Sittin 'n Knittin

musings on knitting, family and life in general

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Finally some photos!!

Blue Gable


And the prototype for my KSKS pal's bag...which, by the way, is for ME. Did I mention I like little bags? BTW--blue shawl in background is It's a Wrap Take 1.

Bear with me as I sort out all this blogger stuff...someday my photos will be more than straight down the middle!! Off to bed and a long weekend in NH. Happy 4th!

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Photoless

I have several FO's--one knit, one sewn. I will post photos as soon as I can tear T away from his new work "toy" and the garage so I can track down the camera and have him give me a quick tutorial on downloading pix...I guess I am still a Luddite of sorts...and had NO idea that the origins of the term "Luddite" was directly related to knitting until just now. How cool is Wikipedia!!!!? But I digress.

Green/Blue Gable is officially finished and made its public debut at Knit Night yesterday. Despite reading about some issues at the KAL, I did not have any problems with the pattern sizing, and only made a few changes--waist increases and 5 rows of ribbing at the sleeves and bottom edges.

And for the first time in....more years than I care to recount, a SEWN object! Still in the planning phase of my KSKS pal's kit, I made a tiny bag prototype, based on this pattern. Undecided on what my pal's bag actually will be at this point.

Oh! Did I mention that I was here? Click on the picture, notice the dark red, sleeveless shirt that is sitting down, sorta toward the upper lefthand corner? That would be me. Learning how to spin. Promise--when photos get loaded, there will a pic of the POS that I "spun".

(Shhhh! Can you keep a secret? I special ordered yarn for my KSKS pal from Someone and it is beautiful!)

Photos (hopefully) tomorrow...?

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Impatience

By nature, I am an impatient person. And certain things tend to set me on an accelerated path straight to obsessionville. Perhaps you, too, have had this experience: you want/need to talk to someone. You dial their number. The line is busy/goes straight to voicemail. ARGHH!!! It's all I can take to occupy myself and avoid hitting redial every...60 seconds. Oh, alright, every 15 seconds. No? So it's true--I AM the only one. At any rate, my current obsession is checking my email. All the KSKS matches have been sent out, and I have yet to hear from my pal. I know, she could be on vacation this week, or wrapped up in...something more important than KSKS at the moment. But just a one line email to say hi...that's all I need!!

Fortunately for me, another source of my recent impatience arrived today--my size 4 Addi's that I need to complete Green Gable. All I have left is the ribbed bits around the bottom and sleeves and finito! I promise pics to come, but the camera hasn't made it home from T's office in a few days now. Definitely by the weekend.

***ETA: Yeah! I heard from my pal!

Saturday, June 17, 2006

On the hunt

Today, my husband, T, our 3 yr old son, GW and I spent the day in the Essex/Deep River area of CT with my FIL. They indulged me in a quick trip into Yarns Down Under. Not having my match for KSKS yet, I spent a few minutes doing recon. Wow! They have small but perfectly adequate stock in Mountain Colors Bearfoot, Cherry Tree Hill, Schaefer Yarn's Anne, and a huge pile of KOIGU!! I resisted temptation, helped in part by the $$$ work done on my car yesterday. Fortunately, my FIL keeps a boat in Essex, so I'll have plenty of opportunity to return.

In knitting news, I finished It's a Wrap, Take 1 in a blue 100% linen yarn I bought at MS&W in a 50% off bin. Knitting with it was interesting, and I love the finished product. The maching washing and drying made a huge difference in the look and feel of the wrap. Not only is it softer, but all the p3tog really evened out, as if I had blocked it! Yipee! Pics maybe tomorrow. Currently working on second sock for T out of $6 Regia. Lucky for me, Webs is on our way up to FIL's house. Gotta love in-law visits that make great yarn shopping easier!

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Knit Sock Kit Swap questionnaire

What are your favorite colors? Let's visit this by exception, shall we? Not a fan of yellow, orange or bombard-the-senses brightness.
Are you a new sock knitter? How long have you been knitting socks? Started my first pair in October of '05, have finished 5-1/2 pairs since...you be the judge
Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn? Both! I've yet to use solid but would like to try patterned socks best supported by solid yarn sometime
What fibers do you prefer in sock yarn? Soft! Superwash! I am all about the washing machine. A bit of nylon for strength is nice, but not necessary. Oh, and not a big fan of the cotton
Where do you usually knit socks? My cushy green sofa mostly, but also the passenger seat of my hubby's Honda Element and whatever chair I plop into for meetings at work
How do you usually carry/store small projects? I've got a few bags kicking around, including one of those Lantern Moon taffetta bags. Usually whatever is handy, including ziplock baggies
What are your favorite sock knitting patterns? pom squad from Magknits
What are your favorite sock knitting techniques? I do Magic Loop exclusively, currently obsessed with Magic toe-up cast on, short row heels
What new techniques would you like to try? maybe 2 socks at a time on 2 circs, or short row toes
Do you prefer circulars or dpns for sock knitting? CIRCS!! I feel like I knit faster with them and don't feel like I'm wrestling with a porcupine
What are some of your favorite yarns? Socks that Rock and Koigu, but I have limited sock yarn exposure at this point and hope to broaden my horizons...unless you have your heart set on gifting me with either, and that would be OK, too!
What yarn do you totally covet? I like the idea of sharing my name with yarn (Anne by Schaefer yarn), I love Scout's Rosalie...I really like handpainted yarn...truth be told I love it all!
Any pattern you would love to make if money and time were no object? I have no idea!! If money were no object, I'd probably think about cashmere yarn...yummy
Favorite kind of needles (brand, materials, straights or circs, etc)? Addi turbo, size "0"
If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be? I'd be 75% superwash merino/25% nylon (for added strength!), handpainted in a complex palette...sorta like Koigu
Do you have a favorite candy or mail-able snack? I dig those tangerine-sour Altoids. Oh, and did I mention dark chocolate?
What’s your favorite animal? Tigger!
Do you have pets? What are their species/names/ages? Pets? No. Only a 3 year old boy who pretends to be a puppy, kitty or frog from time to time.
If you were a color what color would you be? I used to be a dark, mysterious green and am slowly morphing into a deep purple/blue
Describe your favorite shirt (yours or someone else’s).. an oft-washed, fitted but not tight dark khaki/brown short sleeve T from H&M that goes with almost everything else I own
What is your most inspiring image, flower, or object in nature? Halfdome at Yosemite
Tell me the best quote you’ve ever heard or read. There are so many, but the current mantra is: Life is not a destination, it is a journey.
Do you have a wishlist? no
Anything else you’d like to share with the group today? this is my first swap and I'm looking forward to the whole experience!!

Jumping in...

The water is pretty warm! I've been thinking about starting a blog for several (many?) moons and this provided just the right motivation for me. I have a bazillion ideas swarming around in my head and can't wait to get my match!

Did I mention that I am a complete newbie? Please bear with me as I learn and work out the kinks.

Anne