The Newbie Knitter

Wooley Fuzzy Stripeyness

2009-07-13T21:51:00.005-04:00

Yeah I know , SHOCKER..I haven't had much to say in my posts recently. Long story short I went for a little week-long visit to Pinkie's house and came home with some new yarn and a few new projects. The Baby Berry hat was project #1 from my new stash, and below is project #2. Probably my most favorite thing I've made so far. It's the Noro Striped Scarf, but I went the cheap route and used Paton's SWS in Charcoal and Plum.

I'm not the only one that's fond if the squishiness. Gucci seems to like it, too. I caught her "grooming" it yesterday.

Baby Berry Cuteness

2009-06-30T13:14:00.000-04:00

Crazy Aunt Purl Would Be So Proud...I Think

2009-06-30T13:11:00.001-04:00

Scarf: FAIL

2008-11-17T13:47:00.006-05:00

Oh boy am I a bad matchmaker. My latest project is a Ribs & Ruffles scarf. The yarn and the pattern go together about as well as ham and peanut butter on a sandwich. My original intentions were to knit a reversible cable scarf for a friend, and I really wanted to use a rust color yarn. Something pretty that matched the colors of the leaves outside. I got that much right, I like this rust color, it screams "fall", don't you think? Now, problem is, trying to make it in to the ribs and ruffles scarf, well it just reminds me of the old carpet in my parents house. Only shaggier! Yes, my parents have carpet this color, I have pictures to prove it. I had an interesting childhood. Anyhoo, I really like this pattern, just not with this yarn.

I am not sure if I should chalk it up to being a newbie knitter, or just having bad taste. Hopefully it is the newbie thing, but I am leaning towards the latter. Oh well, at least I admit it.

The photos actually make it look halfway decent, but you'll have to take my word for it, in person it's BAD. Shaggy and bad!

I Did. Did You?

2008-11-04T18:46:00.006-05:00

Vote that is! Yes I voted, and luckily, thanks to early voting, only had to wait in line about 5 minutes. I drove by our tiny little gym where the entire town is expected to cram into this morning and the place was packed. You can imagine my relief to find the parking lot partially empty when I pulled in later in the day. And no, I didn't wear my sticker. For the sake of my favorite Zac Brown Band t-shirt, I kept the sticky on the paper. I have a reputation for washing clothes with the stickers on.

Hey do you see the background peeking out from behind my sticker? That is my most recent creation the "You Don't Know Our Women Hat". which I have so boringly renamed my "Chunky Cables" hat. I love it!

Horses are People, Too.

2008-10-26T14:53:00.007-04:00

You ever have one of those days? One where you can't seem to accomplish what you want to accomplish, so you take the "oh well" approach and say to hell with it? Today is one of those days for me. You see, I knitted my first hat yesterday, and the plan was to take one of those cool pictures where I am holding up my knitting with a really cool background, you know the ones. I finished before I could take such a picture, not such a bad thing I guess, but it did squash my hopes of being the envy of my northern "everything is dead and brown" friends: purple hat in hand, pretty horses and green grass in the background, you get the idea. I figured today was another day, I would go outside where the grass is still green, the sun is shining and the horses are grazing. The plan was to prop it up on a fence post maybe, or perhaps set it on the rock wall, something pretty and simple. As you can see below that didn't work out so well for me, so I plopped it up on Fun's back and took some pictures. I did get some good light though, huh?

Oh, and you know the picture where you have someone model it for you, or have someone take a pic of you wearing your latest creation? Yeah, that didn't work out so great for me either. See...

Actually, Fun was a pretty good model, she wore it gracefully I thought. I think I have my answer to who is going to wear all of my knitting creations now. No bitching, she stood still, she didn't ask if the picture made her look fat or if purlpe was her color. How do you think she'll look in the February Lady Sweater?

I still have to sew on a button or two, but I am thrilled with the finished product. I have a big round melon head and have a hard time finding hats like this in stores that don't give me a headache. This one actually fits!

Crisis Averted

2008-10-07T22:48:00.002-04:00

Well all is well, we have gas in the south now. Must be all of those beans. No seriously, we have gasoline, petroleum, push water. Not all grades but hey, things are better than before. And on the knitting front I have paired up with Pinkie and placed an order with Knitpicks. To hold me over I have started a new Two Weeknights with Warrick scarf, with new yarn of course. I will be sure to post photos soon, I found a nice multicolored yarn that is saturated with nice warm fall colors. Life is good.

