KnitterMind

Finished!!

2007-05-19T11:58:00.000-05:00

Well things are just humming right along, I finished felting blocking and putting together the Booga Bag, and I also finished the previously mentioned striped shawl in the unbelievably sooooooft pink variegated and solid striped Baby Alpaca yarn from Plymouth.

First Trimester Blues

2007-05-15T19:11:00.000-05:00

I have been swinging between extremely nausea and extreme hunger, and the quaint sensation of suffering both at once...ah, the first trimester of pregnancy! Throw in a dash of extreme exhaustion and mood swings to rival Six Flag's Texas Giant, and that has been my life lately...siiiigh....

I have managed to get in some knitting when my headaches and nausea clear (usually in the middle of the night when the urge to eat some cream cheese on crackers topped with green olives hits - I think it is delicious, Gabriel heaves when he watches me eat them). I have finished the second panel of my Silky Tie Wrap, and need to buy the remaining two hanks of San Antonio by J Knits that is waiting for me at Yarnivore, owned by the Buddha-like patient Melanie. I am SO enamored of the center increase triangle pattern from panel one of STW that I adapted it for a shawl I have wanted to make FOREVER. Well, at least since I fell in love with and bought Plymouth yarn's baby alpaca Grande colorways. The shawl is striped in a lovely light-pinky-rose and a variegated deeprose/light-pinky-rose. (Click here to see the pretty colorways of yarn, mine is 567 and 2567). I knitting it on size 13 circs so it has been super fast going and FUN....the yarn is so SOFT, you just wanna roll nekkid in a pile of it. I will put up a pic of the soon to be finished product VERY soon (sans nude pregnant woman).

I also finished the Booga Bag I knit for my mother in law, Laura. It was the first thing I felted, so I was all nervous when it took 3 wash cycles to really felt and look good. My grandmother admonishing me that I was ruining it did not help (had to use her washing machine, damn apartment with no washer/dryer hookup SUCKS). Anyway I DID NOT ruin it, and it turned out GREAT. HEre is a pic of it drying, and soon it will be strung thru with the strap and finished and presented to Laura just a couple days late...

The blue looks a tad more washed out in the photo than it is in "real life" but the colorway is just gorgeous. I have to thank Jules again for the lovely Kureyon wool!

Big News!

2007-04-18T00:43:00.000-05:00

Well, now I know why I have started feeling so nauseous ....I am pregnant! We are expecting around Christmas, a bit before. We could not be happier! With two little boys already, we are hoping for a girl, but of course would be thrilled with another boy!

Oh, the baby knitting visions dancing in my head! I cannot wait. I was going to make a sample for Melanie at Yarnivore and take the equivalent in credit, but now I am thinking if we find out she is a girl, I would want this cute pattern all for my own! It is from Knitty (click on that for the pattern!) and called "Katja"...here is a pic of the front...

Isn't that adorable? I had to teach myself the crochet cast on to start it...I have never crocheted ANYTHING, and only use my crochet hooks to make fringe and pick up lost stitches. I found it surprisingly easy...don't know why I thought it would be much harder! There is a great tutorial on the incomparable Eunny Jang's amazing site here just in case anyone needs to know how to crochet cast on also (or other provisional cast ons methods).

The yarn I am going to do the Katja in is a LOVELY pale pink sheeny cotton/nylon/linen blend from LLH called Boulino...

There was a lovely sea green and also a bright aqua colorway to consider instead of the pale pink, but the top is too girly cute for anything but PINK yarn! I look forward to knitting this! :)

I am also finished with the first panel of my Dream Shawl....trying to go at a leisurely pace on that one, I have much time until cold shawl weather, but the silky yarn is just so fun to play with, and the merino blend makes it just that much easier to knit with (it just feels so soft and wonderful!) Each time I take a step back and look how it is coming together, I feel quite triumphant...so pretty!! More pics of that soon...

Lots of birthdays coming up...today is Stephanie's birthday (have a very happy one hon!) and my sweet Aunt Beverly's is almost here (I love ya Bev...and am working on your purse, I PROMISE!) my "little" brother is going to be 28 on the 24th, which is totally crazy to me, he should be about 16 or 17 in my mind....(though I see and talk to him constantly) and also little Isaac is going to be 3 on the 23rd...here is a pic I snapped of Isaac, his daddy Sam and Jack while they were chilling and watching Sponge Bob the other day...

Now how cute are those guys??

Perfect Center Increase!! and KittyHat: the Sequel

2007-04-10T17:02:00.000-05:00

Do you know how happy those words make me?? Perfect Center Increase! **dancing jig** oh how I love it. I love modular knitting...it always feels weird, and one little thing can mess it all up so fantastically, but then you get the rhythm of it and magical stuff starts happening with the yarn. I lent my Modular Knitting book by Iris to my friend Laura from the Yarnivore Knitting Club (come join us Friday evenings!!) so I can have another kindred knitting spirit to talk to here in San Antonio!!
Anyway, without further ado, here is the beginning of my redone, and done RIGHT this time, Dream Shawl: Silky Tie Wrap knit in JKnits silk/merino blend in San Antonio colorway.

I am well on my way to finishing the first big panel of the shawl..such a fun addictive pattern!

Yesterday I FINALLY finished that other kitty hat that I was making for Mica's friend. I feel bad because it has taken me quite a while, since I had so many other projects going. I am so bad though, at paying more attention to the fun interesting projects that I have on the needles. I should have finished the hat within a couple weeks, not a couple months. Thanks so much for your patience Mica and Mica's friend (how bad, her name escapes me...Lindsay is it?) Anyway here is the finished product, on a not-so-happy Mica (she thinks I did a better job on this kittyhat than hers :( I think it is the gorgeous deep blue of the yarn since I am beyond mistakes, so one cannot be better than the other **cough cough**) Also, the hat would not be NEARLY as cool without Gabriel the Husband's help with the pompoms (every time I try to make a pompom they come out anemic and pathetic looking) so, gratuitous thanks to the man for making my project just that much nicer!

It is always a blast when Mica comes over...and not just for me, for Jack too....

After she wore Jack out (or other way around) playing "jump from the couch and catch me"....

.....I grabbed my knitting and we headed over to Starbucks and met up with Stephanie. I knew my two best girlfriends would get along great, and I was not disappointed. We immediately started talking and laughing as if we had all known each other forever. After 2 hours flew by Mica had to get home and Stephanie and I grabbed a quick dinner together (mmmm Pan-Asian Cuisine!) and then, happy but tired, went our seperate ways. A very cool Monday indeed!

Happy Easter Weekend!

2007-04-07T13:56:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a wonderful week this has been! It has been made particularly special by by good friend Stephanie, who has spent so much time with me lately (thanks hon! hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!!) I always feel bad when I drag a non-knitter to a yarn store, I know I am a pretty enthusiastic and zealous proponent of knitting and that can be PRETTY BORING to the uninitiated fiber crafter!! But Stephanie promised and swore up and down she LOVED Yarnivore too, and I believe her...we giggled like girls while picking out the perfect yarn for her Hallowig. With the help of Wendy, (I believe her Indian name is "She who knows all fibers") we settled on this yarn:

Can you see the tinsel-iness of this yarn? (Feza's "Kristal" yarn) It is just PERFECT. I will begin on it SOON! (yes, I am aware how many projects I have said that about.)

The kids had Friday off, and Thursday was a field trip day for my son Jack's PreK class. It was wonderful, and I am so so glad Stephanie invited me to come along and watch Jack in progress. I don't know who made me laugh more, Jack with his enthusiasm and indecision between playing on the curvy slide or the sandpit (he solved the problem by breathlessly running back and forth to each one after about 5 minutes of play) or Stephanie in her cool hat festooned with toy bugs. I swear, I wish I had a teacher like her growing up! All her costumes, get ups, sparkling ray-of-sunshine personality has made her a beloved favorite of every kid at Colonies North Elementary. Here are some pics from that outing:

Jack building castles made of sand...

