some patriotic earrings that I made that morning, a white top, a blue skirt, and red flip flops. While I don't have a picture of this amazing ensemble (ha ha, I crack myself up), I did happen to take a picture of the artwork I did on my toenails.

In the morning we attended a parade. It was probably 95 to 100 degrees! That's commitment my friends. I don't know the last time (if ever) that I have gone to a parade for the 4th of July, but we all had a great time. DH took tons of pictures, so I will just include the beginning and the end of the parade.

After the parade we tried out a new BBQ place. DH loved it more then his usual BBQ place and we plan to go back. It was a LOT of food and also very delicious. I hate to admit it, but my favorite part was the free ice cream.

After lunch, we went home and took a nap. Then headed over to my in-laws for a BBQ dinner. Believe me, we did not go hungry that day! Then DH, my sister-in-law and I headed out to watch fireworks. We actually ended up watching them from DH's work parking lot. I was a little skeptical, but it was actually very quiet and easy to go when we were ready to leave.

Our one year anniversary is coming up on August 14th. Since I will be starting a new school year on August 1st, I will not be able to go anywhere during that month. We decided to celebrate a month early and since DH's work closed for the week of the 4th of July, we took that opportunity to go to Pismo Beach. The weather was perfect. Of course, the first thing we did when we got there was eat (notice I never leave out this important part of any event).

It's almost a little sad how much we look forward to having that clam chowder bowl at Brad's. I highly recommend it!

Most of the time we were there, we spent it in the hotel room just relaxing. I was able to actually get a sock finished and started on the second sock. Yay! Since these are going to be a Christmas gift I am extra excited that I am now almost done with the pair. That's my one bit of knitting news in this post :)

We did go down to the beach as well.

We have never taken a beach umbrella with us before, but it was totally worth it!! Here's our little set up.

Hope everyone had a safe 4th of July and is having a wonderful summer!

Finished for the Not Warm Weather

2011-05-26T18:43:00.000-07:00

Since it is almost June I decided to finish my Make Up Your Mind tank. Unfortunately, it hasn't really warmed up enough yet to wear it. Hopefully it will be warm this weekend when we go camping and I can show it off.

It's kind of funny that I love the back more than the front. The horizontal sections with different stitch patterns seem to highlight my midsection (which is not what most women want), but overall I like it and plan on wearing during the summer.

I have another purple tank top that I just need to block and seam the sides. Why I didn't knit it in the round is beyond me. It's been a couple years in the making because it is all boring stockinette stitch and I have lost interest several times. I'm hoping to have it done by next week, but who knows. I tend to put off all seaming as long as possible. Wish me luck!

Tiffany Morgan

2011-05-18T18:08:00.000-07:00

On Monday I finished these:

And on Tuesday (her birthday), Tiffany's mom put them on her:

And of course I had to have my turn to hold her :)

Congrats to Erin & Ben on their beautiful baby girl!

Finished Objects

2011-05-09T17:47:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post of some finished projects...yay!

Here is the Felted Fair Isle Bag that I did as a knit-a-long with some lovely ladies in my knitting group. The KAL was done on Ravelry. Check it out here.

I recently finished Anouk. I knit the skirt in the round instead of leaving it as two pieces that you button together. I omitted the pockets and did three flowers across the bottom instead. This will be a gift for a very special girl that will be turning 1 this month :)

Last night while watching the San Jose Sharks lose :( , I finished these socks. They are just basic toe up socks with an afterthought heel. They remind me of Andes candy...the mint chocolate candies. I am giving them away as a Christmas gift and might include some of those candies. BTW, you didn't misread that; I said I FINISHED A CHRISTMAS GIFT. So proud :)

On the needles I have Make Up Your Mind Tank and Calypso tank. Obviously I am ready for summer!

Birthdays Are the Best!

2011-04-18T08:28:00.000-07:00

I don't know about anyone else, but I really like to stretch out my birthday celebration as long as possible. I haven't been doing a ton of knitting lately, so I have some pictures of how I have been celebrating my birthday thus far.

First, the night before my birthday, DH gave me my gift (I am super impatient). The first things I pulled out of the gift bag were these:

DH said one is me and one is him. I love how adorable he is in that way. The monkeys are wind ups and they do make me laugh as the move sideways across the table.

Also in the gift bag I received this:

It's a Kindle in a purple case! Awesome! I have been debating over getting a Kindle for over a year. I love reading and I liked the idea of the Kindle (portable, light weight, many books in one for travel, etc.), but I was not sure if I wanted it because I was resisting change. There is something to be said about having a paper book in your hand and actually turning the pages. Now that I have it, I LOVE it! I still have some books on my bookshelf that I will keep because I will reread them. Also, I don't think I would want a digital version of a knitting books. You really need to be able to flip through those.

When I told my dad what DH had given me and that he was also taking me to a nice dinner on my actual birthday, my dad said, "It better be nice if all he got you was a candle." Cracked me up!

So the dinner was a surprise...we went to La Fondue. Melted cheese, lobster, filet mignon, chicken, shrimp and melted chocolate for dessert. Can't go wrong with that!

They brought out our dessert dippers with two candles and two glasses of champagne.

Probably the best birthday dinner ever!

On Saturday, I went to the LYS with a knitter friend. This shop has a make your own birthday sale with a chance for 100% off. On Saturday they were having an anniversary sale for everyone that was similar. You draw a poker chip out of a vase and get 20, 40, or 80% off. I decided to do the anniversary sale on Saturday and then save the birthday sale for another day this month (remember, I like to stretch out the celebration). I was stoked when I pulled out the chip for 40% off! I bought a pair of circular needles and this yarn:

After the yarn shopping, my friend and I went across the street to a bar for a drink, a couple games of Scrabble, and knitting. Again, awesome!

Then Saturday night I went out to dinner with DH and friends. We went to BJ's Brewery. They have this amazing dessert that is called a Pizookie. If you haven't had one and you are ever near a BJ's, you must get it! Normally they are not this large, but this one was the size of a large pizza.

After drinking, having appetizers, and dinner, I figured there was no way the 7 of us there would finish this thing. Five minutes after singing "Happy Birthday" this was what was left:

I also received a couple more gifts. A bottle of wine and a wine glass. The related gifts were not planned that way, so I thought that made it great.

My friend decorated the wine glass and named it "Big Al." For those of you who don't watch the show, it is a reference to Cougar Town and "Big Joe" (RIP) and "Big Carl." Love it!

Needless to say I had a fantastic birthday!!

Spinning & Fair Isle

2011-04-03T17:05:00.000-07:00

As I posted in an earlier blog, I have tried to do some spinning with a spindle. Another knitter in my knitting group and I decided that it may be helpful to take a class. She took a class at Stitches West, and I wanted to try a class. Even though another knitter in our group taught us how to spin, there is something to be said for paying for a class and knowing that you are going to devote that said amount of time to the new activity.

The class was good because it was just the two of us and we were able to ask lots of questions. I don't feel like a pro and I constantly had to remind myself not to get too discouraged. It's not like my first knitting project was a cabled sweater or anything. It was more like lots and lots of stockinette scarves and some dishcloths. I have to keep that in mind when I feel that I should have evenly utn fiber that looks like store bought yarn. Anyway, after the spinning class I was able to walk away with my first (mini) skein of two-ply yarn.

By no means perfect, but it actually looks more like yarn than anything I spun before. Now I just have to practice...

Another thing I have been inspired to do from knitters in the knitting group is to join a KAL on Ravelry. There are several of us in the group who joined the Fair Isle Tote KAL. I have done fair isle once before, but I have yet to teach myself how to continental knit so that I can knit with two strands of color with one in each hand. This is how far I've gotten on the tote so far:

the bottom:

the side:

and the dreaded ends I will have to weave in:

A couple of knitters were working ahead of the KAL schedule, so I decided to do the same. I forgot how much fair isle knitting is "potato chip" knitting. You can't stop after one.

Since I am well ahead of schedule, I am going to try to force myself to learn how to continental knit (which I know will slow me down, and therefore has put me off to doing it). As another knitter reminded me, the point of this project is to learn something new. Since I have done felting and fair isle before (although not together), I should really take this opportunity to learn the new skill of continental knitting. Wish me luck (and patience)!

The Thirteen Dollar Sweater

2011-03-24T08:44:00.000-07:00

I finished the Garter Yoke Cardi in a day over a month. Although that month was February, so technically I finished in 29 days which is less than a month for every month except February. Point is, this was by far the fastest knit for a sweater.

It was also the cheapest! I used Lion Brand's Fishermen's Wool. It wouldn't be considered a high end yarn, but it's warm and I have read that it tends to soften up with several washings. The best part is that it was $6.40 a skein with a coupon and I only needed 2 skeins. Can't beat that! I did spend an extra $5 for the buttons (with a coupon of course!), but I had store credit, so I don't really count that as part of the cost.

The sweater is a perfect fit, which is one of the benefits of making your own clothes. My one minor criticism is that it ripples a little where the buttons are, but I was assured that it doesn't stand out too much because of the color of the yarn. I can deal with a little rippling on the button band (although I would like to learn how to avoid this) if it means the sweater isn't baggy.

It has been really rainy and cold here, so it is the perfect weather for a nice cozy sweater.

Quick Knit

2011-03-17T08:09:00.000-07:00

As I try to finish up my cardigan, I felt that I needed a quick knit. I also have a baby shower to attend next month. I made a baby blanket already, but figured I might add some other knitted things to the gift. I finished this bib:

The pattern is Quacking Up and I was able to use some cotton yarn from my stash. There are several other bib patterns on the Down Cloverlaine blog and I would definitely like to make some more. So cute, quick, and easy.

In non-knitting news, my job has been going well. Part of my job entails meeting with families and collecting some sample work. I usually meet families where there is free wifi so that I can work in between appointments. I won't say where I was, but I bought this sandwich for over $8 (no drink) and was super disappointed:

Seriously!?! And the bag of chips...are you kidding me. You may not get the full effect of how few chips there are so I dumped them out and took a picture before eating a single chip.

I don't even like potato chips that much and I was sad about this. Maybe this is my American portion size crazy talk, but I know I could get more sandwich for less money elsewhere. Oh well. Live and learn. The next time I had a meeting there during lunch I got a clam chowder bread bowl. It was much more filling and less expensive, so I guess that's the way to go.

One last picture that I must include. DH and I sometimes have what we call "date night," which some times means going out and other times means watching a movie at home and laying on the couch. Apparently the cats felt that they were in need of a date night as well.

It actually cracked me up because they don't lay like this often, if ever.

Baking and Recreating

2011-03-06T09:37:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning and felt like making something different for breakfast. On the weekends, DH and I usually make a hot breakfast as opposed to our usual cereal that we eat during the week. This morning I woke up early while he was still sleeping I baked scones.

They turned out pretty good and it's kind of fun to rediscover what you can create with some simple ingredients most of us already have on hand.

As for the recreating...I started the September Sweater in January and I finished one sleeve (I decided to make it long sleeved):

That's as far as I got. I love the way this sweater looks and I really wanted to own it. After getting this far, I decided that it had become a "dreaded knit." I love the way cables look and I can handle knitting them, but I think this sweater had too many cables throughout the whole thing and I just decided I didn't want to make myself finish it. Also, I felt like the cables got lost in the yarn that I chose for this project. I should have used a solid color yarn. I really wanted to complete another sweater for myself and this wasn't the way to do it. It just took far too much concentration.

So I started something EXTREMELY simple. This was better for me because I could mindlessly work on it while watching TV or while talking at knit night. I wasn't quite ready to frog the sleeve I had finished on the September Sweater, so I used the rest of the ball of yarn to start the Garter Yoke Cardi. Finally I came to the point where I needed to use the yarn from the first sweater so I am knitting straight off of that.

This way it feels less like frogging and more like recreating.

Stitches West 2011

2011-02-26T08:36:00.001-08:00

So much has been going on. It's like I went from sitting around knitting and catching up on TV series on Netflix to working full time and not finding enough time in the day. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, but the house is a little messier and it's more challenging to get in my goal of a blog post a week. I'm going to do my best though!

For those of you who don't know, Stitches West is this huge knitting convention that happens once a year in Santa Clara, CA. This is conveniently a 15 minute drive from where I live. People come from all over and make a weekend out of it. One of these years I'd like to treat it that way or go to a convention like this that is further away. To me, Stitches almost feels like going to the world's biggest yarn shop since it is so close. Here is what it looks like:

And Lily Chin was there:

Might I say, that since I went alone and was taking these random pictures of nobody and everybody, I kind of felt like a creeper. Ha ha! Oh well, wanted people to get the idea that it's no small thing.

Anyway, I only ended up attending one day and I took two Market Session classes. The first one was "Knitting in Both Directions." Basically you knit right to left like normal, and then instead of turning you work over and knitting that direction again, you keep the right side facing you and knit from left to right. I definitely need more practice before I try doing this on an actual project because I'm pretty sure my gauge would vary dramatically throughout the project.

