Crumpets - the Late Night View....

Yes, I did take this picture in my bathroom - But I just couldn't wait to put up a pic of Crumpets! The party is tomorrow (I had my weekends mixed up) and I just finished her. She's a bit big for Miss Tamzin who will eventually be wearing her... But I know she will grow into her Crumpets! I'm not sure about the elastic inside and I rewove the ribbon about four times trying to find just the right look! I am so happy that she is done! Crumpets was a fun yet challenging knit - I learned bunches while making her. This may be the most complex project I have done thus far! :)

Technical specs: I used almost three skeins of Cotton Ease in Candy Blue. Did the picot cast on from Vogue Knitting (Boy was that fun - Not So Much!!!), made adjustments in the ties, and used more beads than the pattern called for - not sure how many but maybe 1 and a half times the amount. I swatched and then cast on for the 1 year old size - but as the bodice came together I realized this was going to fit a two year old! I adjusted the length to compensate. Lined the bodice with elastic. If I made this again I would possibly use a smaller size needle as she seems a bit loosely knit. I would also buy a longer length of ribbon than the pattern calls for. I'm not sure I'd use the Cotton Ease again as it was VERY splitty on the needles. Note to self - if you make this again make the ties way way longer than you think they need to be! PS I never knew I could LOVE - I mean LOVE my iron! I touched the dress up a bit with the iron and it made all the difference in the world - especially on the crochet edging on the bottom!

RIP Six Feet Under

I can't believe it is over. I was mourning the passing of this, my all time favorite TV show, as I watched the final episode tonight. This got me to thinking..... Why do I care so much about this TV show ending??? Then I realized - this show has been there during an interesting time in my life. I have watched it from ages 25-30; times where I have personally changed greatly. I have switched jobs, opened a business, ended a long term relationship and come to understand many things about myself as a person overall. This simple TV show has always touched me emotionally - made me laugh and made me cry. However it is now ending. An ending of a time in my life but also moving into something new..... I wonder what life will hold?

Plodding Along

I haven't been in the best of moods lately (major understatement) and that's been effecting my knitting progress somewhat. Clapotis is a bit further along but not really worth another picture yet. However this is the Corner to Corner Baby Blanket that I am working on for a special little someone

It's knitting up pretty quickly and it's interesting to watch the way the yarn is making patterns on it's own as I knit. I am not sure that I would do this exact pattern again as it is a bit boring - maybe just a tad to easy for my taste at the moment.

Crumpets has been blocked (hah - my version of blocking that is!) But I am still working on the elastic. I will for sure take a picture of her before she is given away this Saturday! :)

Finally, I am excited on the secret pal front - I have one more giftie to send my pal - and this one is the big one... I am looking forward to seeing what she thinks of my choices. I have been loving how my pal keeps commenting on my blog - it definitely makes me feel special! :) At the moment I am trying to decide if I should do Secret Pal 6 but my mind isn't sure yet.

The Beginnings of Clapotis

To me that title sounds a little like a STD... But no Clapotis is not an STD she's a beautiful drop-stitch wrap!! My Clapotis is being made out of KnitPicks Shimmer in Happy Dance and she looks a little bit more orangeish here than she does in real life. So far it's an enjoyable pattern and a fun yarn to work with. I do kind of wish that I could have used another yarn like Lorna's Laces Lion and Lamb or Noro Silk Garden but since this baby is gonna cost me around twenty bucks you can't complain too much!

In other news my cats are shedding a ton due to the hot weather we have been having. Despite the fact that I had brushed Cider on Monday the hair was flying off him again by Wednesday. After I brushed him I somehow ended up flattening the hair out and this was the result:

I can't decide if it is more of a hat, a Yarmulke or a Toupe. My mother thinks it should have ties somewhat like Crumpets. Even though I was talking with KE about knitting with cat fur at the Yarn Harlot's book signing I think making icords out of cat fur is a bit of an adventure that I am not yet ready to tackle.

Oh and yes - even though I arrived late and it was incredibly hot upstairs the Yarn Harlot's reading was wonderful! I laughed a lot and made some progress on Clapotis, ate yummy cake and drank lemonade and had a delightful chat with KE and her husband and met Stephanie and her sign my book. Also I found out I was famous... For my toilet picture.... At least I now definitely know that I have blog readers! I may be famous for a toilet picture but it's a start! :)

How Glad Am I...

That I am paying astronomical monthly dues to my condo association and a sky high mortgage payment to live next to a neighbor whose porch looks like this?


Yes, you are correct, it is a toilet. A toilet set out on her porch. How lovely. Bonus - it is currently being used as a table for her ashtray. Beautiful.

My Secret Pal is Psychic and Canadian Eh?