Fun on the spiral slide...

Beware the Beautiful Bug Lady!!

All in all a fun start to the Easter Weekend!

I have the BEST friends!

2007-04-05T07:22:00.000-05:00

Oh, before I forget, I was so proud of the cute top of Stephanie's hat that I knit. I LOVE that!! Swirly and geometric. And today it is surprisingly chilly in San Antonio, so maybe Stephanie will get to wear it to the kids' field trip this afternoon!

My sweet friend Jules surprised me by getting me some Noro Kureyon 170 that I admired and it is in the mail as we speak! She is the most generous and thoughtful friend! We are both working on this pattern called the Booga Bag. Here is a photo of the gorgeous yarn she took before she mailed t it to me. Yet another project I must do!

Another wonderful friend, Mica, has ordered a shirt for me that I have loved and wanted for OVER A YEAR! For those of you that don't know, I am a Scrabble ADDICT! Here is the shirt, from Threadless:

I am so lucky to have such sweet women in my life. I love you guys!

Now the bad news....I had to frog the entire Dream Shawl and start over!! I followed the pattern wrong, looking back I should have guessed that I increase in the drop stitch row regardless, even though it was not spelled out. The result was two lopsided triangles instead of a perfect symmetrical one. I could just cry! But, this is the Dream Shawl with The Perfect Yarn. I want everything to be JUST RIGHT. I carefully undid my work and will start again. The pattern is so fun, I really do not mind repeating it too much, besides, I wasn't THAT far into the pattern, it could have been worse. Thanks to Lindsay at the Modular Knitting Yahoo Group for her endless support and instructions AND friendship. Although she is in Guam, she replies to emails immediately and has the patience to look at my pics I send and go with me step by step thru email. She is great!

Well, I am off to get ready for the day. Lots to do!!

Stephanie loved her presents!

2007-04-03T03:23:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the day Stephanie (Jack's teacher) and I decided to meet for coffee at Starbucks so we could chat (and I could suprise her with the presents I knitted. For those of you who do not know, Stephanie and I began emailing back and forth, about Jack and his progres and what I could do at home with him. The more we exchanged messages, the longer they got and we started becoming friends, so I was REALLY looking forward to our gabfest on Monday. We agreed to meet at 3:45, and although I got there a little late (felt terrible about that) we slipped into conversation that did not stop for over 2 hours! Then we decided to get dinner, so we drove to my FAVORITE restaurant in San Antonio, Fujiya. Stephanie was sweet enough to treat me, and we had a delicious meal and more GREAT conversation. You ever meet one of those people you INSTANTLY like, just immediately click with? Almost like you have known them before and the initial meeting is just more like a reunion? That is how I feel about Stephanie. She is the coolest, funniest, most likable person. I was anxious about her liking the hat and scarf I knit her...I took a guess thinking that pink Noro Silk Garden was like her personality, and sure enough her favorite color is pink! Soooo....I was so glad when she opened up my little wrapped box (!) and seemed thrilled with its contents. Now, she could just be acting polite, but I don't think so, she is a very "genuine" person, so I am sure she loves it as much as she says she does. Anyway, I made the poor woman put it on in the parking lot before we went our separate ways after dinner (this is 6 hours after we met for "coffee"!!)
Note: even tho she protested her shirt did NOT match the scarf and hat, I cajoled her to let me take the pic anyway, so just know she has the fashion sense not to throw on retina scarring colors all together, and she did it for lil 'ol me...

I so hope she will let me kidnap her again and hold her hostage for an evening of more talking and good food...soon!!

When I got home and checked my email, I found the pic Matt sent me, showing off his Debbie Bliss scarf. He knit this as a going away present for a coworker he liked. This is very monumental because I had a bad headache the day he wanted to go yarn shopping, and he got the yarn himself, started it, and even finished it all without me (and in record time!!). **sniffle** they grow up so fast! It seems just yesterday I was casting on for my little knitting protege!! Hahahaha ok that is enough, I am sure I sufficiently embarrassed Matt. I am PROUD tho, the scarf is pretty and he did a great job on it, so I MUST post it for all to see!

My dream shawl, the beginning

2007-04-02T08:05:00.000-05:00

Even though I just barely started my Dream Shawl, I wanted to post a pic, to track my progress. It is a little embarrassing, because of all those fantastically talented knitters that do drop by here would probably be able to knit this up quickly and I fear it will take me MONTHS (tho just in time for fall shawl weather!). Oh well, I have only been knitting a year, I think I am doing pretty good!

Anyway, I am knitting my Dream Shawl in the J. Knits San Antonio colorway (see previous post) and the pattern is Iris' Silky Tie Wrap (here is a pic).

And here is my start, which I knit up at Yarnivore and then worked on a little bit at home....

It pulls a little bit because it is on circulars, but you can see the gorgeous pattern taking shape. I have never been crazy about drop stitches, but I LOVE them in this pattern. I know it is going to turn out so lovely. Thanks for all your help, Melanie!

NOW I am working on...

2007-03-29T12:55:00.000-05:00

For Mica's birthday, I am using the above yarn, Silk Garden #224 purple and green, to make another beanie is a staggered rib edge and swirly top...(it is already looking great!)

And for my Aunt Beverly, whose birthday is in April, I am making the Hobo Chic felted purse in Knitpicks Wool of the Andes olive, maple, and hollyberry. It will be my first felted project.

I just finished a quick scarf for my friend (and son's teacher) Stephanie to match the pink/denim blue Noro hat I made for her (see Mica modeling it in a previous post) This scarf is made of some gorgeous ribbon yarn, and knitted up in a garter stitch on big needles for great springy drape. I ADORE the results. It is skinny, long and so funky. I am hoping Stephanie will love it. I am meeting up with her on Monday to have coffee and girl talk, and will surprise her with both these. I will post pics if she lets me take them!

The scarf yarn is Isis from Filatti FF, and I got the pinky/purple/peachy colorway and also the dark blue/grey/ goldish brown colorway. It was the latter that I saw and instantly fell in love with when I saw it knit up in the same exact scarf as a sample at Yarnivore (the store of the incomparable Melanie!) I love me some Melanie. She is trying to get a knitting club going on Friday evenings at the shop, and last time it was just me, Laura (not my mother in law, but a great lady I had a blast talking to) and Melanie. Although I would love to see more people make it to the Friday evening get togethers, I must say I enjoyed the time immensely, just gabbing away with Laura, and then when she left Melanie and I talked about everything. It was GREAT! Here is to hoping Yarnivore has a VERY long life here in San Antonio!!

Melanie is not just a hilarious entertaining friend to talk to, but is VERY inspiring! Why, without her threats and bribery, I would not have started my Dream Shawl. For those not in the know, it is the modular shawl by Iris in the San Antonio silk J.Knits. I have so many projects to do for others, I cannot even REMEMBER the last time I knit something just for moi. And this Dream Shawl has been longed for, jeez, for a year now! Without starting!! So I DID start Friday (thanks Melanie) and I am so into the pattern! It is fun enough to not be boring at all, and not so challenging to cause brain melting frustration. In other words, perfect. And the little drop stitches every 6th row in the variegated soft silkiness...**swoon* ...I kept gasping "Look at it NOW!!" to Melanie every so often. To her credit, she did not laugh, she encouraged and oooo-ed and aaaaah-ed along with me. I will take a pic as soon as I get more done, and I promise Melanie, I will be that selfish knitter you want me to become! :)

Sexy Mica!