No Gas, No Knitting

2008-09-30T21:21:00.005-04:00

You'd think with the gas shortage I'd be at home knitting. Nope. Turns out when there is no gas there is no going to the yarn store. For those of you that have haven't heard, the south, mostly Atlanta and the surrounding areas, are having a major gas shortage. All FIVE gas stations near my home are completely out of gas, all grades and diesel. Schools have halted all landscape and grounds maintenance, all field trips, events, and parties are cancelled until further notice, businesses are closing one day per week to conserve fuel. The situation is bad and it is only getting worse.

The above photo was swiped from the New York Times. I was really tempted to take a similar photo yesterday, but was afraid my neighbors would think I had gone completely off my rocker. Hey, I am already the 28 year old that knits and owns lots of cats, I can't be taking weird pictures. The situation is bad, really bad. A friend of mine that lives nearby waited at the local gas station for 5 hours to get gas. The truck finally arrived and the station was out again just a few short hours later. On a somewhat entertaining note, people were actually having pizzas delivered to them while waiting in line. Now those are my kind of people! I once stopped to pan for gold while waiting on a tow truck. (true story, just ask Knit Pinkie)

So for now I am stuck at home with empty needles. A side effect of a newbie knitter with a tiny budding stash (crappy yarn), and a small number of needles. I swear when I get gas and can drive the 30 minutes to the nearest LYS or Wally World I am going to buy every size needle they carry. Red Heart is cheap enough, I am thinking of buying a whole bunch, storing it in a glass case and labeling it "break in case of emergency". I am bored people. No show on hulu.com, DVD, or book is going to cure it. I need my needles and yarn! I have A.D.D. and I can't sit still!

Things are getting desperate around here. At one point I was so desperate I tried finger knitting. My initial intention was to learn so I could teach my young niece who is having a bit of a hard time learning to knit. I though it might be fun for her. Now I have reached a state of delirium in which I finger knitted this ugly little scarf-like thing and tied it on the dog. The dog wasn't amused. For my dog's sake and the sake of my sanity, I hope this shortage ends soon, real soon.

Farewell My Fugly Friend

2008-09-27T10:00:00.000-04:00

That was short lived. Turns out my bedroom isn't as 7-year-old-proof as I might have initially thought. Grant, who is self admittedly "hard on equipment" is hard on unfinished knitting and crystal potpourri as well. I looked at the stitches hanging off the needle, looked at the color of the yarn and said, well I can't type what I said, but let's just say it wasn't 7 year old friendly. I have decided to frog. It is still sitting on my bed intact, but the cord, the lifeline, the woven ugliness, has been cut from the skein.

This will be my first almost finished frog. If it wasn't so girlie I might have finished it and given it to my nephew, it would be just the right length. Oddly enough, I'm not too disappointed. I really disliked the color. Oh well, off to dig through my stash yet again. Wish me luck!

Oh and a final note to apologize for the photo. I am only wearing one contact, so to me it looked good through the viewfinder. Blind photography, an art I don't recommend.

Desperate Times Call for Ugly Yarn

2008-09-26T15:02:00.005-04:00

First of all, I cannot get a decent picture of this scarf to save my life. I really don't mind the pattern. It is the Something-or-other with Warrick. Just search "Warrick" on Ravelry, it will bring it right up. I like it, it is a variation of a feather and fan pattern, really easy to remember and knit, I like it. The yarn, well, let's just say I am not amused. I have no idea what I was smoking when I bought this color. I thought it might make a cute hat, and it very well might, but a scarf, not so much. I am not a happy camper, but I am almost finished. Weird, huh? I had no other options. My stash is dwindling, WalMart sucks, and I had an entire season of Bones waiting for me online. Yes, I have just now discovered David Boreanaz. I don't know, he must've grown into that forehead of his. I never was fond of him as Angel, but as Seeley Booth...yum, that's all I'm saying.

I'm not sure of the fate of my Two Weeknights with Warrick scarf, but it will be completed, that's for sure. I need something to occupy my hands while watching TV. I can either finish the scarf or take up smoking. Perhaps I could learn to whittle like Uncle Jed. Nah, I have already severed the end of my finger once, something I'd prefer not to repeat. I could definitely see myself repeating this pattern with a better yarn in the future. I feel a trip to the LYS coming on!

Wild Stripes Revisited

2008-09-24T20:56:00.001-04:00

I am so disorganized sometimes. I never posted updated pictures of the Wild Stripes Baby Blanket! I am digging this blanket, it's just too cute. I'm really excited about finishing this thing and getting the backing sewn on. It is hibernating for now, but I will definitely play around with it in the near future.

Lots to Talk About

2008-09-20T12:33:00.006-04:00

Wow, I am behind on blogging. I should probably break this up into multiple posts, but I'm not, call me lazy.

