Tangles

Thank you Secret Pal!

My terrific Secret Pal made a special effort to send me a box in time for my birthday tomorrow.  That's pretty special considering that the swap officially started a few days ago.

My birthday goodies included 2 bars of dark chocolate, a neat Japanese notepad, a copy of Cookie A's Monkey sock pattern and a gorgeous skein of yarn from Pagewood Farm.  It is so soft and squishy.  The name of the sock yarn is Denali and the colorway is named "Greens".

Thanks so much my Secret Pal for making this birthday extra special!

Lots of catch-up going on

For a change, I have quite a few things to blog about today.  Be forewarned that this is a photo heavy post.

I'm still busy on Plurk and having lots of fun.  You should join if you haven't already signed up.

Today, I went shopping for goodies to include in my Malabrigo Magic Yarn ball for my swap partner. (Ravelry link).  The weather was fantastic on the bay at Alamitos Bay Yarn Company.  I was there early, though, and it's much hotter this afternoon.  Weathernet says it's 87 degrees at 5 p.m. 

Here's a bird enjoying a rest on the rocks

Knitting-wise, I started Summer of Socks 2008 with a sportweight toe-up sock using some great yarn by Miss Babs.  It's called Yummy Superwash, and that is a great description.  The pattern is by Wendy.

Clue 2 was just released in the Goddess Knits Mystery Anniversay Shawl knitalong.  I will be starting that after dinner tonight.  The first clue was pretty simple, but #2 ends with a decrease round that takes the stitch count up to 288 stitches!

My last bit of knitting news for now is that I finished the first of Wendy's Nanners socks using the Dream in Color Smooshy "Butter Peeps".  This yarn is so nice and the color is very pretty.  Remember, the pattern is exclusive to Plurk members--join us and you can have some Nanners socks, too.

I will make a seperate post about my first box from a great Secret Pal 12.

Actual knitting content today

I finished crocheting the Hexagon afghan, but had a bit of an incident after washing.  Repairs will need to be made but not right now and I don't want to talk about it, so there.

The 52 PairPlunge II started today.  The challenge is to make 52 pairs of sock in the next 12 months.  I won't make it unless I do lots of kid-sized socks for CIC.  My first sock of the challenge year is almost finished--picture to follow later today.  Sign-ups are now closed, but you can still play along for fun. This isn't a race, but a personal challenge thing.

I haven'te posted before, but I've been ordering yarn from Eat.Sleep.Knit for several months.  I found this online shop from an ad on Ravelry and things haven't been the same for my bank account since.  Erin is holding a very clever promotion called the Yarnathon.  Yards of yarn purchase are racked up and special little incentives and discounts doled out at set intervals.  Erin give great customer service and ships in record time.  You can also earn free yarn by linking to her site--but, I would link to Eat.Sleep.Knit even if extra yardage for the marathon wasn't involved.      

Yikes!

How can it be 2 months since my last post.  I really don't have any reason for the long absence.  I just haven't been in the right mood for posting, I guess.  I'm just going to start a list and hope that nothing important gets left out.

The Twist sweater is almost done.  The main body pieces are finished and waiting to be blocked and seamed.  I hope to get the blocking done this weekend.  I'm doing the collared version, so finishing shouldn't take long.

I started a pair of basic stockinette socks in a great yarn from Noelle's Noodles.  The colorway is a special edition designed for Eat.Sleep.Knit, one of my favorite yarn sellers.  I'm also working on a special top-secret project for my swap partner in the Loopy Ewe Swap.  The hexagon afghan is looking good--I'm about one third of the way finished.

I joined a knitting group!  We meet at a local Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf shop on Tuesday nights.  It's been lots of fun getting know a nice group of knitting friends. 

At the end of this month, I'm taking a week of vacation.  My brother and part of his family will be visiting.  My vacation extends until June 2, which is the date for the Dodgers Stitch 'N Pitch night. 