2007-03-29T00:07:00.000-05:00

I finished the Noro pink hat that I am giving to Jack's awesome teacher Stephanie (I just LOVE her!). Since I am giving her the gift next week, and I wanted to post about the hat, I had my gorgeous standby model, Mica, take a picture while wearing it. Can you get past her beauty to see the hat?? Anyway, I am happy with the results, and the bright gorgeous pinks and cool blues really reminds me of Stephanie's personality...I will post her reaction later!

2007-03-26T22:29:00.000-05:00

First I must say CONGRATULATIONS SUSAN!! You popped out a keeper!! Fletcher is ADORABLE, and I cannot wait to see him in all the cute things you have knitted for him!!

I am all excited because my knitting protoge Matthew darling gave me a gift certificate for Yarnivore (YAY!!) My friends are so sweet, books(Dave and Helen), purses(Mica), and yarn (Jules) they know the way to my heart! Thanks EVERYONE for making my birthday and all my OTHER days special!

Yeah yeah sappy crap outta the way now...Do yall know about the genius that is Eunny Jung? I go to this woman's page to gawk...I can never hope to knit anything she does..all of her work is just gorgeous, masterpieces. Her intricate laces, her mind boggling intarsia, her socks!! I have never knit socks or intarsia and have always been ambivalent about knitting them, but she elevates these items to art. I am not exaggerating. And these pics are just two examples of things I covet from her. For more (you KNOW you want to see more) go to her amazing blog.

Happy Birthday to Me (almost)

2007-03-23T01:05:00.000-05:00

Although my birthday is not until the 27th, I have gotten some GREAT presents from my sweet friends already!! Here is a pic of my gorgeous purse from Mica...and I got some fun yarn from Jules (thank you so much!) that is going to felt GREAT into a cool purse.

I am so happy with how the top of my second kitty hat is coming along. The spiraling geometric shape is really cool, I think. I try to do a little something neat with the tops of my hats, oh man that is my favorite item to knit! I love doing hats, talk about fun and instant gratification. Well....not EXACTLY instant...but my pink Noro hat is almost finished, I am going to try for the spiral top on this one, hope it looks right with the ribbing, I'd hat to frog it. As we speak, I am finishing the earflap and Icord on one side of the kitty hat, so I am on the homestretch!

And who is that gorgeous model in the blue hat holding my adoring little son? Well, that is my new "daughter"!! Her name is Tiffany, and fate brought her into our lives when my little Jack (who is in Pre-K) saw her walking down the hall at his elementary school (she's in 4th grade) and he ran to her, hugged her and instantly fell in love with :). Tiffany has been so sweet to him, giving up her recess to go to his class and help his adjustment to school (he just started 6 weeks ago). His teacher gushed about what a help she is, and I invited her over and found out for myself what a cool person she really is. For a girl who wants to be a teacher, I KNOW she is going to be VERY successful at it - she has the touch! So she comes over to help with Jack and does girl stuff with me (like shopping and knitting modeling!).

Backyard Leaves

2007-03-11T09:06:00.000-05:00

My good knitting friend Jules and I discovered we have the same knitting book Scarf Style when I emailed her going on and on about how I adore almost EACH PATTERN in this book. (That NEVER happens, I always like maybe 3 or 4 patterns per book) So Jules had the great idea for us to pick the same pattern and knit it together...and we decided on the very pattern that made me seek out this book in the first place, Backyard Leaves. The photo is from this page and shows the difference between the blocked and unblocked scarf. Either way, gorgeous gorgeous!

We are ordering the yarn from the fantastic Knitpicks, Andean Silk. I was thinking maybe the color Leaf, or Olive, and Jules was trying to decide between Hollyberry or Sangria. Knitpicks is a fantastic site to order from, inexpensive yet quality yarns. The variegated yarns need a little work, but the solid colors are all beautiful.

San Antonio is now on the map!

2007-03-10T04:16:00.000-06:00

A couple months ago, the EVER helpful and wonderful Melanie of my FAVORITE LYS, Yarnivore, asked the great talents at J. Knits to specially make a color for me using their gorgeous (and comparably inexpensive!) silk/merino blend yarn. I wanted a dusky rose mixed with sage-y green. Not only did she dye three batches to get the colors JUST RIGHT, when she saw the finished product she asked Melanie to ask me what my hometown was, because she was going to add that color to her new collection and name it after the town I chose!! How COOL is THAT?! So this little tiny ol' town of 1.4 million is now on the map!! Eat your heart out AUSTIN! Yeah, y'all have SXSW but WE have a yarn named after us! NYAH NYAH NYAH! Without further ado, this is J. Knits' SAN ANTONIO!

Yeah yeah I know, but I thought it was cool!! Oh, and here is another proud mommy digression (forgive me) my youngest son modeling my Noro hat (he had to wear it after he saw Daddy getting his picture taken with it) . Look at Mr. Coolguy!

My new Kitty Hat is coming along nicely, that deep blue color really works up pretty. Speaking of PRETTY, I am LOVING the other hat I am working on, in the pink/blue Noro Silk Garden (#205) colorway. I LOVE knitting with this Silk Garden, the yarn feels amazing and the vibrant colors are just too gorgeous. Although I barely started it (and this one is for ME! ME, I tell you..sigh..watch me give it to one of my friends..) I just cannot help taking a picture of it..cannot WAIT to see the finished product, but since I am knitting other projects for other people with deadlines like birthdays etc., MY hat will probably take longer for me to finish. But come to think of it, my son's teacher (who I ADORE) DOES have a pink coat, and this hat would match it so nicely.....D'OH!! Do other knitters do that?!

Dr Don

2007-02-22T15:39:00.000-06:00

Today I had the pleasure to visit one of my favorite people, Dr. Don Lucas. He was my professor a few years back and we remained good friends and email buddies. This Christmas I knit him a hat, and today he modeled it for me (see photo). How GOOD!

I got some beautiful Berocco yarn and matching deep blue bamboo silk yarn. (Can you see the gold tints and twinkles in that multicolored yarn?! LOOOOVE IT!!) I have a couple balls of each. But what to do with them? Use them together? Maybe a little purse out of the Berocco? Gabe wants a knitted tie, I was thinking that bamboo silk would be perfect for it...anyone have some suggestions, LET ME KNOW!

February

2007-02-22T08:00:00.000-06:00

I have been so busy lately, Jack had his 3rd birthday Feb. 10th, and then started school the following Monday. He was in school only a week when he was hit with rotavirus, which is a horrible stomach virus that made him so sick...so I have had my hands pretty full..

I finished Xian's beaded brushed baby alpaca scarf and sent it to her...and she loved it (yay!!) here is a pic of the scarf before I sent it, and a pic she sent me, with the SWEETEST note of thanks. (Like a scarf can compare witht he LAPTOP she gave me!! Love ya, Xian!!) Ain't she a gorgeous? :)

I also finished a Noro Kureyon beanie (with the star formation on top..I LOVE that!!) Modeling the hat is my husband Gabriel, but it is a present for Ricky, who is freezing up in Boston, and emails me guilt inducing messages about how his ears are falling off from lack of knitted hat. So I am sending this off to him, hoping he likes it. He is pretty pimp, so I have to make sure the hat fits his extremely high standards...

I am about to start another kitty hat, this one for a friend of Mica's...I picked out the yarn, a really beautiful shade of blue that will look amazing with her black hair.

So on my knitting to-do list is the kitty hat, a gorgeous scarf for myself from alpaca wool that will NEVER be done, and a funky scarf for my friend Molly, who lives in Canada....will post pics soon...