Where to begin? Let's start with presents, after all my birthday was last week. Ol' Pinkie and I had planned a little knitting swap earlier this month. (it had nothing to do with my birthday, I swear) This was my plan to get myself a hanging kitchen towel without actually having to make it myself. In exchange I made a couple of easy to knit dog sweaters for the Pinkie Pooch. The package arrived on Thursday, and boy was I surprised when I opened the mailbox. Damn, I thought to myself, that is one big towel! You can imagine my excitement when I ripped open the package to find this:

I have been DYING for a needle case. I have searched high and low for one I really like, and just could not find one that caught my eye. The funny thing is that Pinkie blogged about it and I had a fit over the darn thing. I had no idea it was on it's way to me when I left her a comment a few days later! I must be getting old because damn I was excited. I love handmade gifts, they are the best kind! Oh and I can't forget my hanging towel. How cool is this?!

Photo stolen from Pinkie's Ravelry Project page.

And since I mentioned dishcloths, I am hooked on making the darn things. And I admit, just a short time ago I was griping about them and how you'd never catch me making any. I think the picture cloths are mostly to blame for that, I have found several pattern cloths I really like. Here are a few I made using the The Squidge Cloth pattern:

I even got conned into doing my first dishcloth swap! I am still too much of a newbs to try anything too creative. Actually, I'm all for trying it, it's the thought of sending it to a fellow knitter that scared the bejeebers out of me. So I wussed out and made a squidge cloth for my recipient. I really enjoyed doing the swap actually, after the initial panic went away. I was convinced that after agreeing to do the swap my right hand would shrivel and fall off for no apparent reason and I would be left unable to knit. I am not one to knit under pressure, or with a deadline, but this wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. I am such an overanalyzer sometimes.

Here is the package I received in the swap. I big shout out to Hamle06 on Ravelry. The dishcloth is gorgeous, I love the color of the yarn you sent, and the soap smells wonderful. I will definitely be swapping again real soon.

Well I guess that's about it. I have a trip to the local fall festival today. I am hoping and praying that there will be yarn there, although I know the thought is a longshot. A girl can hope, can't she?

Shut Up, It's My Birthday*

2008-09-10T21:51:00.020-04:00

After being inspired by Cass of Shut Up, I'm Counting fame's post this morning, I decided to take random camera phone shots of my day and share them on my blog. Camera phone pics turned into real pictures when I realized I had my trusty ol' Kodak with me, too bad I forgot to take photos of half of the things I did. See, today is my birthday. Yes, yes I know, it is a big day. What's that you say? What is my address so you can send gifts and money...well it is 540....Oh wait, perhaps you'd better email me for that. Anyway, back to my story here....I am not a big fan of my birthday. I mean, I am happy to be alive, and grateful for another year. I am just not one of those people that sits around on their big day awaiting phone calls and gifts and flowers, although you won't see me object to any of those. Basically what I am getting at is that to me it is just any old day. Treating it as such causes me to forget from one year to the next what I did for the big day. Pair that with an unattentive (ex) better half that usually forgot it WAS my birthday, even after 6 years together, I usually don't look forward to the big day. Well today was going to be different!! I marched myself to the gas station first thing to treat myself to a Diet Dr. Pepper, I am supposed to be off of caffeine and carbonation, but who cares it's my birthday, right? Gidget was none too happy when I told her to "stay" as I was walking out the door:
I had errands to run, lots of errands (including the DDS for a new license), but who wants to do that, that's no fun? So I called my pal John and we met for lunch at Oodles. I try to limit my carbs (and eating out) but damn it, it's my birthday! Oodles was soooooo good. Did I mention I forgot to take a picture. Oops. Sorry John! Then it was off to the DDS, knitting intow, for what I thought would be a long afternoon of waiting, waiting, and more waiting.

Not sure who the "new guy" is that my sister-in-law was telling me about that was supposed to make great changes with the GA Dept. of Driver Services, but let me tell you, if I ever meet him, he's getting a big ole hug from me! I was in and out of there in less than 15 minutes!! With a much better photo than last time I might add. Sadly, my knitting didn't make a single appearance. Well sad for the knitting, not so sad for me.

Then it was off to Wally World to get my meds (did I mention I always get a cold on my birthday? It's allergy season, dontcha know), I managed to pick up lots of cotton yarn and some new needles while I was there. I failed also to take pics in Wally World because I was too busy yacking on my cell phone, something I never do in stores, but today, OH NO...I marched my happy ass around that entire store just yacking away on my bluetooth. People were staring, some thought I was talking to them, but who the hell cares, it's my birthday! (are you seeing a trend here?) I did resist the urge when the cashier said "have a nice day." to say "I will! It's my birthday!!" I am liking the new birthday me!

