Frustration

I love color and I love knitting socks therefore I love sock yarns especially hand dyed ones. I am more disciplined for any other yarns but if I see a sock yarn I like I usually can not resist and I end up buying it, hey what is $20 here or there, right? I bought this beautiful yarn (online) two weeks ago. Since then I have been waiting anxiously, I received it today along with cotlin yarn for $1.50 cardigan from another vendor. The colorway looked different than what I saw on my computer screen but I thought still looked OK in spite of some dark spots. The skein was so tangled it took a while to find the ends and I started winding then I noticed the yarns was broken in multiple places. I could live with spit slicing for big sweaters but I refuse to have knots or spit slicing for my socks. A sock yarn should not have any knots whatsoever!!! I contacted the seller, we will see what happens.

Cowboy Blanket

When I wake up this morning, I looked around and I saw knitting projects everywhere. I keep buying baskets and containers to keep them organized but for some reason every basket is overflowing. I should stop buying yarn because I can not knit as fast as I swap my credit card. I had a cardigan, a sock, a hat, a dishcloth and a blanket on the needles. Unfinished things bother me. One may suggest that I should not start a project before finishing another one. This sounds like eating same food day after day. Yuck! Anyway at the end of the day dishcloth was done along with the little hat with ear flaps. My daughter loved the hat and wants one now. We wanted Mikko to model it but he got scared and kept trying to lay on the floor like the hat was weighing a ton. The hat is for Dulan project, the pattern is basic hat pattern from Last Minute Knitted Gifts.

I knitted about 4+ squares of the blanket. I figure 7 rows 6 columns, 56 squares should be big enough. Depending on time constraint the dimensions might get smaller. The worst case it will be a cute dog blanket. I can not say that I like knitting with this particular acrylic yarn. I should have made a quilt with these colors instead of knitting. I would have finished the top in one day.

Life Interrupted

I haven't had a chance to blog lately. Last week was spring break and both daughters were home. My oldest came from college with her two little monsters and that was the end of our quiet, calm, peaceful house. The little monsters are cute but very hyper and loud. My poor senior dog was having difficult time to adjust. All he wanted to be left alone. But those two wanted to play with him and chase the cats. They enjoyed chasing the cats so much, my daughter took one of the cats down to OK. No, of course that was not the real reason, I love my cats, but this one was having issues. So we want to isolate him and find the root cause.

Monster 1 - 8 lbs Monster 2 - 5 lbs

Partners in crime enjoying nice weather.

I did not have any serious knitting time between working from home and trying to spend time with my daughters. I almost done with my everyday Cardigan, I need to finish one arm, block it and knit the button and neck bands. The goal is complete the cardigan this week because I want to start on my $1.50 cardigan from IK. I was checking Knitpicks side , they finally got Cotlin, I immediately ordered in Linen color as they did not have much color selection. I said I did not have time for knitting but I still found time for some mindless knitting aka dishcloth knitting ( no offense to anybody). (Grandma's favorite, MDK and ballband dish clothes)

My oldest daughter found this funny since I don't use dish clothes and immediately requested that I spend my time on something more useful!!! That's the reward you get, raising kids, they start telling what to do on your free time. I asked her like what I can possibly do and would be qualified useful. She answered "you can knit me a blanket". Oh she is smart or what. I got excited and start showing her lizard ridge from Knitty, log cabin from MDK and ripple blanket on line. My dreams of using beautiful Noro or colorful cottons shattered when she asked a "guilt free" blanket that she can use, wash without worrying. So we went to not to the LYS , to local craft store and got these.

These are her college colors. She wanted a checkered pattern with these three colors. I decided to use the idea of garter stitch baby blanket from LMK. I casted 34 stitch on sz 8 needles. I ended up having 8" square. I will knit strips of alternating colors and I will sew the strips to make blankets instead of knitting squares separately. I have about 5 weeks to complete, her graduation is on May 5th and she is heading to law school.