My Favorite Knitting Blogs

2007-01-29T01:18:00.000-06:00

I am constantly reminded how lacking MY blog is (and my knitting skillz)....especially when I visit some of my FAVORITE knitting blogs. All kidding aside, I wanted to do a post about the best I have found out there...some of these bloggers are my pals, and the others I wish were! Great knits, a great sense of humor, and always entertaining to visit, I give you Amy's Favorite Knitting Blogs!

GO KNIT IN YOUR HAT
The tag reads: "Frank, often foul-mouthed commentary on knitting and whatever else occurs to me." Does it GET better?? Unbelievably, it DOES! Love love love this one!!

BAD AMY
"Foul temptress. Yarn Hoarder. General funktress of mayhem." DAMN! She claimed it before I could...I forgive her, her blog is just that good!

YARN BAR
This awesome blog was discovered by a non-knitting friend of mine (I have no idea how, but if it is amazing and on the web, Xian-o finds it!) and she sent it my way with a note saying "I am sure you will find good stuff in here!". BOY DID I! A fellow Texan (Austin is a mere hour away from San Antonio!) to boot! I plan to visit constantly!

FEMIKNITMAFIA
I have loved this blog forever. So so so good. The things this woman knits?! **swoon**

MAD STITCHER
Jules!! My wonderful friend from "across the pond". She sends me the neatest gifts (your yarn is on its way, Jules, I promise!!) and is my good friend. Another plus, this multi-talented lady is on StumbleUpon, so I know I will get lots of good websites on knitting from her.

I love finding great blogs and great knitting websites, so send me some!!

Happy Belated New Year!

2007-01-20T17:49:00.000-06:00

Wow, 2007 has been crazy so far....just after the New Year, while house sitting for my brother and new sister in law who were on their honeymoon, we all (me, Jack my two year old, and Gabriel my husband) got a severe stomach flu. Oh, it was just AWFUL, and Jack had to go to the hospital and get on an IV...so hard when your little ones are sick. I did not have much time to mother and nurse him, because I was struck down with it, and could barely move out of bed for two days...Gabe was caring for us both, and when I started feeling stronger, he was felled! It is an epidemic in San Antonio, closing down huge businesses and filling hospital ERs....:( I am glad that at least my Nick was spared, he left for Dallas on the 3rd and missed the flu.

THEN, there was the Arctic Blast that closed down highways, schools, and prevented deliveries to stores..it rocked almost all of Texas. Here we are used to Christmases where we wear short sleeves and shorts! This week temperatures reached record lows, cars were frozen, ice pellets rained down and turned to slush, and huge icicles formed everywhere, cracked trees in half from the weight. And to add to this? Our heater was broken, and no repairman was on duty to help!! We wore layers and walked around in blankets (so hard to knit with frozen fingers!!). Now there is a big thaw, with icicles cracking and crashing to the ground. All very crazy to this south Texas girl. I don't know how my friends in Canada and New England do it! That serves me right for wishing I lived in a colder climate to take advantage of warm knitted goods!! And Monday, there is supposed to be a return to freezing temps and snow. (!!!)

No big knitting news in the midst of all of this...I am knitting another Noro Kureyon hat (my absolute favorite project!), a chunky rust colored Alpaca scarf for me (which of course is barely started, it seems I work quicker for others!) and a sinfully soft brushed alpaca scarf for a certain GORGEOUS red headed friend of mine with a sensitive skin and a regular wool allergy. I was told my numerous knitters in the know that Alpaca is the way to go with sensitive skinned people...does anyone have any advice on this topic? I sure hope she likes this, and it is my first foray into knitting with beads...I would post a pic, but I want it to be a surprise for her, and she regularly peruses my blog. I think. Um, anyway once I finish it (almost done!) and she has it, I will post the results.

Tilli Tomas, featured here before, needs to stop with her gorgeous patterns and yarn. ( favorite pattern link ) I mean seriously. I am ACHING for this pattern (see photo). Oh, if ever someone was sweet enough to get this pattern for me, I would so knit them this!! (ahem ahem) Ah bribery, I have no shame! Especially when something THIS gorgeous is on the line! Sigh....one day...I will knit this!

What a wonderful Xmas!

2006-12-29T09:17:00.000-06:00

We had the best Christmas at our house....it was a very knitty Christmas indeed! My bestest pal Mica adored her kitty hat...and she modeled a scarf I made for Teresa, Nick's stepmom who is a real sweet person. I was really happy with the scarf, I just knit fuzzy soft black and gold yarns together vertically.

My knitting buddy Matt and I went to Yarnivore on the 23rd for Melanie's last minute Christmas gift knit-a-thon. It was so much fun! Wendy helped me perfect picking up stitches and Matt finished his mother's shawl. It is GORGEOUS. You cannot tell, but the yarn is braided and even the simple garter stitch pattern "pops" and looks beautiful. A nice eyelet stitch border is also hard to see in the photos, but take my word for it, Matt did good! Yay Matt!

More Xmas Knitting DONE!

2006-12-18T02:30:00.000-06:00

YES! I am going at an excellent pace, sure to be done with my Christmas knitting by the big day. I finished yet another hat, a wool blend chunky yarn number, pattern (slightly modified) from my trusty Stitch n' Bitch book. It is deep green and very warm (see pic) and I hope the recipient likes it. Sorry about the cheesy grin, Gabe took the picture while gyrating his hips wildly...um, you had to be there.

Another VERY fun project I am almost done with also from Stitch n' Bitch is the Kitty Hat, for my lovely friend Mica. Here is a link to just the kitty hat with the pattern. I cannot tell you how easy and fun this hat is to knit. it looked pretty complicated, but as I went, was delighted with how it turned out and how fun the process is. Of course, I still have to do the kitty ears, so we will see. Hopefully my after Christmas post of Knittermind will have a smiling Mica modeling MY version of the sexy little kitty hat.

Yarnivore and the Christmas Knitting Countdown

2006-12-08T17:19:00.000-06:00

Lots of lucky people all over the knitting world have that special place they go to knit...they meet up with friends, maybe drink coffee (or wine!) and knit in a circle with friends, in a yarnshop, bookshop, coffeeshop, etc. Although we have had YarnBarn here in San Antonio forever, I have never felt comfy enough with the crew of the store to actually stick around and knit. The closest I ever came was my INTERNET group of Stitchn'Bitch! Don't laugh, because that fateful association led to my knitting salvation, for my pal Melanie from the Sn'B group is the same cool lady who opened up Yarnivore, the coolest place to buy yarn in south Texas!
Melanie is sweet and fun to talk to, she'll cruise up and down the aisles of yarn with you as you describe in vague terms that ball of perfect yarn you imagine is lurking somewhere.....I was impressed with the store and meeting my e-friend, so I brought my knitting and met up with another pal for my second visit to Yarnivore and had an even BETTER time! Wendy, who also works there and is a Zen knitting guru chick was also knitting and chatting with us, and she has a sparkling personality and is also so much fun. I cannot wait until she guides me thru the intimidating twists and turns of intarsia knitting, cables and other stuff she will teach in the advanced knitting class. Many knitters may have their warm cozy place to escape and knit and gossip with other great people, but this was my first time...and it really was fantastic! Now that I found my little slice of knitting nirvana....I can't wait to go back!

Here is Gabriel modeling my Noro Kureyon hat, the first finished project from my Christmas knitting...I really need to get moving!! And no, the finished project did not have needles in the top GABRIEL. I have a bunch of other projects on the needles as the 25th looms ever closer....

The new edition of Knitty is up!! (yay!) There are wonderful patterns as always, but something that especially caught my eyes is Sheldon the turtle! I love all things turtles (and frogs)...I must knit this!

Gonna try my hand at spinning....

