Knit, Me-Shell, Knit!

Lady Eleanor

2007-01-02T10:46:00.000-05:00

Here is my progress shot, blogger be damned:

I'm using Noro Silk Garden in color 243. I love the way the colors change with this pattern. My problem is that I only have 6 balls of yarn. I'm making it smaller than the pattern says, so I hope I have enough, otherwise I'll be in a frenzy to find the same dye lot. It shouldn't be that hard, though. I cast on 40 stitches instead of 56, so it's smaller by two rectangles.

I'm so happy that I have tried entrelac! It's really so much easier than it looks. I can't wait to finish this. It's so much fun, I can totally see myself making another one as a gift.

Happy New Year.

2007-01-02T10:16:00.000-05:00

Birthday/Christmas/New Year.

It always happens so fast. From December 15th on, it's a big blur.

I got a sewing machine for my birthday from The Boy. And he took me to see the Nutcracker at the Academy of Music. And dinner at Tequila's. Fantastic.

Christmas was fantastic as well. I received all kinds of goodies, including a basket for my bike, a mexican cookbook, new boots, a hand mixer, and lots of gift cards. But receiving is not what it's all about for me. I love giving presents. And making them is even more fun:

This is the sweater I made for my dad. I started on December 2nd and finished on the 22nd. I am quite proud. I used the "incredible, custom-fit raglan sweater" pattern from woolworks.com. I can't believe I knitted a sweater in 20 days! I used about 7 or 8 skeins of Rowanspun Chunky on 10 1/2 needles.

I know that my mom has a picture of him wearing it, so once I get it, I'll post. Because it looks so nice on him! He didn't realize I had made it when he first opened it. Once I told him, he couldn't believe it. That night, we were getting ready to head over to my uncle's house for Christmas and my dad came out strutting in his new sweater. Very nice.

Now I'm on a mission to make stuff for myself. With my brand new sewing maching, I'm going to make some pillows for my living room. I still have things I'm knitting/crafting for other people, but I've decided to be selfish for right now. So, I'm going to start and finish a cardigan for myself (probably using the same pattern as my dad's sweater), knit a pair of Monkey socks from Knitty, and a few of those beaded votive holders from Handknit Holidays. Also, I have just discovered that entrelac is not as hard as it looks! I know! I'm as shocked as you are. I would show you my progress, but blogger is a pain in my ass and won't let me. I even deleted one of the pictures of my dad's sweater, and now I can't even put that back! I hate it. I'll try again later, I suppose.

I hope that everyone had a very happy and healthy holiday season. I know I did. Finally! No illnesses. What a treat.

Trying again.

2006-12-14T09:09:00.000-05:00

I really wanted to show you this:

I happen to think it's one of the greatest Christmas ornaments ever. We got it last year. I think I liked it not just because it's old-fashioned (or because it was one of the first ornaments we bought for "our" tree), but because it reminds me of the ornaments my grandparents always had. That could all be in my head. But either way, I think it's pretty awesome.

And here is the picture I have been trying to post for days now. A better picture of the Clapotis that my mom made for me:

I have also been trying out the beaded votive sleeves from Handknit Holidays:

I've actually gotten much farther than this, but then I realized that I didn't have a votive holder big enough to match (Somehow I cast on too many stitches). So my mom and I searched the other day for the perfect sized votives, and I found some at Michael's on sale for 3 for $1!! So I bought six and plan to make a few sets for Christmas presents. I really quite like them. The original that I was making, however, looks like it's wide enough to cover a drinking glass. Well, maybe one day I will find the perfect mate for it.

Also, tomorrow is my birthday. I don't know how I feel about 28, but I think I'll be alright with it. I have been assured by The Boy that tomorrow will be full of surprises. And to be honest, I have absolutely no clue as to what is going to happen. All I know is that he has taken the day off of work and also made sure I hadn't made any plans for tomorrow night as well. He also assures me that my presents are so unbelievable, they will cause me to poop my pants.

Say it with me...eww.

Well, I'm off to do some Christmas/Birthday shopping with the Pizzle. Hopefully I'll have some more knitting progress to show in the next few days.

The little lights aren't twinkling, Clark.

2006-12-14T08:01:00.000-05:00

We somehow found the perfect Christmas tree....a block away from our apartment. It was still tied up with twine and laying on the ground when The Boy picked it up and said "I think we should get this one." He also suggested not even opening it up until we get home, because he had a feeling this was the perfect tree for our tiny apartment.