(Trying to fight the screaming associated with the post I just wrote getting deleted due to my pop up blocker) I can't recreate it at the moment - just can't do it. So let's just say ~

My secret pal sent me way cool stuff. A hand knit scarf, a nifty magazine, some cute sticky notes and three balls of Patons Grace in Azure. My pal is psychic because I had been wanting some cotton yarn to do some crocheting but couldn't bring myself to indulge in this treat. I was also excited to see my pal is Canadian - I don't think I have ever received an Air Mail package before :)

On the knitting front - Crumpets is done but needs to be blocked - pictures will follow soon! I have begun Clapotis and I need to start a baby blanket for my cousin and her boyfriend who are expecting a little boy in Nov. I picked up some Patons Pixie yarn but am now worried about using it as it is discontinued and some people have said they hated working with it. But it is fluffy and cute and my cousin LOVES soft fluffy stuff! Now I just need to find a pattern for it.... Any suggestions???

By the way - Stitch and Pitch was fun! :) I made a bunch of progress finishing Crumpets and the night was beautiful!!! I now think all sporting events should have a night like this! :)

Home Sweet Home.....

Miss Dashwood was a hit! I had a great time at my friend's baby shower for her soon to arrive home little girl. She and her husband are adopting and they have been waiting to go over and pick up their little bundle of joy for months now. I am very excited for them! Plus the whole thing gave me hope that if I someday can't birth babies it would be just as awesome to adopt.

Visiting people's homes always gets me thinking and this last weekend I was the houses of two friends I have not been to before. I came home from the second one thinking "my condo is a dump - why doesn't it look like their house???" I continued to ponder this thought and realized that for some reason whenever I go over to a home that looks like it popped out of the Pottery Barn I become insanely jealous. I want that furniture, that paint, those curtains - even the f***ing hand towels! I start thinking all of my stuff is crap and that I could never possibly be as stylish as aforementioned person.

This time as I was green with envy I tried to gain some insight into my feelings. I didn't figure things out completely but I did make some progress! I realized that I had also really loved the style of the first person's home I visited this weekend. Funny thing is - these two homes were wildly different in decor and style. Pottery Barn vs. Eclectic Woo Woo with a touch of Pier One and Archie McPhee's. I think I even felt more at home in the Eclectic Woo Woo house. But for some damn reason I feel like my life should be Pottery Barn.... and it just isn't! Somehow I now know that I need to come to enjoy my Eclectic Minimally Woo Woo Hand Me Down and Antique Comfy Cosy Condo - I couldn't keep up with the cleaning the Pottery Barn would require anyway! :)

She's finished!

Miss Dashwood is finally finished! Just in time to be given away tomorrow! Above you can see her without the earflaps down.

Here she is with her ear flaps down for extra cold days:

And the sweet sweet buttons I found that were just perfect for securing her earflaps when they aren't needed!

Hopefully little Torrin can wear this hat for many of the cold winter days ahead after she comes home to her new parents!

Miss Dashwood

Here she is... or at least most of what is done thus far. I have also finished the earflaps but I became so frustrated with the ties that I stopped and did the finishing on the hat and the earflaps (a definite sign of frustration when I am WANTING to sew in the ends!) She wasn't too difficult to knit. This picot cast on was sooooo much easier than the one in the Vogue Knitting book. I know there are a few mistakes in her but I am hoping a non knitters eye will not notice them. ;) Now if I can just motivate myself to make those ties. I frogged the first one two or three times already and considered I cord but I really want to do the one from the pattern because I think it is pretty.

What Do You Knit When...

You are on a cruise/beach vacation?

I am SO EXCITED!!! Two nights ago my good friend from High School Jill and I booked a cruise to the Eastern Caribbean on Holland America! We got a pretty good deal and are going to be visiting some wonderful places and I am especially happy because when we are cruising Dec 4-11 in the Caribbean with beautiful warm weather it will likely be cold and rainy in Seattle. You can see the places we are going over there on the left - I haven't been to any of them before so I am really thrilled!

We will be sailing on the ms Westerdam in a room with a balcony! I have cruised before - three times to be exact - but never to such cool places on a nice cruise line with a fabulous friend and an AWESOME room! I am really really excited (if you can't tell)! The ship even has a Culinary Arts Center which is super neat because I love cooking and I am hoping I can watch or participate in something fun there as well as spending some time (and $$ of course) in the Spa. I swear this is going to be my dream vacation! :)

So now I am already thinking - what do I bring to knit? I know we will be spending a good amount of time hanging out by the pool and relaxing on beaches when in port - most sane people would read but I figure I can knit! Can't I? I know it might be messy so maybe it isn't a good idea but there has to be a way... Some project I can take with me to enjoy while I am sailing and sunning.... Any suggestions????

More Crumpets!

Here's the progress to date! The skirt is simple but taking a loooooong time! I am ready for her to be finished! As I was knitting away in a staff meeting this morning I realized two things 1) Knitting is like blood pressure medication or valium when in a meeting that is stressful 2) Holy Crap! I need to get started on Miss Dashwood because it needs to be done for a baby shower I am going to on the 24th! I really hope the pattern isn't too difficult otherwise I will need to run out and buy a gift! Ok I am off to cast on.... that darn picot thing again....

I have readers!!!! (and crumpets progress)

OMG! I was looking at my blog today for some reason and I noticed there were comments that hadn't arrived in my email box! How thrilled am I to know that there are really people who even looked at it besides my secret pal! (Not that I don't appreciate your comments SP!)