After a few more errands I had decided to spend the rest of my afternoon (that was originally penciled for the DDS) with my dear sweet Grandmother. I am exhausted from yelling, and my throat is scratchy, but it was a good visit. (dear Grandma can't hear unless you yell and refuses to wear hearing aids) Scored myself a nice balloon and some Jolly Ranchers, too. Mmmmm, Jolly Ranchers. The sister-in-law had the afternoon off, so we had a nice long visit.

So after becoming dehydrated from sweating (old people sure like it warm) and yelling, homeward bound was I. I had a splitting headache and was just ready to take a big old nap...but the nephew was there with the bro, ready for some go cart riding and a birthday dinner.

After one more lap, followed by one more lap, and "just one more lap Dad, just ONE more..." It was off to a quick dinner in the big crazy wild party town of Cleveland. I believe my pictures depict how wild and crazy it got.

Here's Gentry wearing her glasses:

Now here is Chad making goofy faces and wearing Gentry's Glasses:
Now here's me wearing Gentry's glasses (I warned you things got wild):
Now here is some of my posse right before we left. I actually think Gentry gets photo credit here. She took over the photographer job right after she arrived. Thank goodness, I felt like such a dork taking pictures for my own birthday.
Here the kids had a big plan to hide in the back of Chad's truck to hitch a ride to the Dairy Queen across the street for some ice cream:
All-in-all it was a good day. Whew, I'm exhausted. Having a birthday is a job in itself, go here, pay this, answer the phone constantly.....I think next year I will plant my ass on a tropical beach somewhere with no cell service and a pool boy that never let's my glass of whateverandtequila in a blender run out, and relax.

Now maybe tomorrow I can actually finish that dishcloth, if I'm not too exhausted from the festivities. I mean, c'mon, it was nearly 9:00 when we left Dairy Queen and I'm no longer a spring chicken you know. I'll leave you with my final pictures of the day. For some reason I thought it would be fun to take random bad photos. (or maybe I was just too tired to attempt decent ones) You know my day wouldn't be complete without a bed full of critters. Would you think any less of an aspiring veterinarian? C'mon. Looks like "the boys" are ready for bed, and the freaked look out has yet to leave Gidget's face.

I did manage to get a little work done on my Squidge Cloth dishcloth while I was at my Grandmother's house. It is Strawberries and Cream. Who knew I would like pink.

Me, Excessive?! Nooooooooo.

2008-09-06T13:02:00.000-04:00

Silly cat photos and fireworks aside, this is supposed to be my knitting blog. The knitting blog of a woman with the attention span of a cracker, but still. Just to prove I have actually been knitting, and knitting and knitting and knitting, I decided to photograph my latest creations and share them here on my scrap/blog/journal/land of randomness on the internet.

My plan was to make one for Gidget (see previous posts) and then move on to bigger and better things, but they are just so darn easy I couldn't help myself! I first decided to add the skull and crossbones since I have never attempted that before. Then I decided to make one for a friend, then another friend wanted one....and now I find myself in the land of dog sweaters. Sadly, the black skully is too big for Gidget (which means I'll want to make another one), and the others are gifts or swaps or whatever. The green ribbing on the needles is for my poochie, which will bring the count of sweaters for my own dog up to...(drum roll please)....ONE. Sad, isn't it? I should have it completed today (they go really fast) and then I plan on attempting cable knitting on one of these bad boys. (do people still say "bad boys" or am I just stuck in the 90's?) These things are sort of fun to make, as cheesy as that may sound. And I am proud of myself that I can sit down with my needles and yarn with no pattern and still whip one out perfectly. Which is a big accomplishment for this newbie!

Right Back At Ya

2008-09-05T17:07:00.003-04:00

My pal Pinkie and I decided to do a little knitting and swapping. We're trading hints until the mail lady pays a visit.

UGGH! To Look or Not to Look.

2008-09-05T16:48:00.010-04:00

I have a dilemma. I have grown tired of knitting things for myself. (or things I end up keeping because I feel they are sub-par) so I got the bright idea to do a little swapping with Knit Pinkie. I figure I am safe, hell if she stayed friends with me all through those awkward high school years, a little dog sweater isn't going to put a strain on our friendship, right? Not even a poorly made one! Well I have been told as of today it is done, finished, finito. I am even happier to hear it has a few imperfections. Yippee! No really, I am. No teasing here, I was expecting to receive a perfectly knitted dish cloth in trade for my "what the hell? Was she knitting and sewing this in the dark dog sweaters?" I am being perfectly honest and sincere here, I think flaws or imperfections add character, and to me that's what makes handmade things special.