The next Market Session that I took was "A Taste of Bead Knitting." I haven't really attempted knitting with beads, but I've seen some awesome projects that I might want to try. Most likely, I would want to do a shawl with a few beads here and there to add a little something. Since the Market Sessions are only an hour, we knit beaded bracelets (which hey, a finished project in one hour...not too shabby!). Here is the kit they gave us (very organized!):

And the finished product:

During Stitches, your spending can easily get out of hand. People even discuss strategies for staying on a budget, like bringing an allotted amount of cash and then once it's gone that's it! I forgot to bring my cash, but I did fairly well in the beginning. This is what I bought before my last class:

I must admit, if I'm sitting in the car and I get stopped at a red light and there is some knitting next to me, I'm tempted. I felt that I may need this reminder:

And by far my favorite. If only it were true:

I bought this kit:

Every year that I go to Stitches I am tempted to buy these sock blockers and this year I decided it was going to be my "splurge":

So that was everything I bought before my last class. Notice I didn't really buy any yarn, aside from what came in the kit. My husband reminded me before I left that I have plenty of sock yarn in my stash...he doesn't understand!

As I was leaving the convention, I did one more walk around (just in case I missed something). That's when I discovered Sunshine Yarns. Her color variety and combinations were amazing! That is what initially drew me into her booth. Then I started reading the names of the colors. Many were Harry Potter and Twilight themed. Since I love both series, it was over right then and there. I had to have some. My only regret is that I couldn't get more!

The yarn on top is called "Esme" (Twilight) and the darker one on the bottom is called "Department of Mysteries" (Harry Potter):

I have so much more catching up to do (blogwise) so I'll try to post again soon. By the way, I love comments, so if you got this far please leave one :)

View From Behind the Needles

2011-02-17T18:22:00.000-08:00

This might be a reoccurring themed post on the blog so I can stick with posting at least once a week. You will see the view from behind my knitting needles :)

This is what I saw last night as I was knitting and watching TV.

Still trying to finish my "congrats on your new job socks.". I might finish my first week of work before I finish these socks!

Celebration Yarn

2011-02-09T14:06:00.000-08:00

As I have mentioned before, I have been on somewhat of a yarn diet. When I get the itch to start a new project, I go to the stash first and try to find some treasures there instead of buying more yarn. We've been trying to stick to a budget and yarn purchases weren't really a part of that budget.

Then there comes a time when you need to celebrate (like when you get a new job after eight months of unemployment). So after I enthusiastically accepted a new job yesterday, I went and bought some yarn to celebrate.

The colorway of this yarn is just a number, so I call it "Congrats On Your New Job." Something bright and happy. And out of this yarn I have started my "Congrats On Your New Job" socks.

The actual pattern is Monkey by Cookie A. This is my first time knitting two socks at the same time on circular needles. So far it is going well, but I think the real reward will be at the end when I don't have to cast on a second sock because it will already be done.

On an off topic note, I wanted to share what I made for our Super Bowl party. I will not take credit for the idea (I found it somewhere online).

Deviled eggs as footballs with chives as the laces. They were too cute not to share!

It's Good to Double Check...

2011-02-08T08:57:00.000-08:00

...before you double knit.

Two years ago, I took a class on double knitting at Stitches West. It was a fun class and I really enjoyed learning a new technique. We made a little square with a heart on it. Mine was red and black. We were even given a sheet of notes on how to double knit. By the end of class I felt rather confident in my new skill.

Over the next two years, I didn't do a single project with double knitting. Recently I found a pattern for these potholders. I thought, "Double knitting. Awesome, I totally know how to do this."

So I cast on and started knitting. Again my "friend" Denial was playing games with me. It wasn't until I was two-thirds of the way done with this potholder:

that I realized something was wrong. It may be difficult to see in the picture, but every time I changed the color from the background color(in this picture, green) the opposite color (white) would be really tight. If you compare it to the picture below you might be able to see the difference. I contemplated just finishing it, but in the end the decision to frog it (rip it out) was the only right one. I really need to just accept that frogging is a part of knitting, whether I like it or not. So here is a picture of my frogged work:

I'm really glad I ended up starting over and doing it right. Next time I shouldn't be overly confident in something I haven't done in two years (unless it's riding a bike...and even then) and be okay with checking my notes. That's why I have them. Finished product:

And the other side:

On another note, I joined the knitting boot camp found in this group on ravelry.com. Hopefully that will keep the stress of gift knitting at a minimum. I already earned my first badge :)

Completing the Outfit

2011-02-02T08:30:00.000-08:00

Last night DH and I went to the San Jose Sharks game. I don't own a jersey (like about 90% of the fans) so I wanted to wear something to support the team. Last time we went I wore one of DH's shirts, which was a little big.

It just so happens that I had some yarn in the stash with the perfect colors (black, teal & gray). The next thing I had to do was decide on what pattern to use. I thought about a hat, but wasn't really sure how great it would look with this variegated yarn. I was looking through patterns on Ravelry , but nothing truly inspired me.

Then I thought of the cowl I made for my mother-in-law. I doubled my yarn (since it was worsted and not bulky) and made this:

Then I added some teal earrings (which I must say is a rare occassion for me to ditch my stud earrings and wear some pretty dangly ones). A complete outfit:

Here we are at the game. The picture is a little blurry because I took it with my phone. I really wanted the rink in the background, but DH had his hands full with nachos and didn't really want to stand up and turn around. Gotta have your priorities straight :)

The game wasn't so great while we were there. The other team scored 3 goals. We had decided before we got there that we were going to leave at the end of the second period. The Sharks scored with seven seconds left in the second period. By the time we got home the Sharks had tied the game and then we watched (on TV) them score the goal to win the game. It's a good thing we don't go to more games. We leave, and they pull it together. Oh well.

What's a Mama To Do?

2011-01-31T14:51:00.000-08:00

And by mama, I mean to our kitten. We got a new kitten in December and he is absolutely adorable.

He's fun, rambunctious, cuddly and all the great things a kitten should be,

but there's one small issue. The boy won't let me sleep through the night. He has this habit of kneading in my hair as if he were trying to nurse on my head. As funny as it was at first, I really miss being able to sleep through the night. I have had to wear hoodies to bed and tie them up tight. If I don't wear a hoodie, I have to wrap the sheet tight around my head and leave a small hole to breathe through. I MAY be catering to the kitten just a little...

I think about locking him out of the bedroom, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Tonight might be the night. Besides I miss having our first cat sleeping on the bed with us.

I also hate the fact that my hair has become the kitten's new felting project!

This is the original cat:

Doesn't that look just say, "I'm cute and I miss sleeping in bed with you guys. I promise I won't wake you in the middle of the night or knead in your hair (although I did suckle on your arms and neck all the time when I was a kitten...)."

Just Barely

2011-01-26T18:03:00.000-08:00

I have been working on the Pinwheel Baby Blanket and finally finished it today, barely.

Most of my recent projects have been done using up stashed yarn and I have been doing really well on my yarn "diet." I had four balls of pink yarn that I used to make this blanket:

By the time I decided it was time to do the fancy edging on the blanket, I had 500 stitches all the way around. I was binding off and I had 79 stitches left and this is the amount of yarn I had:

DRAMA! Sure I found some people that had the yarn showing in their stash on Ravelry, but I really didn't want to go through the hassle of ordering it, paying for it, and waiting for it when I needed so little. I had several ends to weave in, so I came to this idea. Instead of weaving in the ends, I tied knots (I know, GASP!) and saved all the little pieces:

Then I tied those together (I know, more knots):

Then I prayed that I could bind off the last 79 stitches. It worked! Although it wasn't without some sweating (and maybe a little cursing) on my part. This is how much of the tied together scraps I had left when I finished binding off:

And finally, this is ALL of the remaining yarn from the 4 balls I used to make this blanket:

I NEVER want to have that happen again. I guess I had to up do myself from when I thought I had hardly any yarn left here.

I just hope the recipient loves it...and she's not a knitter so she may not notice all the knots :)

Fiber Friday

2011-01-14T14:58:00.000-08:00

Many bloggers have specific themes for specific days, like Wordless Wednesdays or Random Mondays, and I have always liked the idea. I'm sure it helps you to keep blogging on a more regular basis. I don't know that I will continue Fiber Fridays, but it's fitting for this post.

A couple of years ago I bought a drop spindle at Stitches West. I don't really know anything about spinning, but I have been curious. I finally decided to buy one about 10 minutes before the market closed. The woman I bought it from was kind enough to show me how to use it. I think I tried it once after that and it then sat in the closet. Until this last Wednesday night that is. One of the girls that attends the meetup said that she would teach two of us how to use our spindles. She was very patient and even gave me some better fiber to use (we knitters/spinners will do anything to temp others to fall for our craft). This is what the fiber looks like before it is spun:

And this is what it looks like after I spin it (tangle it up):

I have tried to do a little each day and like all things it takes practice. I have also put a book about spinning on hold at the library, so maybe that will help me figure things out.

Yesterday, I attended my second guild meeting. One of the members taught us how to make the silk azalea pattern she designed from silk hankies. It was so much fun and so different.

You start with a silk hankie:

Then you pull one layer off:

Next, you draft it out. This is done by poking a hole in the center with your finger and pulling it open. When it is thin enough, you break apart the loop and it will look like this:

Then you knit the petals (no spinning required):

I will be sure to post the finished product when it is done.

Happy (Fiber) Friday!

Inspection Team

2011-01-12T10:26:00.000-08:00

Just so you know, most of my knitting projects must pass an intense inspection. You can see the team hard at work:

After working hard, some members love playing in their "crinkle tube" that Santa brought them this year:

I tried to catch Oliver poking his head through the hole in the middle because it is so cute. This is me tempting him with string:

Unfortunately, he didn't fall for it. Oh well!

Here are some recently finished projects:

I love the colors on the cowl and the yarn is SO soft! It was a birthday present, so I did have to part with it. I'm trying to be better about letting go of some of my projects. A lot of times I really want to keep them because of all the hard work and time I put into them. That's why I tend to be a little selective on where their final home will be.

I also made my first 2 layer cake. I know it's nothing spectacular, but I was proud of myself and it was much cheaper than a store bought cake (and much tastier, if I do say so myself).

A New Year

2011-01-05T16:47:00.000-08:00

I'm bringing in the new year with a finished project. A Christmas present from last year (but not as late at that makes it sound). I just mailed it off today and I am SO ready to move beyond socks.

The yarn is STR from Blue Moon Fiber and the colorway is called Tidepooling.

The pattern is Seedy Rib Socks.

The way the coloring turned out is interesting. I love the colors, but I'm still deciding on whether or not I like the way the colors worked up on the foot. Hopefully the recipient enjoys them!

I was getting nervous that I was going to run out of yarn as I was nearing the end of the second sock. Here is what I had left:

I've seen much closer calls, but it was still very nerve-racking to me.

After reading Frugal Family Fun blog, I started thinking about what I could do with some recyclables that I had around the house and came up with this:

I'm pretty sure I've seen a similar container used this way before, but I was proud of myself for making it and adding the fabric to dress it up a little bit. It keeps the yarn neat and a little more hidden from some curious cats around here.

I wanted to also post a Christmas gift that I received this year:

I love it! It is so perfect. The only one of those four things that I haven't been doing is grading. Due to layoffs, I don't need time to grade and I have more time to knit (if you want to see the bright side of losing your job...)

To celebrate New Year's this year, we went to Reno with some friends. We usually just stay in or go to a friend's house nearby. Since some friends invited us and it is our first year as a married couple we decided to go.

The drive up was beautiful and no chains were necessary:

We celebrated our first "married" New Year's:

And the drive home wasn't quite as beautiful (if not a little scary in a Honda), but still did not need chains:

Hope everyone had a happy and safe New Year's!

Tis the Season

2010-12-30T16:19:00.002-08:00

For knitting. I didn't take the time to post before Christmas because I was doing A LOT of knitted gifts this year. These are the gifts I gave away:

For my niece who loves playing with pretend food lately:

For my other niece, who is 7 months old:

For my sister-in-law, who loves beanies and neon green:

For DH's godmother:

Peekaboo mittens for my mom:

Another helmet liner for my uncle who rides his bike in Washington (rain or shine or snow!):

For DH because he requested a brown beanie:

For my aunt who has been requested knitted socks if she happens to get a Secret Santa who knits (remembering I'm one of two knitters in the ENTIRE family):

Mittens for a cousin:

And a ponchette for my grandma:

I still have a pair of socks to finish for a Christmas present, which go with the scarf for DH's godmother. It is taking longer than planned. I was supposed to be done by tonight since she will be here for New Year's. It is 4:30pm and this is where I stand:

First Sock:

Second Sock:

I am in complete denial and believe that I will somehow be able to accomplish the goal of finishing this sock by tonight. It's not just a river, folks!

We have also been busy because we adopted this adorable guy:

We named him Oliver. You can see how tiny he is by comparing him to the shoe next to him or my foot (had some trouble cropping that out, but it does display my felted slippers). He is definitely a playful guy. It was quite an adjustment for our first cat, Leo, but they are getting along much better now.

And our family Christmas picture for the Christmas cards. This was taken before Oliver was added to our family :)

The F Word

2010-11-19T07:39:00.001-08:00

That's right, frogging! For those of you who aren't knitters, frogging is when you have to rip out some knitted work. It's called frogging because you have to "rip it, rip it..."

I HATE frogging. It's fun to do, but it's so hard to see your hours of hard work unravel away in minutes. It pains me. That's why I was having such a hard time understanding how one of the women from my knitting meetup didn't seem to have any trouble at all. She showed me a sweater that she had been working on and all that was missing were the sleeves. Then she looked at me, shrugged, and said, "I think I'm just going to frog the whole thing." I think my eyes might have popped out of my head. She was so nonchalant about it, like it was no big deal. When I expressed my sorrow for her hard work that was all about to be for nothing, she said she wasn't really worried about it because she went into the project thinking that this might happen anyway.