Aside from taking the photos of my stash additions and my cat Cider, I haven't delved into them yet. I am still working on crumpets - no major errors to report however the yarn got SUPER tangled the other night so I had to cut part of it and then spend hours winding it into a ball. I am a bit worried that all that bead stringing is going to have to be redone from my cutting but at least the yarn is usable again. (Note to self - NEVER buy cheap yarn again).

I was having another thought today as I was doing my laundry. Why is it that Knitters and Druggies have a "Stash"? Do other people with hobbies have a "Stash"? I have never heard my friends who are into gardening, or reading, or cooking refer to their "Stash" of plants, books or cooking utensils. Knitters however are a different breed - we hoard our yarn, frequently are "jonesing" for a new fiber, ohh and ahh over the different options we can purchase much as one might be thrilled in a "coffee shop" in Amsterdam if they were a pothead! Now maybe I am naive and other there are other hobbies where people are as fanatic about their "Stash" as knitters. However I think I know one or two people who seem as addicted to knitting or yarn as one might be to crack! (Not naming any names here) :) Maybe we need a new saying - something like "Rugs, not Drugs."

This Week's Additions to my Stash!

I wish I could say that my stash gets such wonderful additions each week, but unfortunately that is not the case! However, aside from the sale mentioned below I have added to my stash in a couple other ways this week!

First, my order from knitpicks finally arrived! I only say finally because it felt like it took forever - but it was still within the allotted time they quoted me for my free shipping. The Shimmer that arrived from them is beautiful and oh-so-soft! It will look great in my Clapotis and I am chomping at the bit wanting to start! However first I have to figure out how to wind it into a ball..... Any suggestions?

Secondly, I ordered some Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran from Knit2 Purl2. I was SUPER happy with the fact that I got it on sale AND it arrived VERY fast! It came in maybe three days! I would definitely order from them again!

I am so excited about all of these yummy new additions I just have to show them to you one more time!!! (But this time with my cat too!)

The insanity of a Yarn Sale!

Today I had a very interesting knitting day. I woke up early (for me) and drove on over to Bellevue to visit a sale at what used to be Skeins Ltd. and will soon be Hilltop East. Although I have never been to the original Hilltop I the yarn and needles were on sale for 40% off so I figured I had to go! I arrived at approximately 10:15 AM - the sale was supposed to start at 10- and Oh the INSANITY! There were no parking places left and the store was PACKED! This place was the equivalent of Walmart on the day after Thanksgiving for knitters... There were people sitting on the floor looking at yarn, people crowding around yarn, people with multiple bags of yarn and luckily not too many rude people with yarn! :) I scored some great purchases (of course the stuff I was looking for was mostly gone but that didn't stop me from picking up other things) and then spent almost THREE HOURS in line to pay for said purchases. Yes, you heard me correctly - THREE HOURS!!!! The line snaked throughout the store and even though the store isn't that big it took forever! I could have just done all my shopping while standing in line to pay! By the end of the shopping extravaganza I was tired, cranky, my feet hurt and I was starving (I now know to NEVER head to a yarn store sale without eating breakfast first). However I had picked up patters for a buck each (score!) and two sets of Addi's, some DPN's as well as Manos del Uruguay, Cascade 220, Crystal Palace Squiggle, Classic Elite Bam Boo and one solitary skein of Noro Kureyon - all for 40% off!!!! Amazing! I am not sure what I am going to make with it all but that is half of the fun! I am eager to see what the store will look like in it's reincarnation and give kudos to the friendly staff for their hard work they did today! :)

11 Things I have learned so far from Crumpets

1) The Vogue Knitting picot cast on is a b****, but it stays intact if you have to frog the part you have knit so far.

2) It is best not to work on a complicated project at 1 AM.

3) When working on a complicated project at 1AM ALWAYS, ALWAYS check off the rows on your pattern after you knit them.

4) When working on a complicated project before 1AM check off the rows of your pattern after you knit them.

5) If knitting after 1AM refer to rules 3 and 4.

6) Knitting is a way to learn patience.

7) Be careful what you ask for - you just might get it.

8) If you aren't' a patient person but you think you should work on becoming more patient you will encounter something that really tests your patience (like knitting).

9) If you care about the person you are knitting the object for that tests your patience when you mess it up you will frog it and learn patience instead of just going on with it looking all messed up.

10) Start projects WAY WAY in advance of when you need to finish them.

11) Don't forget to keep track of what row you are on when you are knitting (Check it off!!!!)

My poor pathetic Crumpets before frogging. 

Where did I go wrong???? 

Crumpets now 

Workout Knitting?

I never would have thought to compare knitting to a work out - until today. I think I finally finished the picot cast on and that thing was like going to the gym! When I got to the end or close to the end I just kept thinking

Four more... (Almost there)
Three more... (This is hard)
Two more... (I can do it!)
One more.....

Phew! The last one is done! I can breathe easily again!

Now maybe I should go to the real gym! :)