I love getting presents, especially for no particular reason. Who doesn't!? I have been told she wrote about it on her blog, and to stay away if I don't want to spoil the surprise. I have no idea what colors she used or what pattern or anything, so the thought of seeing it is driving me nuts, but for now I will refrain. You see, my birthday is on Wednesday, and this is the first b-day in 10 (?) years I have celebrated without a significant other, so the dish rag, or towel, whichever it may be, is going to be my only surprise gift ....so I refrain. Of course now I'm sitting here dying to take a peek!

It Was Only A Matter of Time

2008-09-03T00:32:00.004-04:00

You all knew it was coming. It just had to happen. It was inevitable. The cat picture on the knitting blog.

I have had this picture for over a week, but I figured it best to just go ahead and get it out of the way. This being a knitting blog, and me owning an undisclosed number of cats and all, you know it was bound to happen sooner or later. I thought it best to go ahead and post the mandatory "kitty pic on the knitting blog" photo so I could get back to my random rambling.

This is Butters, he is overweight, overstimulated, spoiled, and quite entertaining actually. He is also known as "Butter Bean", "Beanie Weenie", "Beans", "Beaner", and occasionally "Big Fat Beaner". If you ask me I raised one smart cat to keep up with all of his nicknames, especially with new ones being added weekly. I read somewhere once that owning a cat or dog can lower your bloodpressure. I am not only baffled as to how I can have HIGH blood pressure, but actually how my BP isn't too low to even register. I am a rescuer, believe it or not I have rehomed at least twice as many as I currently play slave to. No really, I have.

And in conclusion, I'd like to add one little comment: The cats have nothing to do with the knitting, and the knitting has nothing to do with the cats. I swear. Not once did the thought cross my mind of "I have cats, I must knit". Still not sure of the correlation between the two. If either (as in all two) of you that read my blog know the reason the two are grouped together, could you please enlighten me? If you want to know my opinion, they don't compliment each other at all. The cats bite the yarn, attack the yarn, feed the yarn through their teeth so it is all wet and spitty. (is spitty even a word?!) Then they proceed to get hair all over my finished knitted goodies. None of this entertains me in the least.

Well now that we have that out of the way...I return you to my regularly scheduled random, boring, knitting blog.

Well Butter My Butt and Call Me Biscuit

2008-08-31T21:50:00.002-04:00

I got an unexpected surprise a little while ago. My Sunday night was starting out as nothing special. Just sitting here in my jammies watching some bad TV, doing a little laundry, nothing out of the ordinary, actually pretty bland. Then my episode of Ghost Hunters was interrupted by loud banging sounds, and here is what I found in the sky above the barn:

Sunday in the park at Concord Baptist. I totally forgot. It was a pleasant surprise, and I didn't even have to leave my porch, change out of my jammies, or put on shoes. Not too shabby.

I started (and finished) a camera sock for my dear old Kodak Easy Share. Who knew it was possible to become emotionally attached to a camera. Photos as soon as I borrow a camera to take a picture of my camera.

Dragon Ass. It Must Be Contagious.

2008-08-31T19:44:00.009-04:00

A case of dragon ass has hit the south, in a big way, because my ass has definitely been draggin' lately, and I'm not the only one. Evidence here. My pal Pinkie still managed to give blood and make housewarming gifts, and me? I managed to have a yard sale on Saturday and sleep my Sunday away before making spaghetti for dinner. Things are slow. I haven't even managed to finish the poochie sweater I promised to make for Pinkie, and that thing only takes a few hours to make.

My master plan was to take my knitting with me to the yard sale, but I didn't quite get that far. It's probably best I didn't. With the evidence I am sporting of a nice, deep sunburn on my shoulders and face, a certain someone (my MOTHER) kept skipping her turn helping customers, and kept herself parked under the shade tree. Clever gal my mom. I did not inherit that gene as I jumped up with each new visitor, never once thinking about retrieving my sunscreen from home. I did pretty well though, selling most all of the crap I wasn't able to pawn off on my friend Chad for his new house. Our friend Debbie probably made more money than I did (although she was left with a lot of stuff also) and my mom actually ended up in the hole. I'm not sure if it was all of those trips to the gas station she kept making, or if she was actually paying people to take her stuff off. I was left with $80 more than I had the day before, a house in disarray, but a lot less stuff to put back. I'm happy. My new motto is "if I don't use it, lose it". I think that is a side effect of living with a man that kept every little thing he ever got. First went the man, now goes the stuff. I hear his new house has a big basement, all I can say is he's going to need it!!!

Before I head off to slather myself yet again in Aloe and Lidocaine lotion, I will leave you with my first attempt at knitting with colors using a grid pattern.