All of this to say that I am proud of myself for frogging just the toes of my socks. Thank you G for your guts and positive attitude about frogging.

Why I thought 7.5 inches was long enough for my socks(when it usually takes 9 inches) beats me. I think I was just so proud of myself for finishing a sock in 24 hours. I guess that's no longer true because it wasn't really finished. After the first sock was "done" I told myself that it would just be a very fitted sock. As I was working on the second sock, I told myself that maybe I would just give them to someone with smaller feet. As I got to the toe of the second sock, I decided that I had put enough effort into these socks to rip out the toe and do it right. I mean, it's not like it was almost a whole sweater.

Here is the comparison of the two socks:

As you can see, the the socks are lined up and the one top is much shorter.

I'm really glad I fixed the short sock (that looked like it was meant for a child). Can't wait to wear them :)

Sock in a Day

2010-11-17T07:35:00.000-08:00

That's right, I finished one sock within 24 hours!!! It's miraculous. That has to be an all time record for me. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you don't have much else going on.

Here's the sock I finished in 24 hours:

And the conversation I had with my husband about it:

Me: (While modeling the sock on my foot) Babe, do you like my sock?
E: Uh, are there holes in it?
Me: Yeah. That's called lace. It's pretty!
E: Hmm...When my socks have holes in them I usually throw them away!

Awww, the mind of a non knitter. Gotta love him!

A couple of days ago, I also knit up a couple of these Knit Turkeys, which is a free pattern from Webs Yarn

I think they are adorable (and a super quick knit too). You can also see my Thanksgiving tablecloth in this picture. The hubby would like me to do one for Christmas too. I think it's cute when he enjoys my projects :)

Two weekends ago, I went to Portland to visit my cousins and nieces. I was so happy I got to visit with them, and so so so sad that I forgot my camera!!! Argh! The four of us (cousin, her 3yr old, her 6mo old, and me) when to a yarn shop together called Happy Knits. This place was awesome. Not only did they have a play room for the kiddos, they also informed us that it was soundproof (not that we shut the door on the kids). Apparently the building used to be a recording studio. Great shop, awesome lighting!

Although the picture is small, I assure you that my 3 year old niece is holding yarn and needles and believes she is knitting. That's right, we start them young. When asked what she was making she said, "A hat for Addley (her best buddy)." Then she said she needed some glue. Ha ha! Love it!

We also did a drive-by shopping stop (my cousin waited in the car while I ran in to grab this bag) at The Naked Sheep. We usually make a stop at this shop. Every time we go I think about getting one of their totes, but then talk myself out of spending the money. This time I got one and they had my favorite color, so I think it was meant to be.

The bags have gotten a little more expensive than I remembered, but I think that the quality is better too. Plus I bought it in Oregon, so no sales tax!!

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T18:45:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post of our pumpkins! Hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween.

My pumpkin:

Hubby's pumpkin:

My niece in her Halloween costume:

Mouse or Bear?

2010-10-26T08:42:00.000-07:00

I finished the hat for my niece, which will be part of her Halloween costume. As mentioned before she is going as a mouse. Surprisingly enough, I didn't have any brown worsted weight yarn in my stash. I went to Michaels with a coupon to get some yarn. I was looking specifically for yarn that wasn't on sale because then I couldn't use my coupon (I have been trapped by this trick before). I picked out my yarn (no sale sign to be found) and a couple of scrapbooking items that were on sale. When I went to checkout, they told me that the yarn was on sale (although the regular price with the coupon would have been less) and that the only thing I could use my coupon for was a 59 cent sheet of paper. I guess saving 24 cents is better than nothing! I swear they only give out coupons to get you in the store. Oh well.

Anyway, I found a knitting pattern that was called a mouse hat and here is the finished product:

Some say it looks like mouse ears and others say bear ears. I'm just hoping that it will look like mouse ears with her costume and then after Halloween it can be one of those cute everyday beanies with bear ears on it. Either way, I just hope it fits!

Last posting I forgot to include a picture of the husband and me attending our first Sharks game since moving. It was also the home opener. Unfortunately they lost, but it was still fun to attend.

Not the best picture of us, but pretty good considering we took it ourselves with the kitchen counter and camera timer :)

Yes, Of Course I Will!

2010-10-21T18:39:00.000-07:00

That was my response when my cousin hesitantly asked me if maybe I could knit a up a hat for her daughter. Someone asking me to knit them something? Someone who totally appreciates handmade projects. The answer was simple. Of course I will.

She doesn't need just any hat. She needs something to complete her daughter's costume for Halloween. Her older daughter (3yr. old) decided that she wanted to be a princess. After that decision was made, my cousin thought it would be cute for the whole family to go along with a theme. My cousin will be a fairy godmother, her husband will be a prince (I think), and the newest addition (5mo. old) will be a mouse (like from Cinderella). So I searched on Ravelry for a free mouse hat pattern, I didn't really find one the I liked. I google searched and found a pattern to use, but of course now I can't find it again to post the link. I can't wait to see how the whole costume comes together and hopefully will be able to post a picture later.

Last night was knit night. This was my second time attending in 3 weeks. It seems like such a wonderful happy group of people. I really enjoy the knitting discussions as well as knitting during the silences (which would otherwise be awkward silences). This was my first time going to this particular coffee shop. The parking situation was ridiculous (especially for a Wednesday night)! After searching for a spot for over 10 minutes I told myself, "Okay, I will go down one more row and if I don't find anything, I'm heading home." Sure enough, not just one, but two spots opened up in that row. It must have been the knitting gods telling me that I should not give up on this knit night!

Here is a picture of the project I worked on there:

One sock down, one to go! Oh, the dreaded second sock...

And to try to get into the Halloween Spirit (on a budget) I have done a little decorating:

That's right! Color, cut, and glue. I got the Halloween print outs from Life is Good.

2010!

2010-10-18T08:09:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is 2010, and I almost let it slip by without posting a thing! Lots has changed in the last year, but I will first share a couple of projects that I recently finished:

Thanksgiving Day Gloves

Box Bag

I am not much of a seamstress, so I was rather impressed with myself for completing this project. It definitely isn't perfect, but I finished it, zipper and all!

I'm not sure my reason for not posting, but it probably had something to do with navigating through my first two years of teaching. Why do I have time now? Because for the second time in my two years of teaching, I was laid off. The difference is that this year I was not recalled. On a happier note, I got married this year:

I love the picture of us with smashed cake. It was fun! So, since then we have moved and my husband started his new job. For now, I will probably sub (eh) until I find something. I figure this means I have more time to start posting on a regular basis.

After moving, I am now 40 minutes or so away from my friends. Not the end of the world, but not close enough for those last minute coffee dates. In order to meet new people, I started attending a knitting meetup. Hopefully I will be able to make some new friends and it would be awesome to have friends that actually "get" this knitting thing :)

April Lady Sweater??

2009-04-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

I started the February Lady Sweater at the beginning of January. Probably during my last break from school. I was hoping I would be able to finish it in time for Stitches West and actually wear it in February. No such luck. Very wishful thinking. I was like, "Oh, it's only a sleeve and a half. I can do that in 10 hours." Ha! I'm pretty funny. Anyway, I'm on my three week Spring Break (gotta love the year round school schedule) and I finally finished my sweater. This is my second sweater and I can't wait to wear it. It has been warm (70's) this last week or so,but it is supposed to cool down again. I almost wore it today, but decided against it, since I wasn't going anywhere and it felt like a waste to wear it in the house all day. Here it is:

Again, I must ask, why is it that it is so hard to get myself to do the final finishing touches? I could have been done with this sweater last week or the week before, but those 6 yarn tails that needed weaving in really put me off. PLUS THREE BUTTONS!?! Well forget it. I knit, I don't sew. Seriously though, not that big of a deal and yet I procrastinate.

Overall, my knitting has been a little slow due to tendinitis. It got a lot better after the three weeks of wearing the brace. Then it started acting up again about a month and a half ago. I wore the brace again, but the effects weren't quite the same. I am trying to take it somewhat easy on the knitting, so haven't had as much to post about. Hopefully I can pick up the pace again soon. Right now I'm working on a simple striped rug from Knit Simple. It is pictured here.

Also here is a belated picture. These are needle cases (custom made, I might add) as a Christmas present (hence the belated) from my cousin:

Still Here

2009-02-15T19:27:00.000-08:00

It has been 3 months since I've posted, but I am still knitting and reading blogs. Getting around to the actual blogging of my own hasn't really been a top priority these days. I have finished a couple of projects since my last post.

I made Clapotis, which is now my favorite scarf.

I made a hat for my step dad (modeled by Eddie).

I finally finished my large sock monkey in time to give it to my niece for Christmas. You can ask her what the monkey says and she'll tell you, "OOOh, ooooh?" So cute!

My cousin also sent me the mug that I made while visiting her in Portland at the end of September. It's my favorite mug.

I've been working on the Lady February Sweater. I decided that I needed a sweater for myself. I have only knit one other sweater for myself, and I don't wear it all that often.

I am looking forward to Stitches West and planning on taking a couple of the one hour classes that they offer. I would really like to wear the Lady February Sweater, but I haven't even started the sleeves yet, so I don't know how likely it is that I will have it done. Also, my wrist has been acting up, so I can't knit nearly as much as I'd like to.

That's it for now. I'll try to keep up with the posting.

Long Overdue

2008-11-16T10:26:00.000-08:00

Back in Sept/Oct I went to Portland to visit my cousin. The one that knits :) So we visited some yarn shops:

I forgot to take pictures of the other two shops, Knot Another Hat and a DIY yarn shop.

I started and finished some knitting projects:

I got to play with my adorable niece:

We also went to a ceramic painting studio. I painted a mug and put a ball of yarn in the bottom of the cup. The battery on my camera just crapped out, so I'll have to post a picture later after charging it up.

After my trip to Portland, I went to the doctor for wrist pains. Turns out I had tendinitis. Now, I don't want to say that my injury was due to knitting (mostly because is sounds like something someone much older than myself would have happen), but I can't deny it as a possibility. Anyway, I had to wear a brace for two long weeks. When that was finally over, I knit a bath mat with four strands of yarn held together and very large needles so that I could get a finished product very quickly.

This was also a great stash buster. I am actually yarn fasting right now. I am trying to knit up some stash before I buy anymore yarn. Hopefully I will get the stash down a bit so I can buy more yarn by the time Stitches West is here. I have about 4 months to do that! I better get knittin!

Hopefully Soon

2008-11-14T17:40:00.000-08:00

I am hoping that I will be able to post something about knitting soon. Reports were sent home this week and Thanksgiving break will be here very soon. That will give me some time to do more of the things that I enjoy, like knitting and blogging about knitting. I feel that my blog has been so neglected, that I had to post SOMETHING. Happy knitting to those of you who squeeze in some knitting time!

With 23 Minutes to Spare

2008-09-23T14:47:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I participated in the Peninsula to Pier Shop Hop. I remember reading about it last year, but I wasn't able to participate. I was really excited about going this year. Unfortunately, I don't have any knitting buddies that I could take with me, but luckily my mom said she would go with me. She had been on quilt shop hops, but never a yarn shop hop. She was only available on Saturday, so the plan was to get as many in as possible and to hit the shops that were the farthest away. Mostly I am writing this blog to remember the whirlwind of shops. Sorry if it's too long (which I'm sure it will be).

Each of the shops had a one skein project. If you bought the yarn, you got the pattern for free. Some of the shops had their project yarn at a discounted price for the hop.

The first shop we went to was in Burlingame. It's called Yarn, Paper, Scissors.

It was an absolutely adorable shop. They had a cute little area for knitting that included a fireplace (although I'm not sure if it was a working fireplace). The shop mostly had yarn, but they also had supplies and classes for paper crafts (cardmaking) and sewing. The project was a cabled headband, so I decided to get the yarn and project at this shop.

The next stop was Nine Rubies.

This shop was more of a higher end shop. It was one of those shops where I feel uncomfortable because it seemed more posh. None of the staff was rude or anything, but I just got that feeling. Their project was a very nice silk bag, but I couldn't bring myself to buy silk yarn for a bag I probably wouldn't use.

The final shop in that area was Creative Hands.

This was a decent sized shop. The thing that I liked the best was this cheat sheet card to tell you the length of a sock based on the receiver's shoe size. Mostly, I make socks for myself. I usually try on the socks and measure them on my feet and have no idea how long to make socks for anyone with a shoe size other than a women's 8. I also bought their project yarn and got the pattern for a small felted purse.

After this shop, we made the long drive to Carmel to go to Knitting By the Sea.

This shop was very small and if I was in the area, I probably wouldn't go back. I don't want to bad mouth any of the shops, but some shops I just got a feeling of whether or not I would want to return. Their project was baby booties. I probably won't make the booties, but I did buy the yarn since it was tofuties on sale. I can always make another pair of socks.

Next was Monarch Knitting and Quilts.

This shop was nice and big. They even had two dogs in the shop (so cute!). Their project was fingerless gloves and I bought two balls of yarn so that my cousin could make a pair as well.

Then off to The Yarn Place.

This was a small shop. I did not buy anything at this shop. I think their project was a hat, but it wasn't really my style, nor could I think of anyone I would give it to. We didn't spend too much time at this shop.

After that was The Golden Fleece.

