It All Comes Out in the Wash

I spoil the boyfriend. He gets handknit socks. And he spoils me. I get lots of stuff - this time, an alpaca plush (with kitty and turtle plushes too). I think we go well together.

Story of My Life

I need to take a chill pill.

I cry every time I look at my knitting.

Ornamental Stitches Scarf

It's done! It's definitely for my mom, but I'm not sure for what occasion.



Now to work on the Vintage Cardigan.

Back from the Dead

Band camp, then school band camp, then school, all the while being obsessed with a Leaf Lace Shawl. But I won't make up excuses for how long I've been away. I have pictures, which should take care of any hard feelings, right? :)


Please excuse the poor picture quality (and the slanty-ness of the second picture).

Off the needles, blocked, and all folded up, waiting for Mother's Day '10 to surprise Mom. She's been watching me knit it up, but I told her I'm just experimenting in lace for now. She doesn't have to know it has been for her all along.

I'm planning on making a Swallowtail Shawl sometime in the near future (possibly after I finish my Vintage Cardigan) in a beautiful brown heather from Knit Picks' Alpaca Cloud.

Since the beginning of the school year has arrived, it's schedule time:

1. French V
2. AP Calculus BC
3. String Orchestra (on violin)
4. Wind Ensemble (on double bass)
5. English Literature (aka Brit Lit)
6. Economics
And on Tuesday & Thursday afternoons, Jazz B (on violin)

I love my schedule.

Just Stuff

I got a fancy new computer, whoo! It's much faster than my crappy old Dell.

Finished these recently, now working on the Fibonacci socks instead of the STR socks. (Btw, altering my queue: Fibonacci socks, Vintage Sweater [hopefully completed before camp], Lacy Vine Scarf [again, hopefully finished before camp - Aug. 1], then the rest whenever I come back from camp.) I did the Fib. socks because I wanted to do a fairly basic toe-up sock with the Knit Picks Palette to see if I was capable of doing toe-up socks before making Firestarter. They're super cute.

Jog visible... hah whatever.

And now on a tangent...
It's difficult to find a good swap group. Seriously, there's always something I don't like in them. I'm not usually a Debbie Downer, but really mean it. It's always un-secret or really random and un-sock yarny. I'm looking for the basics in a sock yarn swap. Something cute and simple, like at least $20 or 100 grams of sock yarn (color-themed or not; doesn't matter), maybe a handmade little something to go with it (be it a needle-poke-proof bag, dpn holders, etc.) too. Essentially, the Knit Sock Kit Swap mentioned on LimenViolet's earlier episodes (I've been in school and wayy out of the loop lately). A cute pattern (free or not; doesn't really matter), sock yarn, a bag, and maybe some other goodies thrown in. What I really don't like about the swaps I have been looking at in Ravelry are almost all not secret. And if they are secret, they're usually anti-sock yarn. I LIKE SOCK YARN. I would buy sock yarn for my partner and I would hope to receive sock yarn in return. I also very much enjoy being surprised. I don't want to keep in contact with my swap partner!

But that's just me.

Oh yeah. Earlier this week, I made a purchase. A very large purchase. From Knit Picks, of course. Show the kids what we got, shall we?
+ 18 skeins Swish Worsted in colorway Sunshine (for the Vintage Sweater)
+ 3 hanks of Gloss Lace in Natural (for mom's shawl to be made before Mother's Day 2010; I planned wayy ahead)
+ 1 hank of Bare Superwash Merino & Nylon Sock Yarn to be dyed all the colors of the rainbow! Well, except violet. We bought the Kool-Aid almost a month ago in preparation. It's going to be very wild-looking.
+ 2 hanks of the NEW Stroll Hand-Painted Sock Yarn as an impulse purchase. Soo excited to get them. I bought colorways Tree Fort and Tea Party because I couldn't decide between the two. $20 combined, so two for the price of one. How great is that?
Total = $106
Not too shabby. I love Knit Picks.

And I think I'm going to make Broad Street Mitts with the Gold Essential / Stroll Kettle-Dyed Fingering Weight. Maybe for a surprise Christmas auction on Facebook. Maybe. (Y'know, have a paper bag on a desk, take a picture of it, and write a note saying, "YOU GET WHATEVER'S IN THIS BAG. Leave a comment to be entered." Of course, it'll be a secret, but only you and I'll know that there will be the gold Broad-Street Mitts :) ready for a random drawing. I haven't done a drawing since like April. I kind of miss it.)

Happy Two-Months

Not much to report, except for the fact that tomorrow marks our (the boyfriend's and mine) two-month anniversary. So I made him a love bird that apparently looks more like a bee. :)



Finished the Charades late on Wednesday night (7/15), and working on the next project in line. >:( 3x1 ribbed socks are oh soooo boring. Next will be the fingering-weight Fibonacci Socks, using a basic toe-up sock pattern that is yet to be determined, giving me a chance to learn the construction of a sock knit from the toe up. Next will be Firestarter (or maybe Brainless) using the STR Lightweight, colorway Lochness.

I must say: I hate 3x1 ribbing.

HEY HEY HEY Look what I got!

My yarn from KnitPicks came in today! All are Essential (now being changed to Stroll). From left to right, top to bottom: Black, Wine Kettle Hand-Dyed, Gold Kettle Hand-Dyed, plus a free pattern from Knit Simple Magazine to get me to subscribe. I would, but the magazine I'm most interested in right now is Knit.1, "targeting hip 18-35 year-old knitters."

The black is to finish up the boyfriend's Marching Band Socks. I'm almost out of yarn and I'm just about to work the heel flap of the second sock.

The wine kettle hand-dyed is for a pair of Cabled Socks. I was going to make them with my Malabrigo Sock, but ended up making my first pair of Charades instead.

The gold kettle hand-dyed is for an experiment in designing my own sock pattern. I have a sneaking suspicion it won't work, but I guess it's worth a try. If all else fails, I can always find a cute cabled sock pattern, or make wristlets / gauntlets / fingerless mittens (whatever you happen to call them).

Someday, I'll make those mittens. Maybe.

Yeah, sorry for the poor picture quality. I'm in the process of purchasing a new camera.

Edited at 6:44 PM:

To-d0 list (in order):
+ Charades (to finish)
+ Marching Band Socks for the boyfriend (to finish)
+ Ongoing project - Lacy Vine Scarf, to finish whenever
+ Basic Socks w/ STR Lightweight - Lochness
+ Fibonacci Socks in fingering weight (Knit Picks' Palette - Semolina & Pool)
+ Cabled Socks in the Essential/Stroll Wine Kettle Hand-Dyed mentioned earlier in the post
+ Something with the Essential/Stroll Gold Kettle Hand-dyed mentioned earlier in the post
+ Vintage Sweater in Sunshine Swish Worsted

All that before July 31, 2009. ...Is that even possible?