2006-11-19T15:39:00.000-06:00

My super generous, lovely and wonderful mother in law has gifted me with a big bag of natural wool fiber and a big drop spindle after we had the best day together at the Fiber Fair in Boerne, TX. How many people out there have been twice blessed with their marriages, not just finding a mate but having a mother in law that is just the best? Mine is awesome (yeah yeah, I know, I have said it here before).

We have a new yarn shop in San Antonio, call Yarnivore. I have yet to go, but the website is great. I have been conversing with a knitting pal over the net, her name is also Laura (like my mother in law) and we are going to meet up at Yarnivore one of these days and browse the Noro selection. I am so happy to find another knitter in San Antonio who is interested in Modular Knitting (I met Laura on the group website). It is such an interesting an challenging form of knitting, and I have been looking for someone to share the ups and downs with, and maybe to help me if I hit a snag and vice versa. Anyway, if you are in the San Antonio area, let's support this new store and help it get on its feet!

Nick Loves His Birthday Hat

2006-11-19T01:00:00.000-06:00

Nick could not be happier with his hat that I knitted for his 11th birthday. (November 8th 1995 I gave birth to him, my sweet little firstborn, my sunshine...how time just flies!) This post is dedicated to him:

Nick. you are growing up and every day you seem taller, more mature, and further away from being my sweet baby and closer to being the wonderful man I see you becoming more and more. You are always in my heart, you are my heart. I love you with every particle of my being. You have always drawn people to you like a magnet, with that smile, your infectious laugh, your crazy sense of humor, and I thought I could not be prouder of you...but you constantly amaze me. You are a caring and tender brother to Jack, and you are kind to everyone you meet. You have taught me more than I have taught you, I think! I am trying to say I love you but the words just pale when put next to the feelings I have for you. You are the coolest person I have ever met, and I am so glad that you are, and always will be my boy.

Beautiful Bev's Shawl

2006-11-12T13:26:00.000-06:00

Here is the shawl I knitted for my favorite Aunt, Beverly. I made it out of LionBrand Homespun in the "Shaker" colorway. The pattern was super easy, and I took it from the Lionbrand site and changed it up a bit. Basically, on 32" size 13 US circulars, CO 3 sts, k1, yo, k to end until the shawl is as long as you want it (this shawl used a bit over 2 skeins). Then make a fringe thru the eyelets made from the yarn overs. Simple, elegant, and an easy, fun knit!

Finished Nick's Hat

2006-11-11T12:54:00.000-06:00

Finished my oldest son Nick's beanie hat. Hope he likes it! The 1x1 rib I used really looked great in the yarn, and the AddiTurbos knit it up like a dream. Looking forward to doing many more hats, it is so much fun to knit them and took no time at all. Here is a front view (ignore my dorky smile, Gabriel was shakin his moneymaker at me) and a nice back view (thanks for modelling, Gabriel). The pattern was easy to follow and I love how the crown looks...here is a link to the pattern.

More Noro Porn, and my Ebay yarn

2006-10-27T04:20:00.000-05:00

Oh, Dad gets MAJOR points with this one. A couple weeks ago I was astounded when I finally checked Ebay for yarn andwas overloaded with amazing selections...knowing my Dad was "Mr. EBay" and always complained about not knowing what to get me (or anyone for that matter) for Xmas, I called him up very early and told him which yarn would be perfect for my present. (this is much less rude than it sounds if you knew my family). Anyway when I dropped in to visit him today, he gave me the yarn as a"just because " present, so that is really really cool.
My presents from Dad/ebay are 3 skeins of silk/merino blend aqua run thru with cool blues. Gorgeous. (maybe knit up a small lacy shawl scarf, like a clapotis maybe?)

My favorite though, is the 440 yards of silk blend in purple. EVERY shade of purple is in there, as you stretch it out,from rich eggplant, blue-y violet, to lavender and everywhere in between. Oooh, it is PRETTY. And this one ladies and gents, if for me. I need a suitably AMAZING scarf pattern to show off my gorgeous purple yarn. So please, anyone, suggestions?

I am also posting some Noro Silk Gardens that I got at the past visit to my LYS. In San Antonio, YarnBarn should be called O(nly)YS, actually. Anyway, I fell in LOVE
with the gorgeous silk garden #217. I was disappointed that my picture did not capture the smokey grayness, mixed in with the dard blues and violets. Such a sophisticated colorway! 2 skeins of that, I would like to make a hat or scarf, heck with one more skein could do both (see how myKnittermind works? Eh? huh? mmm hmm. That is why my stash is bulging the closet doors.) I have 2 skeins also in silk garden #205 hot pinks, denim blue, streaks of purple that flow off to pale pink deepening back into hot pink. Neat colorway. Not exactly "me", but I am hoping to make these for a little extra $$ here and there, maybe enough to support my knitting habit. A dealer should never dip into their own supply right? Shoot.

Ricky's Hat

2006-10-26T03:28:00.000-05:00

Here is the hat I am doing for a very good friend of mine. I had the Noro Kureyon in question so I jumped into the knitting of it, and since Ricky didn't ask for a specific pattern, I was playing with it. What started out as a mistake (I was knitting and watching The Office, and missed ONE STITCH) turned into a neat design. I like the result. I do not like the ribs all the way up to the crown, to be it looks "weird". I ribbed for over an inch, then the mistake happened, and the ribs started to stagger diagonally. I thought it would make a nice "break" and then I would go back to the vertical ribs. The more I diagonally ribbed, the more I liked it.
I am just experiementing. In a little while, I am going to good ol stockinette stitch (that is just smooth Ricky, no bumps or ridges) and then end the crown that way. If he doesn't like it, I will do a more traditional hat for him (I do have SEVERAL Kureyon 157-As). He did like the red, wasn't too keen on the purple, and if you see in the one picture there is a whole mess of purple just waiting to be stitched up, so I decided to just cut off the purple and weave in the green brown and red, keeping purple at a minimum for a splash here and there (purple is MY favorite color, so I will use the extra for my scarf, works out well). Anyway, this is what I have been crippling my hands over the past week (k2p2 on & 16" circs are murder, how do lace knitters DO IT??)

Amy's fantasy post

2006-10-24T21:06:00.000-05:00

My husband is a mean and cruel man that hides the credit cards from me. Sigh. Maybe it IS for the best. After a year of knitting, my stash is threatening to push us out of our once spacious 2 bedroom apartment. That doesn't stop me from absolutely YEARNING for this gorgeous pattern and yarn (2 skeins Tilli Tomas Rocks star 3 skeins Tilli Tomas Pure and Simple) "buy the kit and the pattern is free", *SWOON*, from the lovely site Kpixie.

That top is so gorgeous. I LOVE it. The color is amazing, a color by the name of Burnt Olive. I cannot decide if I like the color it is knit up in, or Multi Red and Ginger (the photo on this page). To see all the colors, click here, and believe me, IT IS SO WORTH IT, I have never ever seen such an array of splendid, sophisticated, fall-into-them deeply beautiful classy yarns in my life. (JEEZ I wish I got paid for advertising, that would be SWEET! Especially if I was paid in YARN!! wow, this is a fantasy post..)

Sexy Knittin'

2006-10-22T05:22:00.000-05:00

Hmm, it seems it is finally getting out (in Maxim Magazine, no less) that knitting is not just for little ol' grannies anymore...that knitting is sexy. With my trusty StumbleUpon button set to "Knitting/Crochet Only" I found some great websites talking about the new glut of sexy hip knits (and no, not just the books "Sexy Little Knits" and"Hip Knits") A great article about Knitting Erotica that I guess is NSFW if you consider a knitted hoo-hoodilly and yum-yum NSFW, I just think it is kinda funny and cute. But that is me, and consider yourself warned. The rest of the article is really informative for those of us who DIDN'T ALEADY KNOW IT, with gorgeous nighties like this one. They have a link for the pattern, but when you go to it, it is a website that you order the pattern from. SIIIIIIIIIIIGH.