This was another one of the shops that I didn't get the best vibe from. I pretty much just had my passport stamped and went on my way. Their project was a felted hat that I wouldn't be caught dead wearing. It's funny because sometimes I would think, "Why do they have such an ugly project?" Then the more I thought about it, I realized that they have to have something for everyone. I mean, maybe some people were hoping that someone would have a felted hat and were not so stoked about the fingerless gloves. That's the great thing about knitting, there is always something for everyone.

Next was The Swift Stitch.

This was the only shop that we had trouble finding on Saturday. I finally called the shop and they told me that their address was 402 and not 401 as it had been printed on the list. It was across the street in a shopping area. The project they had was a beret. I decided not to get that because, again, it wasn't my style. They mentioned they had $2 and $4 bins in the back of the store. That's where I went! I bought about 7 skeins of cotton yarn. Not sure what I am going to do with the yarn, but I can always find something.

Then, Luminous Threads.

This was our final shop of the day. I did not make a purchase at this shop, but my mom was able to get some fat quarters for quilting. It was good to see her find something for herself.

The next day, Sunday, I was on my own. I had 10 more shops to go. I forgot to mention early that there was going to be a raffle drawing at the end of the hop. If you went to 12 shops you could win a $150 shopping spree, $300 for 15 shops and $500 for all 19 shops. Needless to say, I was going for all 19 shops!

I had printed out directions for all 19 shops. Since the shops were closer to Eddie's house, I left from there on Sunday. He stayed home to watch football while I went shop hopping. Eddie has GPS on his cell phone and offered to swap phones with me for the day. Even though I had the directions from mapquest, I figured it couldn't hurt to have the GPS as well, especially since I was flyin' solo.

The first shop was one that was 5 minutes from his house. It's called the Knitting Room.

I have been to this shop before. I usually only go in there if I need needles or some knitting notions. They don't really have the selection of yarn that I prefer. I decided to purchse their yarn and got the pattern for their project. I don't know if I would wear this hat, but the yarn was only $7, so it wasn't too bad.

Next, I decided to go to the shop that would be the most out of the way shop for the day. It was called Continental Stitch.

Their project was a scarf that looked interesting, but the yarn was over $20, so I decided to pass since I probably wouldn't have bought it on any other day. I felt somewhat pressured to make a purchase at this store. It was very quiet and I was the only customer. I ended up buying some interesting black and white buttons. I'm sure I'll have a use for them some day.

After that I was off to Yarndogs.

This is a shop I had been wanting to go to for a long time. I saw them at Stitches West two years ago and wanted to check out their shop since then. Two years later, and here I was. Ha! Anyway, they had a scavenger hunt in their store just for the shop hop. They will take all the answer sheets and put them in a drawing for a $100 gift card. Here's hoping! I didn't end up buying the yarn for their project, but I did get a kit for a cute little felted coin purse. It should be interesting when I have to put the zipper in. I have never done that for a knitting project before, or for any project for that matter. Once I sewed a dress, but I made my mom put in the zipper for me. Should be interesting. Overall, a very cute shop. They even have a board game night at their shop, which sounds interesting. I would love to go back again.

Next was Green Planet Yarn.

I have been to this shop a couple of times. There was actually a Sunday Market going on and the street was blocked off. I felt total dread about trying to find a parking spot. I turned the corner, and just as I did, someone pulled out of their parking spot. It was perfect! I just got my stamp and left. I figured I would be back there again, and time was awastin'!

The next shop was commuknity.

This is another shop that I go to often. I hadn't been there in awhile though and it was interesting to see that they had rearranged the shop. This was by far one of the biggest knitting shops. Maybe the biggest one I have ever been to. I didn't purchase their project, but I did buy a pattern for the felted hedgehog. My cousin was asking me what she could do with all of her fuzzy yarn and I immediately thought of this project, so I got the pattern.

On the was to Bobbin's Nest there was a detour. I was SO thankful that I had the GPS.

Their project was a pair of socks. I bought the yarn because I loved the colors. They are light blue, white and brown. The salesperson told me that they would be having an anniversary party in two weeks with champagne and crab cakes. She also gave me a 10% off coupon for that day. I will definitely have to check that out!

Next was Yarn Place.

This was probably the smallest shop I went to (maybe even the smallest I have ever been to). I bought the yarn and got the project at this shop. The project was a hat with earflaps. Even though I live in sunny CA, I have always wanted to make one of these hats. The yarn is bulky, so it should be a quick knit :)

After that, I headed to Purlescence.

I was starting to feel a little stressed about time. The shops closed at 4pm on Sunday and I started my hopping at 10:40 (a little later than planned). I quickly went in, got my stamp, circled the shop once, and left. The thing I really liked about this shop was their set up for knitting with others. They had a bunch of chairs (including rocking chairs) in the very center of the shop. Then the walls were covered with yarn. It was different to see the chairs as the center of the shop's focus.

From there I headed over to Full Thread Ahead.

The project they had was a lace shawl. I think I may have been worn out from all of the shop hopping, but just the thought of knitting lace made me cringe. Needless to say, I did not purchase the yarn for their project. They gave me a handout about their shop. On this handout, there was information about their knitting retreat. I have never been to one of these and have always wanted to. It's coming up pretty quick, so I'm not sure that I'll go, but it was good to have the info just in case.

Off to the final shop!!! Uncommon Threads.

It was less then a minute away from the shop before it. I made it there by 3:37pm, so I had 23 minutes to spare before closing. I proudly turned in my passport with all 19 stamps!! Here's hoping for the $500 dollar shopping spree. Their project was socks that are knit horizontally instead of vertically. It sounded interesting. The best part was that you could pick ANY sock yarn you wanted AND you got 20% off. By far the best deal of the day.

Overall, it was a great experience. I was a little bummed about having to go alone on Sunday, but it really wasn't that bad. Especially when I had the GPS as my co-pilot :) If there is ever a shop hop in your area, I highly recommend it!

I Knit!

2008-08-23T11:34:00.001-07:00

I figured I would try to get in one more posting before this month ends. Time is just flying by!! That is one of the great benefits of being a teacher. It is rarely one of those days that never ends (like when I worked in an office).

I started working on a pair of socks for one of my sock clubs (I am so behind!). This sock club is at a LYS and I was hoping to start going to their knit-alongs. They were asking for people to call in to say if they were going to make it that week or not. The club meets every other week and for the last two sessions, I am the only person who called in advance to say I would be there, so both meetings were canceled. The socks that they would have been knitting together are not my favorite. I don't really care for the colors or the bobbles in the pattern. My mom suggested a relative who she thought the colors would be perfect for. They might just get a random pair of handknit socks in the mail :)

Last weekend I went to a BBQ Cookout at the fairgrounds with Eddie and my parents. It was SO HOT, but I still knit :) I took the socks with me and knit them while sitting on the grass, talking and listening to music. It was a nice day and it is nice to finally be knitting again!

Winding Sock Yarn

2008-08-10T17:13:00.001-07:00

This last year, I joined two sock clubs. What was I thinking?? I love getting the yarn and it's pretty easy since one is mailed to me and the other club just calls when it's time to pick up the yarn. I don't have to waste time deciding on a color because that part is done for me. The downside is that sometimes I get a color that I'm not so thrilled about, but it gives me an opportunity to "gift" those socks once I get the joy out of knitting them (I tend to be a little greedy and keep my hand knit socks). Since starting my job (I can't believe it's been 4 weeks already) I have had hardly any (no) time to knit. Even leading up to starting the job, I didn't do much knitting. Therefore I am behind by 2 months on both of my sock clubs. Today, I finally wound up the yarn and I feel like I made some progress.

Now all I have to do is knit the darn things. Ha!

I started the large sock monkey the week before I started my job. I was really hoping that I would be able to finish him, but I didn't. During the last four weeks, the only knitting that has been done is finishing the monkey's tail and starting his first leg. I still have to complete the leg, make the second leg, both arms, both ears and embroider a face. I like to finish one thing before starting another, but I might just start up on some socks. After awhile, knitting 10 stitches in the round to make tube-like limbs gets a little tedious.

I feel bad for the poor guy, but I need change!

Boring

2008-07-26T18:17:00.000-07:00

This is a rather boring post, but wanted people to know that I am still here! There won't be any pictures and only talk of the non-knitting I have done. I started my new teaching job two weeks ago and pretty much worked 12 days straight, 10 hours a day. Last week, I was at school until 6:30 each night (which is the time they kick us out at) trying to set up my classroom and preparing for the next day's lessons. As a first year teacher it hasn't been easy, but I figure it can only get better! I haven't been able to do ANY knitting. Today is my first day to kind of relax (although I'm still thinking about lesson plans). I have a bbq today for my boyfriend's sister and kind of wish I had brought some knitting. I am a month behind on my STRs and I just got the next shipment yesterday. Oh, I need to knit!!

Finishing and Finished Projects

2008-07-09T10:21:00.000-07:00

When I get to the part in a pattern that says "Finishing" I feel a sense of dread come over me. I love knitting!! I HATE seaming parts, weaving in ends, felting, etc. I finally finished this bag:

Now, it wasn't the knitting that was the hold up. It was the felting. I was going to give this bag to my mom back in May for her birthday. So the bag was definitely knitted up by the middle of May. I just had to felt it. Ha! I didn't get around to doing that until last week. Then I had to stitch on the handles. I pretty much did that right when it dried so that the bag wouldn't be sitting around for another 2-3 months. It's not that the felting or attaching the handles is hard, I just don't really care to do it.

Another project that works as an example is the following:

I got this yarn from my trip to Colorado. I finished the project in 2 weeks (which is quite an improvement from the market bag). The thing is, it took me about 3 or 4 days just to sew on the sleeves. I literally did one half of the seaming on each sleeve at a time.

Finally, I made this adorable guy:

(He's pictured here doing his morning yoga)

Eddie has decided to keep James (that's what he named him). Notice the lack of eyes. I knit up this monkey in less than 24 hours. He was made while I was at Eddie's house and I didn't have any embroidery thread with me. I wanted to bring him home so I could put on his eyes as soon as possible before it got to the point where he just sat around for months on end because of my dislike for the "finishing touches." Oh well, I guess he'll be blind for awhile.

Anybody else have this problem with finishing?

Officially Employed!!

2008-07-01T13:07:00.000-07:00

Although it doesn't have anything to do with knitting, I have to start out by celebrating that I just signed my contract this morning for a teaching position!!! I was hired at a year-round school to teach Language Arts to 4th, 5th, 6th and ELD students. It is a position that very different from what I was expecting, but I think it will be a wonderful experience. Since I will be at a year-round school, I will start work on July 14th, much sooner than expected. I also started the masters program, but changed my schedule so that I am only taking one class. I really don't know how much time that will leave for knitting, but on the bright side, I will finally be making some money :)

To catch up a little...two days after I graduated from the credential program, I headed out to Colorado for a short vacation. On the airplane and in between activities I knit this:

While in Colorado, one of the activities was river rafting. Here are a couple photos (I'm in the middle on the left side of the raft if you're on it facing forward):

It was tons of fun and very cold!!! The guide told us that the river had 4000 cubic feet pass per second the day we went rafting. This may not mean much until I tell you that is it normally 400 cubic feet per second at this time of year. That's a whole lot of water!

I shopped at I Love Knitting in Denver. The staff was very helpful! I got some yarn and a book of patterns there. I am working on a bolero from the book. I don't have any pictures, but have almost completed the project. I will post pictures when I am finished.

Freedom and FOs

2008-06-15T09:21:00.000-07:00

FINALLY!!! The school year has ended. I actually had my last assignment and presentation for the credential program on Tuesday. Then I finished my long term subbing job at the school where I student taught on Friday. Friday was actually a teacher work day and I offered to clean out the classroom I was subbing in. This is more difficult than you would think when it's not your stuff. They wanted everything cleared off the desks, so I just put it all in a box and on a shelf. Hopefully the teacher will appreciate it. While I was cleaning (and sweating) the principal came into my classroom and said that she knew a principal who was looking to fill some openings. She wanted me to call her right away! It was around 9am when I called the other principal and she asked me to come in for an interview at NOON!!! I had to leave early, rush home, shower and put together a portfolio. Talk about STRESS!!! Overall, I think the interview went well. They said they would let me know by Tuesday. It's not my first choice, but it's a job!

During last week I was also able to complete some projects. One was this bag for my cousin's birthday:

The other was this Baby Surprise Jacket for my niece. I made it to replace Trellis (see post below). It's not as detailed, or nice, but definitely a much quicker knit.

I didn't finish the two things in time to send the package early enough to make it by my cousin's birthday, but I did send it the day of her birthday (which I was impressed by considering all that I have going on). My cousin called me the day she received it. She was walking out the door to buy a book when she found the package. She was able to use the bag for her purchase. The next day, she said she was glad it was a little chilly so that her daughter could wear the jacket. I must say, again, that a knitter loves when her/his work is appreciated!

Yesterday was World Wide Knit in Public Day (WWKIP). I really wanted to go to one of the meet-ups, but it just didn't work out that way. I was determined to participate, so I took my knitting with me when I went out for pizza.

I think it would have been more fun to be with other knitters. Really need to find some knitting friends!! I've tried converting some of the friends I already have, but that hasn't really worked.

While I was working on my project, Eddie was watching me. The pattern for one row is "yo, k2tog." As he's watching me knit this row he says, "STOP, you're about to do two together!!" I had to explain what a k2tog is. It was so cute. He was like, "Oh, I just didn't want you to mess up." Considering he's not a knitter and doesn't know about k2tog's, that was an excellent observation!