The PTBNL....Revealed

2008-08-23T15:42:00.011-04:00

Finally, I get to talk about the PTBNL. Yes I know. What is all the hype about a silly little knitted sweater for my dog? Let me tell a little back story:

Back when I first started knitting, I thumbed through every pattern book I could find, trying to decide what kind of patterns I'd like to take on. I'm a pretty practical gal, and at the time we were having to buy new dog sweaters every month or so. We had two growing puppies and it was wicked cold outside. A dog sweater! I kept finding myself checking out dog sweaters. Unfortunately, in my pre-Ravelry days, the only patterns I could find were crochet, or detailed knitted ones. Something I could not take on being a newbie knitter.

I learned to knit about a year ago, and knitted a bad scarf and the checkered baby blanket. Then came the great tomato tragedy of 2007. I sliced off the end of one of my fingers with a tomato slicer. Ok so there was nothing great or tragic about it, and after 8 months it has healed up nicely, but "tomato slicer incident" just didn't have the same ring to it. I still have limited feeling in the tip of my finger, but it no longer hurts or hinders my knitting. I guess technically you could say I have only been knitting for a few months, if you add my actual time with the needles together. But I digress, let's get back to the pink poochie sweater:

I sucked terribly in the beginning, and could never imagine myself actually being able to make a dog sweater. (or anything practical for that matter!) I guess you could say it has been my goal from the start to complete a dog sweater. It has been the one thing that has stuck in my head thinking that if I complete it, I can call myself a knitter.

I know it is silly, but I feel like today I tackled a big hurdle, and made it!

Now on to the pattern:
I found this insanely easy Talking Tails Easy Dog Sweater. Had I found this pattern last year I probably would have made it from the start. Thank you Ravelry! I used Caron Simply Soft in Watermelon, about half a skein. It was an extra I had purchased by accident for the Wild Stripes Blanket. I want to tackle it again at some point with a heavier weight yarn in a different color. One downfall of loving baby blankets, you end up with a lot of bright colors. I am really glad I found this pattern. It fits Gidget perfectly with no modifications, and it will be a good way to attempt cable knitting, knitting with colors, and following a pattern chart. Gidget is going to have a larger wardrobe than her owner by the time I'm done.

Back to the task at hand...

2008-08-22T22:22:00.006-04:00

Has Friday ever snuck up on you? I mean, you are well into Friday afternoon when it finally hits you: IT'S FRIDAY! I don't mean that you don't realize what day it is (although not working it is possible that very thing could happen to me), but I mean when it's Friday and you know it's Friday, but then you realize what that means. You know what I'm talking about! That very thing happened to me. I was updating all FOUR of my blogs, planning a bridal shower I am co-hosting, working on invitations, getting a little website work done and BAM! The phone rings....it's Friday, and I am spending the weekend away from home. I packed myself some dirty (yes dirty, but to be washed upon arriving at my destination) clothes, some jammies, the necessary toiletries, my laptop, and of course my knitting bag, and I was off. And now here I am.

The bud, the brother, and the sister-in-law are off to TN, the puppies are all tucked in. The wind is blowing insanely hard outside, fall is in the air, and I am inside with my knitting bag, my laptop, some sorbet, and the Girls Next Door. Yes that is right, Holly, Bridget, Kendra, and Hef. What can I say? It is my one guilty pleasure. But poor TV aside I am hoping to have the PTBNL completed tomorrow. I am so excited to complete the PTBNL. It will be a big milestone for this newbie knitter. It's actually something useful and wearable! I can't wait! I also think Holly, Bridget, and Kendra would approve of my current project.

Well I am off to enjoy the solitude: Me, my faithful superhero sidekick Gidget, my sorbet, and my knitting. I hope to have good news to report soon!

Are digital cameras making us all seem crazy?

2008-08-22T15:20:00.015-04:00

That is the question I asked myself a while back, as I was taking this picture after finding a solution to my twisted yarn problem:

It is something my mother has been accusing me of for months now. I am accused of being weird/crazy/off my rocker, etc. solely based on the photos I take with my digital camera. Oh but I'm not alone, she teases me about what other bloggers photograph and then publish.

Personally I like to look at it as taking full advantage of a situation. I mean, I remember just a short time ago when all I had was my Canon EOS Rebel and a camera bag, stuffed full of rolls of film. Oh the good old days. You were limited to 24 or 36 photos before you had to stop, wind, and reload. Then there were the developing fees. If you were lucky, as I was, you occasionally caught a break from a pal that worked at a pharmacy photo lab and you could get them free to cheap. But those places weren't great for those who dabbled in photography as an art form. Sure the pharmacy lab was great for the photos from dear old Grandma and Grandpa's 60 Wedding anniversary, but those artistic photos you took of that new Hemlock blanket, those needed to go someplace nicer...the photo lab. The place where you could not set foot in the door without spending at least $15.00. I mean sure you could wait two days and get them cheaper, but who wanted to do that when you could get them in 1 hour and not lose quality?! I certainly didn't!