Even though that deep raspberry stunner maybe woth the $7.50 pattern cost, I prefer the all Knitty Nightie Issue...all free, and though they are not all stunners, there are a few that defintely ARE. So here is that Knitty Nightie link. That is where this little garter comes from, and there is a matching top...do check it out! Perfect for that impending bridal shower, or as a special little gift for yourself, to prove to that eye rolling man of yours that knitting is sexycool.

So, Sam, hope this sexy post makes up for the tease of the last post. I know it wasn't hardcore. I mean, the labels WERE still on.
I am planning another Noro trip to my LYS with my partner in Yarn Crime Matt... so, more pics later. And maybe the labels will be off
**eyebrows wriggle**

XXX Hardcore NoroPorn

2006-10-16T17:29:00.000-05:00

This post is lovingly dedicated to Ricky!
If you are a faithful reader of Knittermind (is there one? besides Sam, who doesn't even knit ? Hi Sam!) you know I have a million projects in various stages of done-ness at any given time and you also know that I love Noro yarn. I thought it would be nice to indulge my vice a little with some Noro porn, and let a friend of mine I am making a hat for see what yarns I have to choose from. (Are all those prepositions in that sentence used correctly? mmm..... ..sigh..oh well..)
Above is the whole gang, all my Noros. Silk Gardens and Kureyons on my sofa, ready to become a beautiful scarf or hat.To the right, Noro Kureyon 157A. A really ecclectic blend of neutral browns and greens with flares of gorgeous reds and varying indigo/purples . It sounds weird, but it works! I have four skeins of this dye lot, to make a great long scarf and hat. I might even have enough left for another cap. Yes, all three skeins in this picture are the same colorway and the same dyelot.

This next yarn is also Kureyon, but #149c. It is a more neutral blend with nothing too showy, just some quiet grays and browns and varying shades in between. Perfect for the guy that doesn't like showy stuff, or maybe for that lady's scarf in a delicate cable stitch pattern that matches with anything and everything. A very understated, handsome colorway.

These gorgeous vibrant colored skeins are the Noro Silk Garden. Whereas all the above skeins of Kureyon were 100% wool, Silk Garden is 45% silk (*sigh*..I LOVE silk!) 45% Kid Mohair and 10% Lamb's Wool. I have special hat I make with the Silk Garden (my friend Ricky calls the UltraPimpHat: see my very first posts). We'll see if these lucious picks will get the hat treatment or something totally new....
I know some of you must be thinking, "Is this woman a Noro yarn representative hawking her wares on a forum?! How base!" No, I am not Noro rep *ahem* (nudge nudge~hello Noro, are you listening??). I am just a fiber snob who gets excited when gifted people do something truly artistic and creative with yarn. And not creative meaning weird and unwearable, as so many brands seem to be striving to. Maybe Bjork would like it, but not the rest of us.

The Cult of Noro and the DNA of knitting

2006-10-15T17:35:00.000-05:00

The first time I saw Noro yarns, I was totally unimpressed. They looked murky and well, ugly. When I asked the helpful yarn lady at Yarn Barn if there was anything comparable she kinda looked at me and shook her head like "man what an idiot". And then she walked away. Looking back, I would have done the same. Noro, the Japanese yarn brand is an acquired taste much like sushi and just as popular. The color combinations and textural differences are too much for our western eyes at first, but knit with it once, and you are HOOKED . Oh my GOD that is a HORRIBLE, unintended pun. Holy cow. Ok to continue. I love Noro now, and I want to make many hats and scarves in the future in this lovely yarn. Awhile back I decided to SELL these hats and scarves, but so far, everything I am knitting and a few on back order are all destined for presents. We'll just see how that goes. Well, maybe they can be my advertisements, right? Anyway, watching those colors unfurl, not your expected and boring varigated colors mind you, and the rough hewn wool of the Kureyon is a textural pleasure, the Silk Garden adds a mixture of Merino, kid Mohair and silk to the textures..oh it is wonderful. I love it. Yes MAtt, I have been brainwashed by the Noro cult!

More net surfing has turned up even cooler knitting techniques. I am amazed by the genetic models used by the tubular dpn method seen on this site.
This creative knitter used her method to make all sorts of cool toys and knitted models of dna. That green snake is really cool, but I am still totally in awe of the double helix. When I get a little more self assured, I am so knitting that! REminds me of an awesome scarf, the DNA scarf I plan to knit (are those little words getting old? lol) for a friend of mine. The pattern is here. I suggest you cilck on it..one of those rare scarves GUYS love too.

Cool Halloween Knitting

2006-10-09T08:04:00.000-05:00

Aaah! I love October! It is my favorite month. Here in San Antonio, the weather is finally cooling down from scorching to warm, fresh pumpkin empanadas are in every bakery, and Halloween is around the corner. This is my first Halloween knitting, since I started last Thanksgiving, so I am going to try to do some horror-patterned projects! My friends have already bombarded me with requests to knit several little zombie families, Shaun of the Dead Zombies (and Shaun of course) and other cool Halloween thingys. I'll get to work on my good friend D-Dave's first! (Click pictures for more info!)

Speaking of crazy knitted items, I fell in love with this "Chicken Viking Hat" (patterns for babies and adults). How COOL is this???

My first scarf, on my first son!

2006-10-05T02:13:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of my beautiful oldest son Nick..he is wearing the first scarf I ever knit, a simple stockinette stitch scarf in LionBrand Chenille Thick and Quick. It was extremely Thick and not too Quick. Now I realize the insanity of starting out with that horrid yarn (the worms, the NO GIVE WHATSOEVER, the insanity!!!) It is a testament to how much I wanted to knit that I did not give up right then, throwing my needles in the garbage with frustration! I have since learned that even LionBrand suggests only crocheting with this evil yarn, and I have since become a horrible fiber snob. I only break my rule for the super easy, totally-fun-to-knit with "Homespun" (also by LionBrand). What a bitch I am, I know!

A fellow FiberSnob I adore, the author of my favorite knitting blog Go knit in Your Hat, has the perfect post called "On Yarn Snobbery". My friend Matt and I (both of us KnitPicks converts) adored every single word of this post. Surely, a blogger I aspire to.

Knitty, Rowan's Tapestry, and Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts

2006-10-02T15:22:00.000-05:00

I know I have already sung the praises of my favorite knitting website Knitty, but I just have to reiterate just how great this little online knitting zine is. So many "free knitting pattern sites" are LAME, while Knitty is constantly, consistently excellent. When I look through my bookmarks of my favorite knitting patterns, half of them are from the Knitty archives. I recently discovered the Knitty forum, called The Knitty Coffeeshop. What Knitty is to other free pattern sites, The Coffeeshop is to other knitting forums. This place is GREAT. Everyone is helpful and kind, and there are GREAT topics like "What pattern should I use for this yarn?" I joined the forum and posted in that thread about my gorgeous Rowan Tapestry. It is a blend of wool and soysilk, and the colors are so rich and gorgeous, I had to buy two balls of three different colorways. Do you SEE these colors?? I got it home and stared at them. What do I make? The gently changing colors needed something truly unique to set off how lovely it is. I got many replies within a couple days, one of which a very nice lady suggested the Clapotis.

OF COURSE! I have been looking for Lorna's Laces or a comparable replacement ever since I saw the Clapotis pattern in Knitty (see photo). I never thought to try this gorgeous pattern with my gorgeous yarn! It looks hard to me, but my good friend Jules promises that it isn't, and I know she'll hold my hand through it in case I hit a snag or five.