After pizza, we came home and baked some peanut butter cookies. I knit in between batches.

The cookies were ok. They were a "lighter" version of peanut butter cookies. The only ingredients were peanut butter, splenda, baking soda and 1 egg. They turned out pretty dry, but don't really taste bad. Much better when you dip them in milk (according to my sister). While baking these, I learned that there is not really a way to substitute baking soda. When I was looking at the recipe, I decided I had all of the ingredients. When it came time to add the baking SODA I realized I had baking POWDER. Not the same. Fortunately, Eddie found some in the back of the cupboard (always a sketchy place to find things). To test the baking soda, I sprinkled some into some vinegar. It fizzed, so it was still good and it did it's job for the cookies. It really is the little things that can make you happy.

Today is my graduation from the credential program. I'm not all that excited about it because graduations are always SO LONG!!! It will be a nice close to the program though. The graduation is at 5pm (that's right on a Sunday...and Father's Day, ridiculous). Anyway, then I have one week off. I'm leaving for Colorado on Tuesday with my step-dad. Then the following week I start the Masters Program. I must be crazy!

Wow!! This was long! I'll finish up by wishing a HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all where it applies :)

Farewell Trellis...You Were Loved!

2008-06-02T22:10:00.000-07:00

You will never believe what happened!! My cousin called to inform me that her baby bag/backpack had been stolen from her car. It was a very nice bag in fact, but that wasn't the worst part. The beautiful sweater that I had knit for my niece was in it. We were both very upset over this loss. After she told me what happened this was basically our conversation:

L: Whoever stole it was probably hoping it had a wallet in it. What do you think they do with the stuff they don't want?

Me: They probably just chuck it on the side of the road.

We both sigh with misery.

L: I really doubt that the theif appreciated what they found in the bag.

Me: Yeah. I highly doubt the thief said: "Score!! A hand knit cabled baby sweater. Someone spent a lot of time on this and put a lot of love it to it too. It's priceless!! I scored big time!!"

If the thief did think that, it might have been some consolation.

Here is Trellis in the works:

And completed:

And when Trellis was too big, but her recipient wore her with pride anyway:

Trellis puts you right to sleep:

Trellis makes you happy:

And Trellis helped you coordinate with your best buddy:

At least I know that Trellis was loved for a long time while we had her with us. She will be greatly missed! My cousin also told me that she and her husband had planned on framing the sweater when my niece grew out of it. That's a whole extra level of love people. Although it's upsetting that she was stolen, nothing makes a knitter happier than a project that was appreciated, used and loved. I couldn't ask for more! Trellis will be missed, but her memory lives on!

Oh Happy Day!!!

2008-05-29T17:16:00.001-07:00

I received my STR package today and I'm super excited about the color of the yarn. It's PURPLE!!!! Only the best color in the world :) The first month, it was red, which I'm not crazy about. Then it improved with green. It really won't get any better than this for me. I can't wait to start working on these socks and yet I will have to because I have so much school work to do! The end is near, but not here.

As you can see in the picture I also received a very handy luggage tag. I can't wait to go somewhere so I can use it!!!

I also received my sock club yarn in a bag filled with goodies from a LYS. The kit included the yarn, a sock pattern, point protectors that look like socks, candy, a pen, rinse free wool wash and powdered lemonade. I love it all and the bag it came in too!!

They will be having KALs the first and third Thursdays, but unfortunately I won't be able to go to either one this month. I have a class on Thursdays and thought about leaving early, but I have an appointment scheduled with an advisor for starting the masters program (yes, I'm nuts!). I really wanted to get out there and meet some knitters, especially since the World Wide Knit in Public Day is coming up. I know that there are knitters from this yarn shop that are planning on meeting up somewhere to knit in public. I was hoping to get to know some of them before the event. Oh well!! Next month!

Catching Up

2008-05-27T23:15:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day, I made breakfast for my mom and family. I also decided it was finally time to block a lace scarf that I made awhile ago (probably about a year ago) and give it to my mom for Mother's Day. I really haven't done lace blocking before, so I had put it off for quite some time. This is how I did it:

Like my official blocking device? Yeah, that's right, I used my bed. After pinning it down, I decided that next time I should probably use more pins. I only bought one box from the store. I thought about two, but went with one. When in doubt, always buy extra. Here's the scarf after blocking:

Tonight, I finished my STR socks from MARCH. The next shipment is for May and it usually comes at the end of the month, so I may have finished them just in time. Here's how they turned out:

The pictures are a little dark. I really like the color of the yarn, but I'm not all that pleased with the way the socks turned out. They are a little baggy. I made the medium size. Maybe next time I should try the small size. I wear I size 8 in women's, which I think is more of a medium size. What do you think?

March/May...Whatever!

2008-05-06T22:50:00.000-07:00

So I finally started my March socks from the STR sock club. I figured I should get on it since the May shipment should be coming towards the end of the month. Hopefully I can finish these socks by the end of the weekend (ha!). This is what I did tonight while watching "August Rush"...

which, might I add, I did not think lived up to its hype. My mom told me how great the movie was, but I thought it was too predictable and a little cheezy! Wasn't a fan. Just glad that I didn't totally waste my time because it got me to sit down and start these socks :)

P.S. Take notice of the adorable stitch holders. My cousin made the ball of yarn and sock and I did the pancakes. So crafty!!

No Time!

2008-05-04T23:56:00.000-07:00

I swear there is no time for anything!! Well at least not the things that I would rather be doing right now. I am student teaching all day every day right now, and then I have classes at night on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Somewhere in between those things, I have to make time to write lesson plans, do busy work assignments (don't even get me started), buy groceries, eat, bathe, you know...the basics. While all of this is going on, I have started the job hunt, which is practically impossible with the budget cuts and no school district seems to know what openings they will have. Many people at the job fairs are telling us to not be opposed to substitute teaching. Why do they even have the job fair?? Argh!!!

Anyway, this weekend Eddie actually complained that he hadn't seen me knit anything for awhile. This is not because he is not there all the time. It is true, I have not been knitting. So last night and today I started the handles to the Market Square bag. I am so close to the finish line on this project and it has been dragging on. Must finish!!! I will post pictures soon(er or later) when it is finished. I apologize for the boring blog, but needed to post something!!

A Little Something...

2008-04-16T22:01:00.000-07:00

My cousin told me that she was sending me "a little" something in the mail for a special day for me to celebrate. She said I shouldn't get too excited about it. It turned out to be so much more than I could have anticipated:

She sent me 4 balls of yarn, a book about yarn, PURPLE cards and PURPLE candles. This chick knows her stuff!!! I am so excited and I love her dearly. Not just because she sent me great stuff, but because everything inside the package was personalized for me. She is always thoughtful with her wonderful words of advice!

Between this and my last post (the yarn cake), I think my family is picking up on my obsession of this yarn and knitting thing. It's awesome :)

Aren't You Jealous!?!

2008-04-14T21:14:00.000-07:00

That's right! My mom wrote a recipe for YARN BIRTHDAY CAKE!!! I'm so spoiled :) Today is my birthday and I celebrated with my family yesterday. We actually celebrated four birthdays in my family that all fall within the same week. Amanda (me), Bill (dad), Carol (aunt) and David (uncle). My aunt pointed out that it's the A,B,C,D Birthday. Loved it!

As far as my birthday today...well it was spent student teaching until 2:40pm, doing homework, writing lessons and going to class from 4:40-8:00pm. Not so exciting today. It's only 9:30 and I am ready for bed! Wow, I feel old! ;) To make the day a little better, my K-1 class sang happy birthday to me and gave me cards they made themselves. Their teacher even had them estimate my age. I got everything from 16-80. Do I really look that young or old?? Kids are funny! Definitely made me laugh :)

Life Made Simple

2008-03-30T22:14:00.000-07:00

I finally bought a swift!!! After the last fiasco of trying to wind a ball of yarn without one ended with me spending about 3 hours untangling yarn, it was well worth the investment. I bought it from my LYS and it was smaller than what I thought I would be getting and I love it. It also can be turned sideways which is an added bonus. Now I can wind yarn all on my own :)

I was able to join a swap right before it started. Thanks for mentioning it Knittingma! It's the Wee Tiny Sock Swap and might just be the best swap ever. I was able to knit the sock very quickly and am sending it out tomorrow. Love it! It was fun to make the sock and it is so adorable. I can't wait to receive my wee tiny sock!

As I mentioned in the previous poast, I started working on the Market Squares bag and I ended up twisting the stitches. I finally got up the nerve to undo it all and start all over. While on Spring Break this week, I was able to get quite a bit done. I really like the way it is turning out. I wasn't too sure about the combination of colors at first, but they're starting to grow on me.

Back in Business!!!

2008-03-20T21:07:00.000-07:00

I was finally able to start knitting again. I had my last final for this quarter on Tuesday. I have the rest of this week off of student teaching and next week as well for spring break. Which means I finally get to knit!!! So far I finished a baby sweater for Eddie's niece:

I couldn't make the picture smaller because everytime I tried my internet would crap out. The sweater is finally done. I just need to add some buttons and was thinking of doing something cutesy like watermelons or butterflies. I haven't blocked it yet either, but need to because the seed stitch border doesn't lay flat. The pattern is "Daisy" from knitty.com.

Then today I decided to start "Market Squares" from a book that I have. It's my very first entrelac project. I was really liking it and was excited to see how the different colors looked like they were woven together. I got the groove and was really moving along. I got this far today:

Look closely...notice anything? Yea, that's right. TWISTED!!!! I can't believe I have to frog it all, unless of course someone knows some magical way to fix this without frogging. Ha! Figures. I'm too upset to undo it tonight, so I'll save it until tomorrow.

Nothing Better...

2008-03-09T16:59:00.000-07:00

Since I have been super busy with school, I really haven't been doing any knitting. I wanted to post something so I thought I would share this with you. I love random facts and someone sent this to me. Enjoy!

Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled 'Gentlemen Only .. Ladies Forbidden' .. and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
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The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
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Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S . Treasury.----------------------------------------
Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.

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Coca-Cola was originally green.
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It is impossible to lick your elbow.
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The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work:

Alaska
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The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...)
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The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%

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The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven:

$16,400
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The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour:

61,000
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Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
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The first novel ever written on a typewriter:Tom Sawyer.
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The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
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Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:

Spades - King David

Hearts - Charlemagne

Clubs -Alexander, the Great

Diamonds - Julius Caesar
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111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
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If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural cause s.

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Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
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Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?

A. Their birthplace

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Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?

A. Obsession
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Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter 'A'?

A. One thousand
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Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?

A. All were invented by women.
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Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?

A. Honey
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Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day?

A. Father's Day

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In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes.

When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... 'goodnight, sleep tight.'
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It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer, and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.

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In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in olde England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them 'Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down.'

It's where we get the phrase 'mind your P's and Q's'

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Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. 'Wet your whistle' is the phrase inspired by this practice.
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At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!
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Don't delete this just because it looks weird. Believe it or not, you can read it:

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but th e wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

February??

2008-02-17T10:35:00.000-08:00

Where has this month gone? There are less than 2 weeks left in February and I haven't posted a single blog. Shame on me. There have been 2 three day weekends from student teaching, which you would think would give me more time, but somehow there seems to be less. Two Fridays ago was the 100th day of school (which is a big deal in K and 1st grade) so we had a party. Then, last Thursday was Valentine's Day, so more parties.

I have been busy planning lessons and trying to get all of my assignments for school done ahead of time. There are at least 2 assignments due each week from now until the end of February. Last weekend I took the RICA, which is a test about teaching and assessing student reading. They give you 4 hours to take the test. I am usually a pretty fast test taker, but this one took me 3 HOURS!!! And I was only the third person to leave my testing room. Super long! I felt so burnt out after that.

I finally finished my STR last night. I finished the first sock on 2/2, but took a little longer to finish the second sock (SSS much?). Here they are:

After I finished the first sock, I only had this much yarn left:

So I need to explain. Since I don't own a swift (see previous post) my yarn ended up getting into a big knot halfway through winding it. I ended up make one ball that was a little smaller than the second ball of yarn. I used the smaller ball to make the first sock. When I finished the sock, the above picture is how much yarn I had left of that ball. So, if it hadn't worked out, I still would have had more yarn, BUT who wants to join a new ball of yarn at the very tip of the toe??? The yarn gods were smiling on me that day.

I paid for it on the second sock though. I finished knitting the foot and realized that somehow I had an extra three stitches. This wouldn't be a huge deal, but the color pattern on the socks didn't match and the second sock was a little wider, so I had to frog about 1.5-2 hours worth of knitting. Oh well. At least they match now.

Next weekend, the family is going to Tahoe to play in the snow. I am now working on a beanie for myself that will look like this:

With this yarn:

Mail, Mail, I Love Mail

2008-01-26T20:14:00.001-08:00

Especially when it's not a bill and it's a package!! In the last week I have received so many exciting things!!!

First I received a sweatshirt and t-shirt that I ordered as part of my shopping spree (x-mas gift) from knitiot:

Then I received (on the same day) my mittens from the mitten exchange on ravelry. I love my mittens! They are so bright and cheerful!! My pal included some chocolate too. You can never go wrong with chocolate. I also received my order from knitpicks.com. Some tubes to hold dpns, a book of bootee patterns, and a ball winder!!! So excited about that one.