Now you have your new pictures, some of them good, some of them embarrassing, but you have them...FINALLY. So what now? Some go in a photo album maybe, a few in the photo box, if you are real good maybe one or two in a frame, but what about the ones you want to share with friends across the globe. That was where the ol' scanner came in handy. I can hear the cranking and the grinding now as the scanner scanned my pictures. Oh the old days. You know, five or six years ago. LOL.

What is the point of this long and drawn out blog post you might ask? It is to say that I don't care if I seem crazy, I am going to enjoy every single minute of my digital camera, the free space on my hard drive, and the fact that my camera fits in my purse or pocket. You see, several of my near and dear friends live in other states, heck one even in another country, but why should that stop us from sharing our day-to-day lives with one another? AT&T unlimited mobile-to-mobile is a huge helper with that, but why not take it a step further? My friends and I certainly do. It helps strengthen relationships, build bonds, and lets us be a part of even the tiny, seemingly unimportant aspects of each others lives. I won't even bore you with the benefits it provides on Ravelry and flickr to let you see how a knitted keepsake looks as the pattern progresses. Folks, we are living in the information age, like it or not. The way I see it you can either join us by taking pictures of your feet, favorite cupcakes, the handmade invitations you are so proud of and want to show your crafty pals, or you can make fun of us and miss out on the entire experience. Who's with me?

PUT THE NEEDLES DOWN SLOWLY. PICK UP THE KEYS TO THE TRACTOR.

2008-08-22T11:56:00.009-04:00

Because the pasture needs mowing!

I don't talk about it much on either of my blogs really, but I am a horse person. Nay (or should I say neigh), a horse freak. I talk about them, spend most of my free time with them, not to mention every extra penny on them. That's right, I am horse person, a horseaholic. If any of you know a horse person you know that it's not quite like owning a dog, oh no, horses are a lifestyle, a passion, a full blown addiction. They are my therapy, much like knitting. And as I really need to put the needles down, turn off the computer, and head out to the barn, I thought I'd post a few pictures of my ponies, past and present:

I Might Be on to Something People!

2008-08-22T00:38:00.009-04:00

So how freakin' excited was I to see the new fall online catalog for DKNY?! Just look at what this starved, sun deprived model is wearing on her arms! They are handwarmers! Mitts! Whatever you prefer to call them, but they are there! Between this and the Victoria's Secret link Ol' Pinkie sent me, knitted attire and accessories are going to be big for fall. Well aren't my non-knitting friends going to be shocked when they see this! And to think all this time they have been teasing me. What do they know?! Even my mother teases me. And we are talking about a woman who has a two piece knit ensemble from the 80's, that if I'm not mistaken is still in her closet. I am hoping these things might make it into fall fashion and aren't just something you see in the fashion mags that don't quite make it into mainstream America. OK and while I am taking shots at people: what is up with elephant arms in the lower picture? Is she hiding some Popeye forearms under those things or what? Well I am off now, off to pick myself out a nice pattern for handwarmers, and who knows, I might even attempt a hat.

Project Status Update

2008-08-21T00:03:00.005-04:00

My buddy has a status update on the right hand side of her blog, I am just too lazy, but I did think that it might be nice to give an update on my current projects, and my progress. Here goes:

Diagonal Pattern Baby Blanket: 100% WHOOHOO
Wild Stripes Blanket: 30%
Elsie Blanket: 30%
Potholders: 50% (knitting completed, now I need fabric!)
Fish Blanket 1% (I have successfully knit one fish! LOL)

Not too shabby in my opinion considering all of these projects besides the Elsie blanket were started in the past week or two. I haven't blogged about the potholders yet, and there is also another project I left out. It will be getting it's own blog entry shortly, but to keep with the updating, I am at 75% with the PTBNL.

Here is a little preview of the Project to be Named Later:

I'm Done!!

2008-08-10T10:13:00.006-04:00

Well it's official! I completed my Ravelympics project. My Diagonal Pattern Baby Blanket is complete! Now I am wishing I had chosen a more challenging project, but all in all I am happy with the pattern and the end result. This blanket is sooooo soft, and hopefully will not end up going to the dogs.

So Much Yarn, So Little Time

2008-08-06T14:43:00.007-04:00

As you may recall from my previous post, I have talked myself into attempting to make this Wild Stripes Baby Blanket from Knitty.com. Well I have finally purchased all of my yarn and I am pretty happy with my color choices. As you can see in the photo below, there are 14 skeins of yarn, and only 13 skeins in 12 colors are needed. It was late, I was hungry, there were creepy old women breathing down my neck because I was hogging the aisle, and I could not decide between two colors of pink. I bought them both and got the heck out of there. You will probably also notice that I did not tidy up my lose yarn pieces in the photo. So shoot me. My mother was expected to pop in at any moment. She is relentless at teasing me about the photos I take for my blog and for my ravelry profile.