He was right.

It's no more than a few inches taller than me, and I'm 5'5" on a good day. We decorated it in record time. And it's beautiful. Now all it needs is an abundance of presents sitting underneath, and all will be right with the world. At least I think it will be. We're both not feeling the Christmas spirit. I thought I had it for a few minutes, but I was wrong. It was probably all that mulled cider I drank. Indigestion can easily be mistaken as the Christmas spirit.

I could be slightly stressed out over Christmas knitting. I have to finish my dad's sweater by the middle of next week. I can't give him the thing unblocked, that would be uncivilized. I'd say I'm about halfway done the body, then I have to do the sleeves. I really hope I get it done in time. I have a vision of myself, frantically knitting into the wee hours of Christmas morning and handing him a damp sweater that smells a bit too much like a wet sheep. Anyway, here is what it looked like two days ago:

Not bad. Of course, that's not the only picture I took of it:

And yet again, I can't post any more pictures at the moment. Until tomorrow, I suppose...or maybe just later in the day. Who knows?

Christmas-y.

2006-12-06T08:56:00.000-05:00

I have to say that I had not been in the Christmas spirit until Sunday.

(It was a pretty bad year.)

Not having a job is so not helping right now. I really don't understand why I can't find a job. Let me change that: I can find jobs, it's just that they don't seem to want me. Anyway...I know if I keep trying, I'll find something...hopefully sooner than later.

So given the fact that my birthday is so close to Christmas (*cough*december 15th*cough*), it's usually pretty easy to be stoked about the season of giving. Luckily, Kate had us over on Sunday for some holiday crafting. Martha Stewart should know that she has a very devoted following in the group of ladies who convened that day. It was pretty awesome. And I got to tell them the story about how I met "Flick" from my very favorite of all holiday movies "A Christmas Story" the day before at a birthday party. Let's just say that it's not the same watching the movie anymore and leave it at that...if I have the strength, I'll go into detail at a later date.

I met some very nice ladies and we discussed, among many topics, recipes, work (or my lack thereof), men, and a shared loathing of Rachael Ray. It was quite interesting. We also drank lots and lots of eggnog and mulled cider and ate an abundance of Christmas cookies.

So anyway, I am now officially in the mood for Christmas-y happenings. I have to get moving on some crafts, but it makes me feel more in the spirit when I'm making things than if I were just buying them. (Although I do have to buy things also.)

So....on to the crafts...

Here are the cupcakes I knitted for Tammi's birthday (from One Skein) :

The Clapotis my mom made me with Noro Silk Garden:

And just for fun, blogger won't let me post anymore pictures at the moment...isn't that FUN?

So I'll be back to finish later. Hopefully with more pictures as well.

Back on track.

2006-12-05T16:05:00.000-05:00

At least I think I am.

I have now almost completed Rusted Root for myself, but put it on a small hiatus so that I can finish some of those Christmas presents.

My dad's sweater is coming along. I'm almost done the increases for the arms. I think. Pictures and details to come....very soon. It's slightly aggravating considering I could have been past this point already if I didn't have to cast on for the damn thing four times to get it right. I don't even want to talk about it.

I also promised my friend Tammi Jean that I would knit her a Harry Potter scarf for her birthday. This has quickly turned into a birthday/Christmas present, as I did not receive all of my yarn at the same time. And it's a pain in the arse, to boot. Just boring, really. Sloooooow and boring.

Any old way, I think I'll get on top of taking some pictures and posting more often. Because this is just sad.

No one ever said I was camera-shy...

2006-10-25T06:38:00.000-05:00

My mom didn't want to pose for the pics, so I did instead. Here is the Clapotis I finished for her using Artyarns Regal Silk, color #123.

She also made a Clapotis with 4 balls (I think) of Mango Moon Recycled Silk. It's super heavy and the colors are pretty bright, but it's very nice. Except that it sheds.

It would probably be a good idea to post more often.

2006-10-12T14:21:00.000-05:00

1. So I finished the clapotis for my mom. It's beautiful.

2. Also finished the Anthropologie-inspired capelet.

3. Leaf tee (see previous post.) Finito.

4. Not just one, but TWO pair of Knucks from Knitty. One pair for my brother, one for my little cousin for her birthday. I think it's safe to say I've overcome the aggravation of learning to use dpn's.