I opted to not get the swift since it was quite expensive and I figured I could just have someone hold the yarn over their arms while I wind it up. Yeah...I now understand why they are so expensive and I will be investing in one in the near future. I did some ball winding last night and it went ok, but nothing terrible. Here are some pics of the ball winding festivities of last night:

(I really was that much of a dorky kind of excited!)

The disaster waited until today to strike! My new yarn ended up getting into a big knot(s) that ended up taking me about 2 hours to work out! Unbelievable. Note to self: when something is more expensive, there is probably a good reason. So worth the money. Shopping list: SWIFT!

I would have taken a picture of the horrible messy knot of yarn, but it was much too upsetting. The picture in my brain is enough for me.

Not sure if this is spoiling anything, but I want to post a picture anyway. I don't think that anyone who reads my blog is a member of the Socks that Rock Club, so I can post what I got today (which was the yarn that was in a huge knot). I am so excited about this yarn!!! It even came with cute buttons and a tiny little skein of yarn on a key chain. Love it!!

The color of the yarn is Dragon Dance. So pretty!

Tag. You're it.

2008-01-13T11:12:00.000-08:00

Knittingma tagged me to participate in this book sharing blog entry.

I'm not sure that I will have enough people to tag back, but I don't want to disappoint the tagger by not participating.

I recently finished reading:

It's part of a murder mystery series and each book has a bunch of yummy recipes included. I finished this book during Christmas and now I am back to reading boring textbooks for school. This series of books is just a fun read. It's easy reading and something I can get through quickly. Each book is similar, but there is a comfort in that.

The blog tag requires me to turn to page 161 of the book, and read the 5th sentence. My book says:

"Hannah stepped into the library and smiled at the young man who was standing next to Marge."

Not very exciting. It was a part where a new character (possible suspect) was being introduced.

List of some of my favorite books:

1. The Harry Potter Series, by J.K. Rowling
2. My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult
3. Summer of the Monkeys, by Wilson Rawls
4. Witches, by Ronald Dahl
5. Nineteen Minutes, by Jodi Picoult

I definitely don't have 5 regular readers of my blog and the one person that does read my blog regularly is the one who tagged me. So I'll list some people and see what happens.

Apocaknits

Ramblings of a Knitting Obsessive

Yarn for Dinner

Uncle Larry (you could send me an email and tag people by email)
Laurie (you could send me an email and tag people by email)

Happy reading and knitting!!!

I'm Back!

2008-01-05T11:45:00.000-08:00

Ok so it hasn't been too long since I last posted, but it feels like forever. I mean I haven't posted since LAST YEAR! (I know, har har, not funny). Anyway, I haven't been knitting too much. I'm kind of enjoying the break from the Christmas knitting. Now I can knit without the time constraints, the pressure, the lingering feeling that I just need to get it all done! Ha! I wish! There are about three babies I still need to knit for. One was born on the 3rd, one is due this month and another one due in March. Some things have been started, so that's good.

As for Christmas...it was great! Don't really want to write about it, so I'll show some pictures:

My Grandma with her great granddaughter:

Me holding my niece (who is wearing the sweater and booties I knit for her). My gram took the picture and cut off my head, but she got the most important person in the picture :)

The hat I knit while with the family to match the baby's sweater. (The color is not quite the same in the picture).

The face mask I knit for my uncle so that he can keep his face warm while biking in WA in THE SNOW!!

Two cousins and myself in the snow. This is exciting for me, since I live where is doesn't snow. This was at our family cabin and it doesn't snow all the time. It was all melted by the time I left a couple of days later.

It's not Christmas, but still part of the holidays...Here's a pic of the girls at New Year's Eve dinner.

That's it for now. I start school on Monday :( so the knitting will probably slow down a bit. I joined the Rockin' Sock Club this year, so I look forward to receiving my first package!

Finished!!!

2007-12-23T20:49:00.000-08:00

I have finished all of the Christmas knitting that I planned on doing. On Friday I exchanged gifts with Eddie. I finished his beanie the night before while playing Scrabble with my sister. This is an excellent game to play while knitting because sometimes your opponent(s) take a LONG time to decide on what word to play! Here is the beanie:

I looked at a couple of patterns on Ravelry and then just combined parts of several different patterns together to make his hat. He picked out the yarn and told me what kind of beanie he wanted, so it wasn't too much of a surprise.

I gave him the socks that I showed in the "P.S." blog posting, but they were too small :( Maybe I will give them to my mom. She has tiny feet. I also gave Eddie the Planet Earth box set because he is fascinated by that kind of stuff.

I was very spoiled this Christmas! I received diamond earrings and new running shoes. The diamonds earrings that I got are the one in my ear lobe (not the cartilage):

(I know, I know...I have extremely thick earlobes. Ha! When I first got my ears pierced they told me to leave the earrings in for 8-10 weeks instead of the usual 6 weeks. Lol!)

This evening I finished the stocking for my mom. I really wanted to give it to her last night, but that's ok. I finished it in time for her to hang it tomorrow for Santa :) I blocked it this morning and put it in front of the heater to dry. It was still slightly damp when I seamed it together.

And the two stockings together:

SO CUTE!! Love it!!

Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Wonderful New Year!!!

P.S.

2007-12-18T22:51:00.000-08:00

I finished one pair of the socks for Christmas knitting!!! Just had to post it :) They are so plain and boring, just the way Eddie likes them.

I Love...

2007-12-18T18:33:00.000-08:00

my new hat!!! It's An Unoriginal Hat and I got the pattern from the Yarn Harlot. When I first saw this pattern on her blog, I really liked it and wanted to make one. Since I'm supposed to be working on Christmas knitting I made myself put the pattern on the back burner. Then I went to the LYS this weekend (20% off of EVERYTHING!!) and bought some yarn that would be perfect for the project. I made it the next morning in about 3-4 hours.

I love everything about this hat! The color of the yarn, the softness of the yarn, the pattern, the cables, the way it fits, EVERYTHING!!! It's my new favorite hat. Now I just need to go where it's colder so I can wear it.

My friend mentioned that she would love a hat for Christmas. Although I wasn't planning on making her anything for Christmas, I love this hat so much that I decided she must have one too! I used some yarn that I hat at home (Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick). I had to not do as many rows in the pattern because the hat was too long. I'm not so great with taking the time to check for gauge :/ Anyway, it turned out pretty good:

The one thing that I decided that I don't love is the way my face looks from that angle! But that's what I get for trying to model a hat, taking my own picture and trying to keep my face out of it! It's challenging to get something decent, let alone good.

Another procrastination that I started to avoid Christmas knitting (a.k.a. the intarsia on my mom's stocking that is kicking my butt!) was a baby blanket. Eddie bought the yarn since it is his friends who are having the baby. He thought that I should knit a blanket and so he went to the LYS with me to pick out some yarn. He's actually been talking about this particular yarn and baby blanket for awhile. It is the SOFTEST YARN ever! The only bummer is that it is hand wash (probably not what a first time mother needs), but the softness factor won and he bought the yarn. Here is the beginning of the blanket:

The color is not so great in this picture, but the main part of the blanket is Lilac.

As far as the Christmas knitting goes I still have 2 hats, 2/3's of a stocking, a little bit more on a pair of socks and was thinking about a second pair of stocks (but time may not permit it). It's crunch time and I've really got to buckle down!

Need to Vent

2007-12-12T11:20:00.000-08:00

So I am a little frustrated. As of this Monday I was supposed to start substitute teaching. I figured I could make a little extra money during my break from school and student teaching. All weekend (esp. Sunday) I was getting really anxious about the whole thing. I was thinking about all the things that could go wrong, that I wouldn't be familiar with the school, what if the kids were horrible, what if there weren't any lesson plans, etc. I like predictability for the most part and being flexible is one of those things that I'm working on. I worked myself up so much that I ended up denying the job that I got called for on Monday at 6:30am (it's automated) and went back to bed. I missed another call at 8:30am.

Then on Tuesday I couldn't sub because I had a final, so I wouldn't be free all day. I actually missed that call and wasn't able to deny it. Last night I mentally prepared myself for subbing today. I looked up a bunch of activities online for students to do in case there weren't any lesson plans. I was still nervous, but felt more prepared. As an added bonus, Wednesdays are a minimum day. I would still have to stay at the school until 3pm, but the kids leave at 12:40pm. I would just hide out in the classroom and read a book until 3pm.

I got up early this morning and awaited my call. I didn't get one by 6:30am so I figured I would get one around 8:30am (since that is the time they came the previous two days). I decided to read my book until then. 8:30 came and went,and by 9am I figured that I wouldn't be getting a call.

I'm not sure if there weren't any jobs for me today or that they didn't call me because I missed the last two calls that they gave me. I'm a little frustrated because I felt somewhat more ready today. The minimum day would have been a good starter day, but now if I sub tomorrow I have to survive a whole day, then go take another final, then a get together with all the students in my cohort and then meeting a friend for coffee. This will be a full day and I'm really not sure that I'm up for it. Argh!

On the bright side, I now have time today to read my book (P.S. I Love You) that I want to finish before the movie comes out and do some KNITTING!! I'm even going to go to a yarn shop today that I haven't been to in awhile. It will still be a good day. Just not the one I had planned on.

Busy, busy

2007-12-10T20:18:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that it is already the 10th of the month and I haven't posted a blog yet. Shame on me. The thing is that I have been super busy (like everyone else) and blogging really hasn't been the first thing on my to do list. I decided I would post something before Samantha Who? comes on (which I can knit while I watch, so it's not wasting time!).

I finished the stocking for my dad, which turned out awesome, don't you think??

I was so proud of myself. This was my first project with intarsia. So here's the funny/ironic conversation I had with my boyfriend.

Me: Look at how great it is!!!

BF: It looks great babe.

Me: No seriously! Isn't it awesome!?!?! I mean it totally looks STORE BOUGHT!

Ok, so isn't the point of making a knitted gift the fact that it isn't store bought. And sometimes we buy things from the store and they are a piece of crap! I really don't know why I thought that this would make my stocking oh so much better. What I should have said was, "Doesn't it look like a PROFESSIONAL HAND KNITTER WITH YEARS OF EXPERIENCE made this?" I think that would better show the amount of pride that I found in this project, especially after all the frogging it went through.

I have started the matching one for my mom:

It will pretty much be the same except that it will have Mrs. Claus instead of Santa Claus on it. Matching! How cute is that? I'm still debating if I want (have time) to make stockings for my sister and me. If I do, then the whole family will have a set. We shall see how the rest of the Christmas shopping/knitting goes.

My boyfriend has asked me to knit him a pair of socks. So far I have made him two pairs and he's begging for more (so spoiled!). I started the socks (nothing fancy of course):

I was just going to finish them up and give them to him. Then I decided that he will have to wait until Christmas. There is no way that he gets "freebies" that will take up some of my Christmas knitting time. He will have to be patient. The socks are so "snuggly" (which is the name of the yarn) that I am tempted to keep them for myself :) But 'tis the season of giving...

'Tis the Season...

2007-11-29T20:31:00.000-08:00

to be doing that last minute gift knitting!! I started working on my first Christmas project. Last Christmas my mom got engaged and then they were married on Cinco de Mayo (not that day for that reason) this last May. So this will be the first Christmas with the two being married. My biological parents got a divorce was I was six years old. My dad remarried right away, but my mom has been a single parent all these years. The man she married in May did not have any children of his own, but always wanted some. He was treated my sister and me and like his own children so I decided to knit him a stocking with "Dad" on it. I am also going to make my mom one with "Mom" on it. His will have Santa Claus and hers will have Mrs. Claus. How cute is that!?! Here is the start (almost done!!) to his stocking:

I am so proud of myself!! This project had a little fair aisle and intarsia! Besides a class I took where we did a little practice with intarsia, this is my first project where I had to use this technique. There was plenty of frogging along the way, but I did it! Eddie was watching me knit this stocking with about 6 bobbins of yarn hanging from it. He usually likes to poke me or tickle me. I told him that this needed my full concentration and he shouldn't even think about messing around with me. He looked over and said he could tell that I had plenty going on and he wasn't even gonna think about disrupting me at that point.

It was a struggle, but I'm looking forward to starting the stocking for my mom and finishing this one up (oh how I hate seaming!). I may do stockings for my sister and me so that we have a complete set for the family, but we'll see how I feel about it after I finish the other two.

I still want to knit something for my cousin's baby for Christmas. I have a lace scarf for my sister that needs blocking (although I'm not certain on how to do this for a lace scarf). I want to make an illusion scarf for my friend. I'm not sure I'll have time for any other Christmas knitting.

P.S. Another tiny thing... :)

Tiny Things

2007-11-20T14:21:00.000-08:00

So I don't know if I am the only one, but I love tiny things. And when I say tiny things, I mean real life things that are made miniature. For example, sometimes at the craft store they have little dollhouse furniture and may also have things like little tiny fried eggs, little tiny dishes, little tiny tennis racket, you know, whatever. There is a point to this. Over the weekend I knit mini mittens! They are the cutest thing. I finished one and couldn't stop laughing. Something about that mini mitten that no one will ever wear brought so much joy to me. Eddie was like "what are you going to do with that???" Who cares! Look how cute they are:

I have patterns for mini sweaters and hats also. I was thinking that they could be Christmas ornaments or I could decorate a wreath with them. Or maybe I'll just keep them in my purse and pull them out every time I need some cheering up.

