I have been bad

I haven't answered any of the SP12 questions lately.

So, here goes:

Question 6 : My favorite thing to take along is socks. When I prepare to travel, I always have more than one project with me. Mostly small things that don't require alot of attention. Love socks.

Question 7: Favorite place to knit. I usually knit at the dining room table in the quiet of the morning. That is when and where I can do my concentrated knitting. Is it my favorite place? Not exactly, it's just what I have that works.

Question 8: Favorite supper? summer? well winter or summer, I'd say it's about any meal that someone else fixes. I LOVE to cook, don't get me wrong. But when it comes to having someone else think of something, shop for it, prepare it and put their love in to it, what could be better?

Question 9: Entries in the fair. No, I haven't done this, YET. But I am considering going to our county fair this year and seeing what it is like. When we lived in NJ, the fair was just awesome. I could spend hours in the exhibit tent. In WI, well, I wasn't so impressed. I haven't been to the one here yet, it's been two years, I guess I should make a point. I would love a ribbon.

Question 10: Olympic event. That is a hard one, I am not an athlete by any sense of the word. No, no event for me or my knitting.

Question 11: best thing received in the mail? Hmmmm... I love mail, letters are great. They are a lost art. I have had many pen friends over the years, but haven't done that in a while.

Question 12: My proudest moment? Since I am mostly a self taught knitter, my proudest moment is whenever I learn something new and successfully complete it. Then I call my aunt and tell her "I have a sock!" She likes that, and so do I.

Well, that's all from me for now. It's going to be a busy weekend with lots of running around and knitting.!!

Thank you.

I don't have a picture for this post, but I just had to say thank you to my special friend Barb for the wonderful, wonderful knitted dishcloth she made for me. What a dear. She is one of the few people who actually read my blog and she saw about the dishcloth swap I was in and she took the time to knit up one for me in lovely shades of yellow. I can't tell you how much it really made my day!

Yarn. Notes to myself.

Have you seen Alpaca Sox by Classic elite? The plum blueberry peacock looks fun for a clap! Seattle Haze and Woodland in Autumn look nice too. Decisions, decisions.

Socks!

I have been looking at all the sock patterns there are out there and wondering, will I ever get to knit them? Will I ever get to try new sock yarns? Because, you know, sock yarn doesn't count as stash. At least that is what someone once said.

It is hard to imagine that there is all this yarnie goodness out there and I haven't experienced nearly any of it. I have knit mostly with Opal, which I love. I have also done some Regia, and some onLine. I don't nearly have enough. Only two solid colors, which are in browns, and no handpainted or hand dyed.

Colors. There are so many colors to choose from. How do you choose? Do you go by what you want to knit? I mean, some people choose by the color. I look at a pattern and see whether I like it or not.

I was thinking of maybe trying to do some colors that are out of the ordinary for me. I have done lots of blue, mostly self striping Opal colors. I would like to do some semi solids. I like a little color in there, just not plain, but I would like to get away from self striping for a while. I would like to be able to do some that I could get away with wearing to work, so nothing too loud. It'd have to be business like, but fun at the same time.

No, I don't feel I have nearly enough colors, pattern's or time when it comes to socks. I love doing them.

Just for the heck of it.

I love looking at littleknits website and it seems as if she adds more each day.

I'd love to try
araucania ranco sock multi
303 , 308, 305 are nice
ranco sock semi solid
103, 105, 108
Noro silk garden sock
8, 64

Then, I also like to look at yarncountry. They have some great Elsebeth Lavold. I love the silky wool. I did my clap scarf in that, and I would love to do a full size one.

I want to try to knit with different yarns.

I would love to try anything to make another clap or two out of. I would love to try some hand painted sock yarn. I have so many socks in my queue to try and I just haven't gotten around to it. Isn't it funny how you get the idea that you are going to be able to knit all these things and you just keep adding them?

I love knitting with the Bartlettyarns. I love the texture, smell and feel of them. My nubby cardigan is coming along nicely. I have done the first set of bind offs for the armholes. It will probably take me a better part of a month to complete. But I am so happy with it!

The Nubby Cardigan

I started this on Saturday. With a few trials. I think I've already blogged them. I finally have the hang of it and I'm LOVIN' IT!



The pattern is not really hard to remember, just keeping track of what row you are on is the key.



I heard from my pal, she received her package. I can breathe again.

News! Pictures! Packages!

Okay, first things first. I came home today to not one but TWO packages. Both are from the dishcloth swap that I was in. The first package is a great cloth by beginknitter. Also included was a neat bracelet with the word "hope" on it. We all need that, don't we.

Next, a package all the way from Stafforshire England! The package says "royal mail" on it! I love it. Ceri included a cloth that is so squishy and not one but TWO skeins of kitchen cotton in perfect colors for my kitchen!


If either of you take a look at my blog, thank you so much. I enjoyed the swap alot and I hope that you did too.

Here is the beginnings of my CLAPOTIS. I am using Elsabeth Lavolds silky wool. I absolutely love it. You can see some of the stitch marker that I got from Glitterbear, from the odd ball swap. They came is SO handy and made me smile while knitting.



I finished the clap today, scarf size and I still have some stitches to drop, and to weave in the ends, but I just love the weight of it and the look. It is a definite gift possiblities to it.

This next photo is of the new Bartlett yarn I purchased at the Cozy Cabin (HI Toni) last night before going to sit and knit. Anyway, the colorway is "terra cotta" it is the 2 ply and I am planning to make the Obverse Jacket, by lisa shroyer from the fall 2008 Knitscene magazine that I bought last week.

There are so many FABULOUS patterns in this magazine. I really, REALLY want to make the nubby cardiagn by deborah newton, but I am afraid I am just not experienced enough for it. I am going to make it though. Because I just love the classic look of it.

I would also LOVE the big ivy scarf by christine lorin made of Aslan Trends Artesanal. It just looks so soft and cuddly.

Those are my favorites. but I like a LOT more of them!!! smile

I sent off my package to my downline SP and the tracking says it has arrived. I got an email from her this evening, but she didn't mention the package. GEE I hope no one stole it!! I'll be on pins and needles until I hear from her.

Pictures this weekend, I promise!

Well, last night was knit night at B&N and we had a nice crowd. Two tables! It was great!

I have managed to get to the decrease rows on my CLAP and I am extremely happy with it. I am already planning on a full size one. Now just to decide which yarn to use...........

Since I have been working on this, my socks are on hold, somewhat. But I will finish them right after this before I start the next project. I want to get back to a pair of socks a month.

I sent along a wonderful package to my downline and the tracking number says that she got it yesterday. However, she didn't post it on her blog yet, or email. I sure hope she received it and it didn't get stolen. These things make me worry! sigh...

Okay, tomorrow is Saturday and I promise (hand over heart) to put up some pictures of all the things I have been working on.

A Postcard!

Today I received a postcard from my upline in SP12. It is a picture of the Japanese Garden pond at the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. She visited them recently for the firs time. She has lived in California all her life, I guess, as that is also the post mark.

I got some knitting done while on vacation. But not nearly enough. Spent too much time in the car. sigh.... long story.

I have finished my cowl, a scarf, that pair of socks and I have started another pair of socks in cotton, plus I have finally plunged into doing a CLAPOTIS and I am having fun with it. I am already planning more. This one is with Elsebeth Lavold silky wool that I had already. I wouldlove to do more in it and in some of the other fun yarns. I would love to do one in Noro, and in malabrigo as well as Kauni. I have to find a good deal on them I guess.

My depression has been bad, very bad these past few weeks. That's part of the reason why I haven't written or taken pictures.