So I was thinking the lovely purple and pink ball for the clapotis. Another extremely helpful lady from Coffeeshop suggested something in entrelac, and I am inspired now. The yarn with the blue and pale yellows would look so wonderful in an entrelac scarf!

All that will have to wait until I am done with my Christmas knitting of course, knitting my presents for loved ones must be priority one. Then I get to play with my pretty yarn!

I have been slogging through my Colorwaves (Lion Brand..sigh) poncho for my little sweet neighbor upstairs. For a child's garment, it sure is taking me forever. The knitting is boring (garter st all the way) and the yarn SUCKS. It will look very cute when it is done though, and I look forward to her shining brown eyes and hugs I'll get when I present it to her (such a selfish knitter, me). I cannot wait to be done with this poncho.

When my two and a half y/o (am I the only one that automatically thinks "yarn over" when people shorten "year old" like that??) MUST have my lap and comforting, I put down the needles and pick up my book. Reading (and collecting books) has been a passion (some have said obsession, but hey) of mine all my life. There is much more going on in my Knittermind than patterns and yarns. The perfect way to relax after stressful homework or classes is knitting, but invariably I pick up that book and put down the needles. My recent discovery is the INGENIUS trilogy of novels by Louis de Bernieres. Hilarious, poignant without being sappy, fantastic. For example, the first book of the trilogy is "The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts". These characters are so completely fleshed out and wonderful, the interwoven stories to interesting and amusing, I have started reading extra slow to put off finishing. If only I could knit like I read!!

Lovely Laura's pain in the butt shawl

2006-09-28T17:13:00.000-05:00

My mother in law, Laura, is amazing. She raised two boys as a single mother, was in the Air Force, went to college and got her degree after retiring from the service, and also beat breast cancer and a brain tumor. She is also very cool and easy going, and has treated me like a daughter from the first time Gabriel introduced me to her. When we were in the store one day and I told her "I had a dream last night I was knitting. Isn't that weird? I have never knit in my life!" she steered me to the yarn section, picked out a pattern some needles and yarn, and taught me that afternoon. She is cool like that. Yeah I know, I won the mother-in-law lottery with her. So when Mother's Day was coming up, I wanted to do something extra special for her, so I went yarn shopping. This gorgeous, vibrant ribbon yarn of purples, greens and yellows just said "Laura!" to me. I got a few skeins, some chunky size 17 needles and went home to knit,
And knit.
And knit.
That damn ribbon yarn was the biggest pain in the butt I have ever knit with. When I noticed a large hole of slipped stitches that required several rows of REknitting, I wanted to cry. I kept at it though, and finished it up just in time for Mother's Day. Laura loved it, and that made it totally worth it. Here is a picture of her modelling my handiwork.
I just made a classic rectangle shawl with a fringe out of YarnBee ribbon. A small token of my enormous respect and affection.

My Homespun projects, and the Simpsons...

2006-09-27T22:23:00.001-05:00

I wanted to start my sweater, since I just do not have near enough projects on the needles, so I began my gauge-testing swatch (I am such the good little knitter!) and discovered how much I hate knitting the yarn I picked out! That is ANOTHER good thing about your test swatch (which every knitting book and knitting page tells you is a MUST when knitting a project that must be a certain size) you get to know the yarn you are working with. It is heartbreaking, since I bought 7 skeins of this yarn, in a GORGEOUS shade of sage green, and soft as can b. But everytime I put the needle in to knit, the thread parted and fuzzed, it pulled and stretched all wrong, and was generally a pain in the ass. So instead, I took the advice of the pattern and will use a Homespun yarn for my first sweater project. I collected very many Homespuns every since I knitted up a shawl for my Aunt Beverly and it turned out amazing. So the only thing left to figure out, is which shade of Homespun. There are over 50 shades, but I narrowed it down to 3 (See picture..and notice the Baroque was mislabeled as "Boucle" and sold on clearance for only $1!! woohoo!!). Should I go with the deep greens and tans of "Mediterranean", the blues and whites (that match with anything) of "Willaimsburg" or my lavendar/red/purple mix of "Baroque"? Cannot decide. What do you think? Leave a comment!

In other Homespun news, I found another shawl I had started and took off the needles for some reason or another. The yarn is a discontinued color, "Adirondack", I got it on sale and horded many skeins since I adored the mix of different rich colors. Also, it is such an easy and satisfying pattern, I plan to give them as gifts this Christmas to a couple of my friends. I have another skein to go on this Adirondack shawl, and will add fringe all around the edge. I will post the finished product as soon as it is done. Off to watch some Simpsons episodes on the net and knit! What is more fun that THAT?!
(Gabriel found a site that has all the Futurama and Simpsons episodes! It is great! Go to his StumbleUpon page to find it!)

It is not just toaster cozies....

2006-09-26T23:53:00.000-05:00

I put the photo of my lovely friend Mica showing of my modular knit scarf on my StumbleUpon Page and got an interesting post from a guy saying that though he hated fashion and could care less about knitting, he really liked my scarf. I was quite flattered, but at the same time, do people really still think knitting is boring ol toaster cozies and ugly ill fitting sweaters?? With the rise of creative knitting like StitchNBitch books and groups, the guerilla tactics of Knitta Please in Houston "tagging" lampposts and trees with colorful knitted creations and all the hipsters knittin' and purlin at the Starbucks you would think people would get the hint! And look at that, someone knitted A MOTORCYCLE!! How COOL is that??!? (Click the photo for a great link!)
My friend Sam, who has known me since we were 15 and playing in a band together,LAUGHED when I told him I knit. He thought I was joking. Then I sent him a skull and crossbones hat pattern I was thinking he would like, and he was begging me to knit it for him. See? Here are a few more pictures of knitted goods that I totally love and will one day make. (Click on the pics for the links to their original home on the net!)
This one is awesome. A knitted digestive system!! I want to do this for my Anatomy and Physiology class, maybe get some extra credit. Just...awesome. Look at all those small intestines!

Awww! A tiger! And he has a chew toy! There are a lot of pictures on this page of bloody knitted toys that are definetly NOT like those knitted bunnies you get at Easter from your great-aunt (at least MINE did not knit one impaled on a carrot, I don't know about yall).

And then there is this one. *ahem* Ever get frustrated when you want to knit something cool for that special man in your life, only to have him turn up his nose at the scarves and sweaters you slave over for him? Well, this is just perfect. And if you REALLY want to make a point with your gift, you can knit it extra small!

Knitting ain't for little old ladies anymore.

Welcome, Kyrra Isabelle!!

2006-09-26T20:54:00.001-05:00

My good friend Linda had her baby girl today...just had to post a pic of the little angel. Cannot wait to knit baby girl things!! I have only had little boys, so seeing this precious newborn girl was really special. Her proud big sister Lexi has lit up my life this past year also! Thanks Linda, for letting me share in this special time.

The Modular Mica Scarf

2006-09-25T22:29:00.000-05:00

The scarf I modeled in the first post was a birthday present for my lovely girlfriend Micadee. I made her come over today and model it for me, since she does it much more justice than frumpy ol' me. Ain't she purdy? She claims to loooove the scarf, and I like to think she is telling the truth. This is of course the modular knit scarf from Iris. The varigated yarn is from Filatura Di Crosa and the solid yarn is Encore. Everyone made a face when I put the yarns together before I knit them, but I think once they were knitted up, they complimented each other quite well. Anyway, that is my pretty Mica wearing my pretty modular scarf (and the rest of the outfit I bought for her present!). And no Jules, it does not get quite cold enough even in winter to wear a scarf for warmth often...so we settle on light scarves as accessories!