Also this weekend I finished a pair of socks, which is oh so gratifying! Especially when you have finished both socks :)

Fifth Times a Charm

2007-11-11T09:52:00.000-08:00

That's right. You read correctly. FIFTH time! I wish I could say third times a charm, but that just wasn't so with this particular project. I am making the Diamond Knit Shawl by Lion Brand. I've been wanting to make a lace shawl, but wasn't sure that I wanted it to take a long time like it would on lace weight. I found a pattern that uses a bulky weight and I had plenty of yarn for it in my stash. Double bonus. I found the pattern on Ravelry. Once again, kudos for Ravelry!! Anyway, I have done lace before and wasn't having any problems with this pattern. Then two days ago I had a horrible thing happen. I got to the end of the row and I didn't have enough stitches left to finish the repeat. Never a good thing. So I frogged back and fixed the error. Then continued along with the pattern only to have the same thing happen again two or three rows later. Again, I frogged. This happened 4 times! I couldn't believe it. For me, it is difficult to frog when the pattern has yo's. So I would have to frog back to a row that didn't have any yo's.

Fortunately I can report that I stuck with it and finally got my grove back. I was so upset yesterday and was complaining about how many times I had to frog the dang thing that my boyfriend said, "Maybe you should try working on something else. This project doesn't seem to be making you very happy." He means well, but he's not a knitter so he just doesn't understand. I knew I just had to persevere to win the battle. :)

Here's the progress of the shawl after getting back on track:

And since I haven't been great about posting pictures, here's one of me teaching :)

The Birds and the Bees

2007-11-07T15:27:00.000-08:00

Today was my second time substituting for my master teacher's class. The kids were pretty well behaved (none of them ran away this time). It seems like at least once a week we have a bee fly into our classroom. If we turn out the lights and shut the blinds, the bee will usually head straight for the sunlight coming through the open door and leave. Today we had a bee fly in, so I did the routine (calm kids down, turn out lights, leave door open). The bee flew out of the room shortly after.

Then today during math we had a bird fly into our classroom. That's right! A real live BIRD!!! What are the chances (pretty good if I'm the substitute I guess). Anyway, the kids went absolutely bonkers (which I can't really blame them because how often does that really happen??). We tried to use the same technique that we use to encourage the bees to leave, but it didn't work at all. I tried to settle the kids down by telling them to ignore the bird. No such luck. So I had all of the kids put their heads down on their desks. Then I told them that if they were SO interested in the bird that they couldn't stop talking about it or looking at it, then they would have to write a research report on birds. That pretty much got the kids back on task. The principal came into the room and called for someone to get the bird out. Before someone came to save the day, the bird flew out of the room on its own.

Never a dull moment when Ms. B. is the substitute :)

I can't even relate this to knitting, but it was too good of a story not to share.

S-T-R-E-S-S

2007-11-03T20:00:00.001-07:00

Here's your warning...This is a long post, but probably worth the read.

I thought I knew the meaning of this word. This last week I discovered the true meaning of it. I have been student teaching for 6 weeks now. Last week, I was stressed about student teaching, being observed and getting work for school done. This week was a whole new thing. While student teaching, you are allowed to substitute for your master teacher. This is highly recommended if you know your master teacher will be gone because if you don't they have to hire a substitute. Since you know the students' schedule better than the sub, you will end up doing all of the work while the sub reads a book and gets paid. Needless to say, I went to the district office and paid for my emergency credential so that I can sub for my class. This last Tuesday was my first day as a sub. I was only to sub in the morning because I had classes in the afternoon. There is a particular child in this class who is TROUBLE. We'll call him "C." About a week earlier C was hiding out in his brother's Kindergarten class and we thought he was absent. When the school called his house his mother said that he did indeed go to school that day. There was a little freak out and then he was found. C was in major trouble and lost all the recesses until he made up the time that he missed by going to his brother's room.

The day that I was substituting, C had to stay in at recess. He asked me if he could take his little brother his lunch. Since I didn't want to have his brother go hungry, I let him go. I told him to come right back. The recess bell rang and C had not returned. After a lot of calling around the school and paging him to go to the office, the secretary called me and asked me to describe what he was wearing that day. WHAT!?! I have 33 students, and I'm supposed to remember what he was wearing down to the color of his shoes??? I did the best I could.

Later the police found him walking down this very steep hill WITH HIS BROTHER (kidnapping much??) walking back towards his house. I was pretty calm and collected throughout the whole ordeal and didn't lose it until I was driving to school. I drove down the same hill where they found C walking and I noticed that there are some places without a sidewalk. I was freaking out about how the two kids could have been hit by a car or kidnapped. After school, I talked with my master teacher and she said that I couldn't have handled the situation any better and the principal said that I did everything exactly right.

C came to school on Wednesday for Halloween. He was absent on Thursday with an excuse. On Friday he was absent again, but no excuse from the parents. C takes the bus to school with his brother. A parent saw two kids walking down the hill and immediately called the principal. Apparently the bus dropped the kids off at the school and C promptly took his brother and walked back towards home. The principal had to go and pick them up and bring them back to school. During some meetings C was asked why he ran away from school. First he said that another girl in class was mean to him (so not the case. The girl doesn't even sit near him in class). Then he said that his teacher has been mean to him since he got in trouble for going to his brother's class last week (such a lie). Then he said it's because I never call on him during class (lie again). This kid is a little B.S.er.

So yesterday the secretary called the classroom while I was alone teaching the kids. C was in the office. She let me know that a man would be coming in to observe the class. I had no idea who he was, but just went on my way teaching my lesson. It turns out that the observer was a retired parole officer that was observing me to see if I was only calling on the same students in class. It just so happened that when he came to observe me we were doing something that involved the students giving responses to my questions. The same students kept raising their hands so I said (as I always do) "I need to see new hands or I'll start calling on people." The report he gave back was that I couldn't be doing it any better. I even asked other kids to answer and called on the ones who raised their hands evenly. I wasn't aware of the fact that he was coming to observe that exact thing.

In the last week I had my first substituting job, had a student run away and was observed by a retired parole officer. Much too much excitement for one week! What does this possibly have to do with knitting?? (Since I always try to bring it back to that). Not even knitting is relieving the stress from all of this. I am definitely trying though. Been doing a lot of knitting instead of the things I "should" be doing. Hopefully that will relieve some of the tension. At least as much as possible when what I really need is to spend a week/month in Hawaii :)

HALLOWEEN!!!

2007-10-28T21:54:00.000-07:00

I did another Halloween themed project this weekend. I love it because it is quick and easy, the illusion knitting is really cool and because it is quick and easy!! Since I was so stressed with school and student teaching, I decided to treat myself to getting a massage. If you are ever going to treat yourself to something, this is definitely the thing to do! On the way home I stopped at JoAnn Fabrics to get some Sugar 'n Creme yarn to make the dishcloth. They only had yellow, orange and white. No black. Luckily there was a Michaels craft store nearby, so that was my next stop. They had much more variety there, but still no black yarn. I thought about just using an acrylic yarn and hoping for the best. This was a crazy thought, but let me tell ya people, I get a little crazy when I want to make something. I'm not so good with the patience thing. It's a work in progress :) Anyway, Michaels had a different brand of cotton yarn. It was half cotton, half acrylic. Getting better. So I'm digging through the color choices. Still no black!! I settled for a characoal color. I was still pretty upset that it wasn't black, but definitely a better choice then the Red Heart acrylic yarn I was about to make do with. The dishcloth actually ended up turning out really well. It's kinda hard to notice that it's "charcoal." The main idea is to see the candy corn. I was rather pleased with my dishcloth and want to make more. I plan on doing more illusion knitting in the future too. So cool!

Trick or Treat!

2007-10-25T19:12:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took a very short family trip to Southern California and went to Knott's Scary Farm. It's a Halloween event at Knott's Berry Farm. They set up a lot of haunted houses and people were hired to wear scary costumes and jump out at you throughout the haunted house. There were also costumed people throughout the park that would jump out at you. As much as I hate to admit it, I was scared a couple of times. After going to the event, we decided that we will not be repeating it in the future. First of all, the amount of people that were there was RIDICULOUS and second of all they were mostly high school aged kids. Not that I have anything against them, but they tend to be rude and do things like cut in line, they don't pay attention and are just somewhat obnoxious. Ok, maybe I do have something against them, but still. It was madness. The good part about the trip is that we were in the car for at least 6 hours each way (probably more with all the traffic we hit both ways). So unless you're a knitter, long car rides aren't so great. Since I am a knitter it was fantastic!! I was able to knit a trick-or-treat basket that looks like a spider. I bought the pattern in September and have been thinking about it ever since. I am so glad that I finally did it and finished it. I was a little worried that Halloween would come and go and I would end up knitting a spider basket in April. Here it is:

Fight the Addiction?

2007-10-23T22:41:00.000-07:00

I seem to knit in cycles. It's either all the time or not at all (although during the not at all time, I'm usually contemplating what to start next). Right now I'm in the "can't stop knitting" mode. I have tons of things to do (lesson plans, reading for school, assignments, laundry, etc.) and yet all I want to do is knit, knit, knit. I went on a road trip with the family to Southern California this last weekend and was able to knit up the cutest Trick-or-Treat basket. From there, the knitting has snowballed. I have socks that need to be finished and started a mesh bag. I also have to seam up my Baby Surprise Jacket. This may not seem to be a lot of projects on the needles, but I am the type of knitter that usually finishes one project before beginning another. As I continue to knit I just keep thinking about all of the things I need to get. I don't even want to take the time to load a picture to my blog right now. I just want to KNIT!! In reality, the knitting is an awesome de-stressor and I should just let all the other things go. Everything always get done somehow, right?

GRRR...

2007-10-15T15:10:00.000-07:00

I started making the Baby Surprise Jacket a couple of weeks ago and then put it down with no desire to pick it up again. My first problem is that I used a worsted weight yarn which ended up making the sweater bigger than I had planned. I guess I was supposed to use a sock weight yarn to make a smaller sweater. I think that this is the appeal of this pattern. You can make different sizes just by changing the yarn the you use. So then I was thinking "whatever." It's always better too big than too small (within in reason of course). I got over the fact that this jacket won't fit a newborn and the wearer will just have to wait until she gets a little bit older.

So I'm going along with the pattern only to realize that each end of the sweater has a different amount of stitches after the stitch markers. They should be exactly the same. Since the pattern only tells you to make the increases or decreases before or after the stitch markers and doesn't give a certain number of stitches to count, I didn't realize my mistake until finishing all of the increases in that section. So...I don't know where I made the initial mistake and I really don't know if fixing it or leaving it will make a major difference. We're talking about two stitches worth of a mistake. Part of me just wants to keep going and see how it turns out and the perfectionist in me wants to frog the whole thing and start from scratch. What's a girl to do??

Second Post for the Day

2007-10-10T19:58:00.001-07:00

I saw this quiz on another blog and had to post the results since it related to my post on October 6th.

What Should You Knit?

You should knit a plain sweater! You like to get lost in the process of making your project, and don't mind taking some time to do so. Often you let the beauty of the yarn speak, as opposed to using difficult techniques.
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I ROCK!

2007-10-10T12:49:00.000-07:00

I am currently in a credential program to get my Teaching Credential. I started student teaching (working in the classroom with an experienced teacher) at the end of September. I was placed in a 5/6 combination class. This school is brand new and this is only their second year being open. Needless to say, it is beautiful and I totally lucked out. I do the Spelling pre-test and test every week, I did Language Arts lessons with a small group of ESL students last week and this week I started doing the Math lessons with the 5th graders.

As a student teacher, you are assigned a supervisor who observes you teaching a lesson in the classroom 4 times during each placement. Today was my first observation and I did an awesome job. I was very nervous (as I tend to do often is these kinds of situations) about my first observation (and probably will be about every one to follow). The kids were well behaved, engaged and totally understood the lesson. I couldn't have asked for a better first observation or a better group of kids. My supervisor said that I was very organized, well-prepared and spoke to the students with respect and in turn got respect back from them. She seemed to be very impressed with my lesson. Oh yeah, and I did I mention that on top of all of that I'm sick?? This is why I ROCK!!

So far, I am really enjoying student teaching and look forward to having my own class someday. Wish me luck on the rest of my observations! I've definitely set the bar high, so hopefully I can keep it!

To celebrate my success of the day, I am going to sit and knit after finish reading for at least one class for school tomorrow. Better yet, I will read and knit at the same time. It makes the reading slightly less dry and the boring stockinette part of the sock go by faster as well :)

What to Knit?

2007-10-06T12:30:00.001-07:00

So I feel that I really don't have very much spare time between preparing lesson plans for next week, going to school, doing reading for school, getting ready for my first observation by my supervisor and everything else that happens in life, but of course I want to start another knitting project. I started knitting the Baby Surprise Jacket two weeks ago. First of all, it seems as though it will be much bigger than I expected. Also, I was following the pattern carefully, but somehow my stitch marker was two stitches off on one end. The only reason that I know this is because the two ends are different and yet you're supposed to do the same thing to each side. Needless to say I really didn't feel like undoing it and figuring it out so it's still sitting on the needles and I have no desire to work out the problem right now.

I have a pattern for a felted Halloween treat bag that looks like a spider. I got it in Oregon when I was visiting my cousin. Being that the first week of October is not over, I should really get cracking on this one. It's super cute and fits the holiday, but I just can't seem to get the ball rolling (or unwinding! lol...geez, i'm a dork).