5. The vintage dress patterns.....we bought the fabric, my mom gave it a good try, and it seems nearly impossible to make this dress. We'll keep trying, but I found a nice dress this week to wear to the wedding tomorrow. No worries.

Now, to get some pictures of these fantastic finished objects of mine....

A few pictures of what I've been doing...

2006-09-08T18:14:00.000-05:00

The Leaf Tee:

Cherry Garcia Neck Tube (from HelloYarn pattern):

close-up of the cables (my first time! not bad!):

So I didn't plan on knitting the neck tube just yet, but I found some yarn at my LYS and couldn't resist. Specs:

Yarn: Reynolds Andean Alpaca Regal in Brick
Needles: size 10 circular
Pattern: Free! here is the link: http://www.helloyarn.com/cherrygarcia.htm
Time spent: Not much. Maybe 2 hours. Super easy and my idea of instant gratification. Although, it's still not quite cool enough to need a neck tube, but it will be soon enough!

On to the next project!

Upon further examination...

2006-09-06T10:34:00.000-05:00

I realize that I now have several projects currently on the needles. I can't seem to stop starting up new projects. I'm greedy. So...the list....

1. Clapotis from Knitty - for my mom
Yarn: Artyarns Regal Silk
The problem: It's boring the hell out of me.

2. Anthropologie-inspired capelet (by julsey723 on craftster) - for.....ME!!!
Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky in Turkish Olive
The problem: none, really. It's pretty quick to knit because of the bulky yarn and big needles. I'm just battling A.D.D.

3. Leaf t-shirt (by knitting school dropout) - for ......ME, also!!!! (but this I just finished)
Yarn: Tahki Cotton Classic in Deep Red
The problem: I was a little bored and anxious to finish so I could wear the damn thing.

4. Knucks from Knitty - for my brother, and several others, should I not lose my mind during the process.
Yarn: for my brother's I'm using Blue Sky Alpaca. It's super soft and not at all itchy.
The problem: I think I hate knitting gloves. Even if the fingers aren't full length. It's driving me out of my skull. Even my mom got confused. So as you can tell, this is my first time knitting anything with dpn's. Poop.

5. Also, I bought some vintage dress patterns from the 50s and 60s from ebay! I can't wait until they get here so I can get started. (Also something I need my mother's help with.)
The purpose: I have a wedding to go to in October (Friday the 13th!). Instead of whining about how I can't find any dresses I like, or that all the dresses I like cost way too much, I'll just make my own.

So, I'm totally going to post some pictures soon. Really. I will. Because quite frankly, I need to see my own progress so that I keep on moving.

I'm not sure if it's hot or if it's cold...

2006-08-27T16:03:00.000-05:00

It's very confusing to me, this weather...I'm inside my apartment and I'm sweating. Once I step outside, it's cool (and wet). I hate humidity. So does my hair.

The weather is stopping me from doing anything productive, like say, I don't know...knitting. There are plenty of things I could be doing right now, but my arms are stuck to the computer desk. And that's just gross.

I can't wait for fall.

On a happier note, I just signed up for another swap on craftster. I can't wait! Everyone is sending their partner something they can't get in their country. Apparantly, people outside of the U.S. have a hard time finding Kool-Aid packets. (You can dye yarn with Kool-Aid! I've never tried, but it sounds pretty awesome to me.) And I'm always up for trying new candies and food from different countries. I hope I can find a few things that aren't available outside of the U.S to send my partner. I think this one will take a bit of research.

Also, today is my dad's birthday. Happy Birthday Daddy!!!!

Ok, I have to start working on something before my brain turns to mush.

Motivation.

2006-08-25T16:02:00.000-05:00

I am hoping that this will keep me motivated. At the moment, the boy is away and I am bored beyond recognition. A new friend from a far away land (I'm being dramatic) has been pretty inspiring and I find myself trying to accomplish all sorts of things I never thought I would.

Knit an item of clothing that someone would be caught in public wearing - check.
Knit something for myself for once...that I would be caught in public wearing - 1/2 check...I'm almost there.
Quit job that makes you miserable even though you love the people you work with (or most of them) and get a job doing what you went to college for in the first place. - 1/2 check...just need that last part and I'll be fine.