Some finished projects and the bacon debacle

2006-09-25T09:01:00.000-05:00

I thought I would post some of my knitting that I have finished. The problem is nearly everything I knit is for someone else, so I do not pictures of them. Here are two scarves I did keep. The first one, "Chocolate Cheesecake" as my friend and knitting protege Matt calls it, is one of my favorites. I knit it about two months after I picked up knitting needles for the first time. After churning out many garter stitch scarves and scarves in stockinette stitch, I wanted something more challenging. I taught myself (with knittinghelp.com) how to increase by kfb st and started my bias knit scarf! All three yarns used are suede, and it turned out just perfect. It was the first time my husband was impressed with my knitting. A simple little pattern, but at the time I was just thrilled at the result and very proud of myself.

I got an idea for knitting vertically with my (then) new Addi Turbo circulars (ooooooh I love my AddiTs!!). I got a coppery sienna colored suede yarn, and paired it with Berroco's BohoColors ribbon yarn and knitted up my first original Amy patterned scarf . Ohhh how I loved this scarf, and I was sooo taken with the colors and how well the yarns I picked out complemented each other. The golds in the ribbon
would catch the light, and I would imagine wearing it with certain outfits...I thought, "maybe I could make many scarves just like this!" and went on knitting hapily. When I finished the scarf, I carefully weaved in all the loose ends and took it to show off in front of my husband and our friend Sam (see earlier posts for a pic of Sam, he is the daddy of Isaac who we babysat this weekend). Anyway, I come in the room all smiles and proud of my scarf. "How does it look?" I ask Gabriel. He tilted his head, considered the scarf for a moment, then replied "It looks like a strip of bacon."
Bacon. He said my scarf looked like BACON.
Sam fell off the couch laughing, and the madder I got, the harder he laughed. I banished him from the apartment, but still he laughed outside (I could hear him!) while he tried to smoke a cigarette. I shot Gabriel a withering look, and he shrugged and said "What?? I think bacon is beautiful. It is a compliment."
Sigh.
My poor little scarf. I have not worn it once, and I don't know if Il ever will. Now all I see is a bacon strip when I look at it. What do you think? Maybe if I add fringe to the bottom? Ah, it is no use! If I wore it, I would feel like everyone is looking at me thinking, "Why is that woman wearing bacon around her neck?"

All my projects...

2006-09-25T08:18:00.000-05:00

I don't know about other knitters, but I have to have a few knitting projects going at once...you know, sometimes you are in the mood to knit a very complex lovely lacy shawl, sometimes you just want a
mindless garter stitch scarf, sometimes wool, sometimes silk, etc. I have 4 projects going right now, and a whole list of names and projects for my "Christmas Knitting" that I need to get on top of. Here are some pictures of what I have on my needles. The blue Colorwaves yarn is turning into a poncho for Lexi, my 6 year old upstairs neighbor. The pretty green yarn is softer than you can IMAGINE and is going to be my first sweater project! Cannot wait to start that. The picture of the black suede and gold/silver ribbon yarn is a skinny scarf I am knitting vertically for my son's stepmother. Her birthday was in August, but I am still racing to finish it and send along to her!

Even with all this knitting to do, I could not help but start yet another project yesterday when Jules sent me a lovely pattern for a scarf called "Orca Tails". (In the picture, it is the project on the bamboo needles with the bright red/brown yarn.) It calls for Noro Kureyon, and I just so happen to have a few skeins up in the closet, so I could not resist! I have three skeins of the same dye lot, and since this one will take two, I have enough for the one skein Noro hat to match! Watching the vibrant colors unfold as you knit is one of the reasons I adore Noro yarns. The yarn color I have is even lovelier than the one seen in the picture, and I will put up pics of my progress once I get farther along. I have repeated the pattern stitch twice and so far it looks GREAT! (Thanks, Jules!) If you want to find the pattern, it is at OceanwindKnits.

Crazy Saturday

2006-09-23T22:04:00.000-05:00

I was hoping for a nice relaxing Saturday, maybe getting some good knitting time in...but that was NOT in the cards today! Our friend Sam came over and asked us to babysit at the last minute (it is his birthday today, so how could I say no? look at those little faces!) so we had his sweet little Isaac all afternoon. This is in addition to my Jack, and they are both 2 and 1/2. Needless to say, I am exhausted!! How do the parents of twins do it?!

Of course, my husband Gabriel got the worst of it. He was on all fours playing hide and seek, and had both the boys squealing with delight. And then, they turned on him and wrestled him to the ground....poor Gabe is going to be very sore tomorrow.

I did get out the needles when they seemed to calm down, but it was not going to work...what is it about long sharp objects that so attracts little boys?? I cannot tell you how many times Jack has stood on tippy toe and grabbed the needle with all my stitches on it, and with one flick of the wrist and tug of the yarn undid hours of work...GRRRR! He is lucky he is so darn cute!!
Notice the aluminum knitting needles in his little hands? Mmm hmm! That is my little Tasmanian Devil Baby. I cannot believe he was still enough to take that picture!

So any knitting done today will only be when Jack has finally gone to sleep...hopefully I will outlast him!

What I have knitted, and what I want to knit....

2006-09-22T16:35:00.000-05:00

I was talking (ok, IMing) with my friend Jules and I mentioned how I cannot believe how anyone knitted before the internet! Although my wonderful mother in law taught me how to knit and purl, I would have never stuck with it OR progressed as far as I have without the site knittinghelp.com and their WONDERFUL precise videos and instructions. I am also on StumbleUpon, which has led me to the best knitting and pattern sites I know I would have missed on my own. My favorite website for knitting patterns, though, is knitty.com. Oh, how I love knitty...so many patterns, so beautiful! It is where I first saw the clapotis, and I am now searching for the perfect yarn to do my own. (The Lone Knitter has finished a GORGEOUS one!)

My next "me" project is going to be either the clapotis or the Silky Tie Wrap (pictured above), another gorgeous Artyarns pattern by the talented Iris Schreier. The Regal Yarn is a bit pricey, but I have it all picked out...I love the Dawn105. Maybe "Santa" will bring it for Christmas? *ahem*

I "won" the Silky Tie Wrap pattern in a contest from the Modular Knitting Group by knittng up a pattern from Iris' Modular Knits book. The finished result is the scarf I am wearing in the picture. I really liked how it turned out, it was a birthday gift for my friend Mica. She loved it (or pretended to very well!)...but it is very hard to knit for people in South Texas...winters are so mild you hardly need a jacket much less scarves etc. I think I need to move to the Canadian tundra....but til then, my poor friends smile politely and wear my creations (and sweat) when they go out with me.

First Post!

2006-09-22T15:01:00.000-05:00

First of all, a big Thank you to Jules, The Lone Knitter who inspired me to start my own blog! She is a sweetheart and my good "efriend"! I have only been knitting since Thanksgiving of '05, so bear with me if my posts and pictures are goofy and amateurish. Right now, I am very into Modular Knitting. I bought the book by Iris Schreier. It is definetly a challenge, but the results are so amazing.
My current modular knitting project is the Flat Top Hat...I keep running into little problems with it, but thanks to the Yahoo group Iris sponsers, I can keep on top of corrections and post my problems and get personal responses and help almost immediately. Lindsay has been a SAINT, patient sweet and very clear with help and instructions, even going so far as to cast on the same project and knit along with me to help!! She is doing that while helping all the others AND settling into a new home in GUAM! Superwoman, right?

I am posting a picture of what the hat is SUPPOSED to look like, and a picture of my work so far. The yarn I am using is Noro Silk Garden (ooo Noro!)If anyone reading this has tried modular knitting feel free to get in contact with me!