On a different note , I had my doctor's appointment last Thursday. After series of xrays I have been told that I still can not put weight on my leg, the consequence would be a shorter leg and lifetime limp. So I need to use the wheelchair for another 6 weeks. I should be grateful but I was disappointed. I should post a sock progress report once I have all the photos.

Next Project

Yarn:BlueMoon Fiber Arts Watermelon Tourmaline & Farmhouse
Needles: US sz 5
6"" wide, 75" long
Start: 3/3/07
Finish: 3/10/07




The scarf is finished but not blocked yet. My enthusiasm started to dye as the scarf grew longer. I stopped at 75" and I am sure it will stretch a little bit once it is blocked. I still have a lot of yarn left. I can make a shorter scarf. I have checked BFA site, they are out of medium weight sock yarn. I was on time once. I wanted to knit something for myself, something I can actually wear besides scarves and socks. I decided on Everyday Cardigan from Kpixie. After looking the yarn selection forever I decided on Peace Fleece Volgasippi Blue. The description for the yarn was faded denim blue with lilac specs. But the yarn I got has teal/green undertone. Although I would have preferred more blue, it is still pretty color so I started on my first cardigan since I graduated college and that was looong time ago. Since it is worsted weight and I am using size 8 needles I am making fast progress. I already finished the back and working on the front.

Since I am on a roll with knitting, the next projects are Arian cardigan from ChicKnits and Dollar and Half Cardigan from Interweave Knits, Spring 2007. I already promised my sister Arian but I can see her checking $1.5 cardigan. Dear sister I will knit whichever you like or both for you!

My Scarf

I started my scarf on Saturday morning but I did not have a chance to continue. I worked on it Sunday, the pattern was surprisingly easy even though I had to change the colors at every two rows. I was frustrated that some colors were pooling so I used size 6 needles every so often to change the repetition. I think it is working. I probably knitted 1/3 of the scarf and I already ordered a nice blue yarn for my next cardigan project. I feel like the daughters and the sister will like this scarf!

Here is the closeup. The colors are blended beautifully and the yarn is vey soft and drapes nicely. I still have to blocked it so it can lay flat.

Chevron Scarf

I got to play with my new birthday gift/toy yesterday and I winded some of my sock yarn. I definitely need a swift yarn winder. I draped the skein over a folding chair instead. It was most trying experience to untangle the yarn. I remembered my grandma, she used to sit and patiently try to untie all those packing strings while I would go get the scissors. I guess I am learning to be patient because I would never cut the yarn and have a knot! Anyway we went out with couple of friends to Brio last night. The service and the food were excellent. It was my first outing in 4 months! After we got home, I wind up my STR sock yarns so It would be ready this morning. Two colors are beautiful separately but not together. All the knitted scarves I have seen are amazingly beautiful so I can hardly to wait to witness the transformation.


Blue Moon Fiber Arts STR Medium Weight Watermelon Tourmaline and Farmhouse colorways

I am lucky...

to have wonderful family, best parents, greatest sister, dearest husband and the daughters who make everything worthwhile and last but not least great friends. Thanks to everybody who remembered my birthday and reminded me I am getting older! My husband surprised me taking today off. Of course I had no idea what he was planning, I had every intention working today but an early email to understandinig managers resolved the problem and we had the day off. The day started with a little scare, our town was on tornado path in the morning. After watching weather TV and dragging our senior dog several times to our lower level bathroom, we went out for a brunch. Since it was my birthday and my husband is such good natured and patient person, he took me to a new yarn store. It was a good drive but I knitted his new sock on the way. The store was big and they had such nice selections I almost drooled. It was very over

whelming. I will definitely go back with my pattern decided. I bought two new sock yarn one for myself one for my daughter so she could wear with her Birkenstocks.

When we got home I had a huge flower arrangement waiting by the front door. My lovely daughter sent the flowers from Oklahoma. It is such beautiful delicate arrangement in all pink. I was finally allowed to open my gift after dinner. He got me a nice watch! My youngest daughter got me a yarn winder. I am so happy now I can wind my STR yarns for LMKG scarf. I will start on that scarf Saturday. For all those were asking me what was in the box, check the photos.