The Project 365 photo series is going well, but I did forget to get one photo this year.  One oops in four months doesn't seem too bad, right?  Most of the other items on my 101 in 1001 list are stalled at about the same spot as the last update.

Thanks for hanging in there until the end of this long post.  I just have one more thing to put down on my list and it's a biggie--I'm getting a spinning wheel!  She's named Julia and you can read more about her right here.  This might be one of my crazier ideas.  My attempts at using a drop spindle and a Spindolyn have been less that successful, so I'm not sure what makes me think this will work.  I'm up to the challenge and determined to make some yarn, though, so wish me luck o.k?  UPS should deliver early next week and I will definitely post some photos.

Since I don't like to make a photoless blog post, here's a nice shot from Roger's Gardens last month:

Saturday check-in

Well, it's been too long again.  I've been knitting on a pair of Cookie A BFF socks this week.  The little cable pattern is really cute and pretty easy to work.

The yarn is Dream In Color Smooshy in the colorway In Vino Veritas. I love that yarn!

As you probably know, we've had a bit of rain the past few days.  Nothing to worry about here, but more is coming tonight and tomorrow. 

On the 101 in 1001 days front, I have updated the list with my progress on a couple of items.  The weight-loss plan is going great-I'm down 10 pounds since New Year's Day.  Most of the others will be gradually crossed off the list.

My plan for the weekend is to start BFF sock #2 and stay in out of the rain. 

One More Day

I'm too tired for much of a post tonight.  Can you believe that there is just one day left in the month of November?  I can't, and don't want to think about one more day until December.  I'm not ready for anything involving Christmas.

I received an order from the Loopy Ewe today.  Check this link for a photo of the Wollemeise lace-weight.  The color is Poison No.5 and it is so very pretty.

Down Day

I'm posting this one a little early while I still feel o.k.  I stayed home from work today after a rough night of tummy troubles.  Feeling better now, but not great.  I have had some extra knitting time today, so that's a good thing.  I finished the first of the Hollyday socks.  I will post tomorrow with details and links to the yarn and pattern.  Here's the photo:

I've been working on the sweater project, too. Just one more row of ribbing and I start the stockinette section.  I know not everyone agrees with me, but I enjoy plain stockinette.  Of course, this sweater may change my mind.  Wish me luck!

Not so bad, after all

So, I finished the second Ravenscroft sock last night. My fingers and the needles were very stained.  I soaked the socks in a bowl of warm water and vinegar.  Strangely enough, the color did not run at all.  I can't figure out why but will not complain.

I don't think I posted about the Christmas stocking that was hidden away in my yarn stash.  I started this thing back in 2002 and can't even remember why it was left to hibernate so long.  I'm trying to finish up so it can come off the UFO list.

Yes, it has beads and a knit braided trim.  I can't find the beads to finish the toe and will probably just buy some new ones and sew them on after the fact.  More tomorrow...

Sunday

Can you tell by my title that I'm running out of ideas?  Today has been quiet.  I started the second Thuja sock and just turned the heel.  They are an amazingly fast knit.  I should make a pair for J, but he wears size 15 shoes!  Starting a pair for him will involve a serious self pep-talk and won't be happening anytime soon.

This afternoon, I baked two small pumpkins to use for vegan pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving.  So far, so good, but we'll see how the whole egg-free thing goes in a few days.  I'm using the recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking.

Am I the only one shocked that we only have 12 days left in the month of November?

More sock news

The Blue Moon Fiber Arts heavyweight yarn works up so quickly.  I have already finished the first Thuja sock after just starting it last night after dinner.  Sport-weight yarn may be my new favorite thing.

Now for the bad news--the Ravenscroft dye rubbed off on my fingers, my nails and my Brittany Birch needles.  I hope the colors don't fade too much in the actual sock.   Here's a photo of the 4 stained needles and the 5th needle of the set that shows their original color:

The intended recipient seemed happy with the first sock, but he hasn't yet been home to try it it on.