knitting happiness

can you believe, I couldn't fall asleep last night because I was thinking of knitting. Really! I couldn't get out of bed, because the baby was asleep next to me (and she's fallen off the bed several times already, so I can not leave her on the bed. asleep or no.) so, i grabbed my handy ddandy cell phone and called Big J in the other room.

"Dearest, can you look at a webpage for me?
"Sure, what is it?"
"It's a knitting pattern, google for 'kniity.com' and 'sheldon', and that should bring it up."
"Hmm...knitty.com, issue winter 2006....Sheldon the Turtle??"
"Yes, that's it. Can you print it off for me?"

and then he started reading off gobbledygook. I thought it was some sort of computer code, until I realized he was reading knitting directions, letter by letter! Try it, and see how wierd it sounds:

[Kfb] in each st. 12 sts.K all sts. [Kfb, k1] twice, [kfb] twice, [k1, kfb] twice, k2. 18 sts.all sts.[Kfb, k2] six times. 24 sts.


That's the first 5 rounds of sheldon. :)

My other happiness yesterday, was imaging how I could store my yarn/fabric stash. Grumperina had pictures of IKEA shelves on her blog, with glass doors...I'd prefer to have barrister bookcases, so that I could rearrange the stacks. And slide out drawers to keep my fabric in..that is a very happy thought.

Oh, now I remember my other knitting thought. I just recieved a stroller organizer from Amazon, and I realized that the water bottle pockets were just the right size to hold a ball of sock yarn! How serendipitous is that?

Rhonda, I'm not sure which of Cat Bordhi's socks I'm going to make, but I'm leaning toward Bartholomew's Tantalizing Socks, because I want to try that slipped stitch. As soon as I actually decide, I'll put the project up on ravelry.

Knitting since I do't know when....

Did I post about the Ravelry Olympics already? I'm not sure..I entered two events, a WIP and a shawl. Due to small children occupying a large amount of my awake time, I didn't finish either projects by the closing ceremonies of the olympics (They had some way cool stuff at the closing ceremonies, didn't they?) but on Monday I finished up the shawl. Yay! It's a pi shawl, (over to the left. That's Baby G with her favorite new chew toy/shawl) made of Merino Stripes yarn from Crystal Palace yarns. I need to block it out - hopefully it will stretch from baby blanket size out to adult shawl size. Hmm...considering that blocking will involve lots and lots of pins, I'll need to do it without the small children around.

The WIP, a Baby Surprise Jacket, is going back into hibernation. I ran out of yarn for it. Im undecided between looking for more yarn (Anyone have Noro Kujaku? It's discontinued :( ) or frogging it.

Let's see...current project is a little boy sock. I'm making him ones that match the ones I made last winter. For little socks, they are taking a long time to finish.

I put in a KnitPicks order today. the next project I need to start is a little cardigan for Little G, from Debbie Bliss, and I think the DK superwash will work just right. I also ordered yarn to make Sheldon the Turtle (The boy put in a request) annnnd I ordered a pair of the new Harmony straight needles. I can't wait to try them!

And, I'm going to start a pair of socks from Cat Bordhi's book, as soon as I finish the Little boy socks. I can't wait! those patterns are amazing!

why are bandages so big?

The Little boy had a teeny tiny cut on his finger, and insisted on a bandage (not using the TM names, but it was a brand name bandage) and, when I fetched one of the cool fishie bandages out of the medicine cabinet, we had to wrap the bandage completely around his little finger to keep the huge thing on. Now why do kids' bandages not come in a super small size?

I'll write about knitting later, I promise.

Now, don't laugh, but the highlight of my life lately has been the Neil Diamond concert that Big J took me to. Really! We brought Little G along, but the other two kiddos stayed home, so, it was almost, like, a DATE! oooohh! Yes, very nice, even getting lost after the concert on the way home.

Big J was sitting next to someone he knows at work, and he didn't recognize her out of uniform. LOL! He thought it was funny, and so did I. The concert was really good, some of his old songs, some of the new ones.

Let's see, what else have I been doing...dealing with the kiddos, getting Little Sister ready for school to start, knitting a bit...I'm waiting for school to start. It's not her fault (not totally) but Little Sister is getting on my nerves. She's been a big help, but I want to tell her to go away! I haven't, and I won't, because I'm a grownup. (or so they tell me) Once school begins for her, Little J and i will get back into our normal schedule, and I plan on doing some preschool type stuff with him. It will keep us both busy and entertained.

On the knitting front, the Big Grey Blob is going back into hibernation. I am so sick of knitting on it. So far, the sleeves and shoulder decreases have worked, but I'm going to have to make a change in the decreasing soon, and I'm not sure how to do it...My socks aren't finished yet either - about 5 rows of ribbing to go. I've started a Baby Surprise Jacket for Gloria, using my favorite Noro Kujaku yarn, and despite the tedium of garter stitch, it's coming along okay. I'm worried that I might not have enough yarn :( I'm also doing the Ravelymics over on Ravelry. I have one project that I will be working on during the Olympics, a pi shawl. I've this wonderful fuzzy yarn that I really want to have as a shawl, so...that's what i'm going to do.

Now, time to go feed myself. Later!

delayed yarn pictures

This is the yarn that I purchased at The Yarn Shop in Columbus, Ohio. Yes, it was awhile ago. Top picture is Plymouth Yarns Boku. It's a varigated yarn with long color changes, similiar to Noro, but not quite as vivid colors. I want to play with it and see. Middle is the Manos Silk blend, from manos del Uruguay. It's only 150 yds, but oh so nice. I've been pondering what to make of it, and I think it's going to be a pair of wristwarmers for me. Maybe Fetching (I haven't tried that pattern) or maybe Voodoo. Bottom is Arucania Ranco Multi, a fingering wt sock yarn. I'm getting tired of my current socks, and I'm looking forward to starting one of Cat Bordhi's patterns with this.



And also here, is a picture of Little G playing with one of the skeins of Boku. Future Knitter in training!

On the current knitting projects, the Big Grey Blob is getting bigger and blobbier (I am so afraid the shoulder decreases aren't going to work, and I'll have to rip this section out. If I do, it's going back into hibernation for awhile.) I'm 3 inches away from finishing the current pair of socks, and I won a blue ribbon at the county fair for Little J's Jaker sweater!