The cousin from OR, Laurie, is pregnant. She has been having some troubles with her blood pressure and blood sugar levels. I just found out yesterday that she had to go to the hospital and the doctor put her on bed rest. The baby will probably be born early (I think they will be inducing labor) and very very tiny. When I was there, we went to the Yarn Garden (LYS) and they had all these tiny hats for premature babies hanging in the window. I believe it was for charity. My cousin was saying that her baby will probably need some of those tiny hats. So this would be another project (and a very small one too) that I could get going on.

Of course I have plenty of other patterns and stash yarn that the possibilities of what to start working on next are endless. Instead of being creative, I just decided to start some toe-up socks on two circulars. It's a variegated yarn and the colors are kinda boring, but the exciting part is that the yarn has little bits of sparkly silver in them. The sparkles may be hard to see, but here's the beginning of the sock:

When in doubt, knit socks!

Does anyone have any ideas or patterns on the internet that would give me something different to do with the leg as opposed to the basic k2, p2 rib? I would like to try something different :)

AHH!!!

2007-09-30T15:35:00.000-07:00

I feel like I'm already going crazy. Last week I started my first placement as a student teacher. It went well, but all I really did was observe and give some spelling tests. Next week I have to plan reading lessons for a group of students who are struggling with reading. Each lesson is about one hour. So I'm freaking out a little, even though I know it will be a piece of cake. I started my classes for the credential program on Thursday. I have only been to two out of my five classes and am stressing about all the assignments I will have to do on top of student teaching. The good news is that most of the assignments have to do with things I will be doing in the classroom (as a student teacher). I think I really just need to be able to take it one day at a time, which is definitely not one of my strengths.

What does this have to do with knitting??? I really want to knit and have tons of projects that I want to start working on, but feel a little guilty if I'm knitting instead of reading or doing assignments for school. I totally understand why they recommend not working during this year. Which means I also stress about money! Ah, life! Hopefully I will be able to get some knitting in. In fact, I should require myself to get some knitting in because it is definitely a de-stressor!

Parents Hooked it Up!!

2007-09-24T22:52:00.000-07:00

My parents hooked it up! Apparently there was a sale at Joann's Fabric on the Super Size Sugar 'n Cream cotton yarn. They know that I am crazy about knitting (which in turn means that I'm crazy about yarn too). This is what they got me:

Leave it to my mom to take the full advantage of a sale :) They got me 16 balls of this yarn (4 ea of 4 colors). I really don't know what I will do with it all. The only thing that I have ever used this yarn for is dishcloths. I also made one scarf when I first started knitting. I am using the varigated yarn to make the Baby Surprise Jacket. I'm not sure how it will turn out, but I'm hoping for the best. Fortunately I know plenty of people who are having babies. If the first jacket turns out ok, maybe I will use the rest of the yarn to make more Baby Surprise Jackets. If not, people are getting lots of dishcloths for Christmas! LOL!

Da Bears!

2007-09-19T12:07:00.003-07:00

As promised, I have a picture of Eddie wearing the socks that I made for him.

I was able to give them to him last Sunday when the Bears played the Chiefs. We now know that the socks work because the Bears won 20-10!!! Hopefully the luck lasts throughout the season and the Bears can make it to the Super Bowl again. I'm not a Bears fan (nor a huge football fan in general), but I figure if he can support my obsessive knitting habit then I can support his team :)

P.S. I have only been on Ravelry for two days, but I absolutely love it!! If only I could organize my entire life this way :) I have also finally found something to make with my Amaizing yarn (SWTC). My name on Ravelry is "abarclay." Check it out!

Ravelry!!!

2007-09-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it! I am on Ravelry! To be honest, I really don't know all that much about it, but a couple of people have been saying how great it is. I also noticed that there was a LONG waiting list! I figured I better get on that waiting list and maybe I would be on by the end of the year. Much to my surprise, I had an invitation waiting for me in my email. Went on Ravelry, signed up and started checking it out. I can't wait to get home and start filling it out. I put in one pattern that I have finished (Trellis - see below) and then I was able to see all the variations of that pattern that other people had done! So cool. I definitely need to find more time so I can play around with it!

Packages

2007-09-12T15:29:00.000-07:00

So I have been looking at other people's knitting blogs and many people have pictures of packages that they have received in the mail. These packages usually have candy, yarn, knitting needles and all other kinds of fun stuff. My question is, how do I get in on this??? I love getting mail that isn't a bill, especially when it's a package!! Does anyone know how I sign up for one of these exchanges?? If so, please let me know :)

Visiting Family

2007-09-11T17:04:00.000-07:00

For the last week and a half I have been visiting family in Oregon and Arizona. First, I went to see my cousin, Laurie, who is having a baby (the one that I gave the baby sweater to). She loved the sweater!! She wanted to hang it on the wall in the nursery instead of putting it on her baby. The day after I gave it to her she was talking to her husband's grandma from Pennsylvania. Grandma Phoebe said that it must be "some sweater" because Timothy (Laurie's husband) even told her how awesome it is. That made me super excited. Laurie has done a little knitting on her own, but mostly purses, scarves and hats. She still feels that she is a novice knitter. It was great giving the sweater to someone who knits because then she really appreciated the gift. It was awesome! I got a better response than I thought I would. This is my cousin and me at a waterfall in OR:

Since I have a little more experience knitting (Laurie was calling me a "professional," which I am far from) Laurie wanted to get in as much knitting time as possible. While there I worked on this scarf:

Using this yarn:

We went to the LYS, The Naked Sheep (http://www.thenakedsheepknitshop.com/) and I loved this shop! They had a pattern for felted clogs that I had been thinking about getting for a long time. I was really debating on whether or not I should get yarn along with the pattern while I was there. I had plenty of yarn back at the house to do some projects, but I really really wanted these clogs! So, naturally, I bought some yarn so I could knit up the clogs right away. I am so glad that I did. I LOVE THESE CLOGS!!! Here is a pic pre-felting:

The pen is there so you can get an idea of a the ginormous size of these clogs before felting :) The finished product will be in a picture below.

Laurie had been working on a baby sweater and was feeling a little discouraged about it. So she added on some red to the bottom of it and it made a world of difference. Laurie decided to try different kinds of stitch patterns while making baby blocks. She wanted a project where the end results would come a lot quicker! I really liked the way the blocks turned out.

I had been looking at some stitch markers on ebay that were absolutely adorable. Since my cousin enjoys using Sculpey clay and had some on hand, we decided to make some of our own stitch markers. My first four were insects, which ended up being WAY to big, so they became magnets instead. My cousin made me a set of purple stitch markers and I love them. I was also able to get a good start on the Bears socks for Eddie. Here's a picture of us with all of our projects from the week:

Laurie decided to make her own pair of clogs. She started her clogs the night before I had to leave for AZ. Since she wasn't able to get to the last part of the clog before I left, we sat down before I went through security and I showed her how to do a three needle bind off so she would know how to do it when she got to that part. I think that we knit every minute we possibly could, literally right up until I went through security. It was great being able to knit with someone else. I usually knit alone, or while I'm with other people who don't knit. I don't know what it is, but there is definitely a difference when you're with fellow knitters.

Next, I went to AZ. While there, I finished Eddie's socks. I also watched the Bears game on Sunday (he wasn't able to watch it on TV in CA) and they ended up losing. I told him it's because he didn't have his lucky socks. Hopefully the Bears will win the next game when he can wear the socks :) I will have to post a picture of them later.

I taught my step mom how to knit while I was there. She started a garter stitch scarf. My dad has a dog (a boxer) who is almost two years old and definitely likes getting into mischief. I had some yarn in my suitcase. The suitcase was closed, but not zipped. The dog decided that my yarn should be in the living room and this is what she did to it:

The picture is a little difficult to see, but basically she took a new, NEAT ball of yarn and knotted it all up. I couldn't be too mad because she is adorable! While in AZ, I started a pair of ankle socks for myself. I can definitely say that the 115 degree weather did not encourage me to do too much knitting.

Wow this is a long blog! I should probably just keep it up to date more frequently :)

First Baby Sweater

2007-08-28T16:19:00.001-07:00

I finished my first baby sweater! I'm especially excited because it had cables too! I made the sweater for my cousin's baby that is due in November. It's the first baby of our generation, so I'm very excited. I am actually leaving tomorrow to go visit her and will be able to give her this sweater:

The pattern is from knitty.com. It is called Trellis. I would put in the link here if I knew how, but I'm still new to the blogging and don't know how to do this. I love these buttons because they are the same and different at the same time. I chose purple yarn because it is my favorite color and I didn't want to do the typical pink for a girl. I can't wait to see the baby in this sweater. It is size "6 mos" so hopefully she'll be a big baby so I don't have to wait too long. Her parents are both very tall, so here's hoping :)

Instant Gratification

2007-08-28T00:18:00.000-07:00

I love knitting socks. Most of the socks I have knit are for myself (besides the small pair that I had to give to my mom with size 6 feet) and are very simple. The fanciest it has gotten with socks is using variegated yarn. I would love to try some with lace or cables. Awhile ago, I bought a 2007 Knitting calendar. It has a pattern for almost each day of the year. I definitely bought this for the patterns and not the calendar. Anyway, I found a pattern in there for infant socks and decided that it would be a great way to use up some leftover sock yarn. I made these:

I'm not sure who I will give them to, but they were a lot of fun. I was able to finish them in a day. This is not the case with the adult size socks. So the gratification on these was great and almost instant! My one complaint is that they don't match perfectly. I did the one with the pink toe first and was so excited at how the colors worked out perfectly with the heal being all purple and the pink toe. I assumed that if I started in the same place on the yarn with the next sock that it would turn out the same. Of course the variegated yarn gods were against me and there is not a pink toe and there is a purple stripe that is not on the first sock, but I'm not anal enough to fix it, only enough for it to bother me for a couple hours and then say "screw it."

I plan on making more (who they are for, I don't know), but I really need to start Eddie's (BF) Bear's socks. Football season starts soon and I haven't even started. Never knit your BF a sweater, but I'm sure socks are fine :) He definitely deserves them!

Pismo Beach

2007-08-17T09:13:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to Pismo Beach to celebrate my one year anniversary with my boyfriend. The weather was pretty good and we had a lot of fun. I know that I love this man because everytime we go on vacation, he knows that we will be going to the closest yarn shop and he doesn't complain. In fact, he brings his GPS navigator so we can find a yarn shop (I highly recommend getting one of these!). On this trip, he entered the address for me. When we got to our destination we found a fabric store. He had scrolled to the wrong address on the GPS. Then we corrected the mistake only to find that the yarn shop was another 2 mi away. We decided to walk up and down the street in this cute little town. We went to the ice creamery and window shopped at a couple of stores. Then we got back in the car and drove to the "correct" address for Yarnology (the LYS). We got to the address and could not find the place. So he called to shop only to discover that they had moved a month ago to (you guessed it) the street we were previously on. We didn't see it because it was above one of the other shops.

Anyway, we drove back to where we started and finally got to Yarnology. It was a small shop, but I was so happy to find it. I wanted to do something lace. The shopowner was very helpful.

This is what I bought:

and this is what I started making:

I also bought a kit to make a cabled scarf. I will post pictures if I ever start it :)

So we were actually only at the yarn shop for about 45 minutes. My bf was shocked. He thought it would take at least an hour and a half (like it usually does when I'm limited to one hour). I think I was just really excited to go back to the hotel and start my lace project :) I got to knit it from our balcony with a beautiful view of the ocean!

What kind of needles, knitter and yarn am I?

2007-08-15T17:56:00.000-07:00

What kind of knitting needles are you?

You are interchangeable.Fun, free, and into everything, you've got every eventuality covered and every opportunity just has to be taken. Every fiber is wonderful, and every day is a new beginning. You are good at so many things, it's amazing, but you can easily lose your place and forget to show up. They have row counters for people like you!
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What Kind of Knitter Are You?

You appear to be a Knitting Guru. You love knitting and do it all the time. While finishing a piece is the plan, you still love the process, and can't imagine a day going by without giving some time to your yarn. Packing for vacation involves leaving ample space for the stash and supplies. It can be hard to tell where the yarn ends and you begin.http://marniemaclean.com
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What kind of yarn are you?

You are Merino Wool.You are very easygoing and sweet. People like to keep you close because you are so softhearted. You love to be comfortable and warm from your head to your toes.
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First Picture

2007-08-15T14:35:00.001-07:00

So I will probably be putting up pictures of things that I have already completed. I would like to keep track of the things I have made. The first picture is of the baby blanket that I made for my cousin. It will be the first baby in the next generation.

The blue baby blanket:

There is really nothing too special about this blanket. It is knit in garter stitch. I tried doing something a little more fancy, but it didn't show up too well in this yarn (it was also much easier to knit in garter stitch while reading for school). It is boulce and I think the color is sea breeze. When I made the blanket, I didn't know if my cousin was having a boy or a girl, but figured that blue could go either way. I thought that I might be lucky and she would just have a boy. Unfortunately my luck never works out that way. So on top of the blanket I decided to make a baby sweater. I have only made one sweater before that was striped stockinette. This is the beginning of the baby sweater and I love it! I used this yarn:

Beginning of the sweater:

The beginning...

2007-08-14T17:07:00.000-07:00

I decided to start a knitting blog to keep a record of the things I have knit. I keep some of the things I make and I give some of the away. I thought it would be nice to keep an account of everything I have made. I also wanted to join in the blogging knitter community. I can't hardly believe how many there are and I love reading everyone else's blogs and checking out their pictures. I won't be posting any pictures today because I don't have my camera on me, but will be posting some in the near future :)