I decided to go with Caron Simply Soft yarn. Under perfect circumstances I would have chosen something different, but I am in the middle of nowhere and my only yarn purchasing options are Wal Mart or Hancock Fabrics. Wal Mart in Corneila has a surprisingly well stocked yarn inventory, even if their needle selection is lacking. Now my final task is to locate a size 5 or 6 circular needle. I have searched three separate local shops to no avail. After a few more attempts I am going to settle on a size 8 and reduce my number of stitches. I am pretty excited about this project so I am ready to get started. Not to mention I need to catch up with Mrs. Pinkie, who is much further ahead than I had originally thought.

Ravelympics: 2 days and counting! Happy knitting!

How Many Baby Blankets Does One Single Girl Need?

2008-08-02T13:16:00.008-04:00

I am not quite sure where my fascination with knitting baby blankets is coming from, but it is becoming a problem. As I mentioned months ago in a previous post, nobody I know is expecting, trying, or really even thinking about it for that matter. OK well that last part isn't entirely true, but none of them are seriously contemplating it, so I guess you could say it is only half true. I will say this though: whichever one of my friends or relatives does decide to bring a little bundle of joy into this world first will be completely stocked with knit baby blankets!

I just love baby blanket patterns. They are either too cute to pass up, or challenging, or both. I mean, I would really love to knit a blanket for myself or my mom, but every time I search "blanket" I am inundated with tons of adorable baby blanket patterns I just can't pass up...which brings us to my latest project:

The Wild Stripes Blanket compliments of Knitty.com. How freakin' cute is this blanket?

This project calls for 12 different colors, and 13 skeins of yarn. I am in need of 5 more colors (skeins) and a size 6, 32" circular needle and I will be set. Who knows if I will actually finish this project, but for now I am pretty excited about it.

Oh yeah, and did I mention that my old pal Knit Pinkie STOLE it from me? Well I guess it is my fault, I have been talking about it a good bit recently, and making her help me choose colors. It's all good though, I am hoping she finishes hers first and practices sewing on the fabric backing so she can then do, oh I mean help, with mine.

Let the Games Begin!

2008-07-25T18:23:00.016-04:00

Well it's official, I am a ravelthete! You know, for the Ravelympics. OK well just in case you think I have lost my mind and have resorted to making up words... I will elaborate.

The Ravelympics is open to all knitters and crocheters on Ravelry who want to challenge themselves to complete a project (start to finish) in 17 days. More specifically, the 17 days in which the Summer Olympic Games takes place.

Here are a few guidelines:

You cannot cast on prior to the opening ceremonies in Beijing.
The project must be a challenge for you to complete in 17 days.
Finish before the flame goes out at the closing ceremonies.
You may swatch before the game.

The project I have chosen is the Diagonal Pattern Baby Blanket. It is not a difficult pattern, and not at all a challenge to actually knit. But where does the challenge come in you might ask? Well I will tell you: that would be me completing ANY knitting project in 17 days without getting distracted! Yes perhaps I could have chosen a more difficult project to complete, but I also wanted to be realistic...disappointment SUCKS.

I did a little "test run" on my pattern and speed. No I am not cheating, this blanket will not be used. The honor system gets me every time. I have also decided to add one more project to complete in the 17 days. Hey it's not like I'm employed full time or in school this semester or anything!

I have entered in Baby Dressage and Afghan Marathon. Go Team G.R.I.T.S.!!

*Team G.R.I.T.S. icon stolen, no borrowed, from my pal KnitPinkie.

I'm Back! Well at Least I Think I Am...

2008-07-24T17:55:00.001-04:00

It has been long enough, I have decided to stop slacking and actually get some knitting done. I am embarrassed to say that I LOST my Elsie baby blanket! Yes that is correct, I lost it, and my entire knitting bag. No worries though, a quick emptying of my closet and all has been found, safe, sound and undamaged I might add.

The Elsie blanket, as you might recall, is my first project doing anything but a basic knit or purl. I am not finding the pattern hard to execute, everything is quite easy actually, I am however having a hard time paying attention to where I am in the row/pattern. Just a side effect of having a very short attention span I guess...my mind wanders and BAM I forget where I am. So far I only have two minor (unrepaired) slipups that are barely noticeable. I have decided to press on with my project. I figure worst-case scenario my friend CJ will be getting an extra baby blanket someday, or the dog will have yet another blanket to snuggle with.

I doubt I will restart the Elsie blanket just yet, I think a few quick and easy projects are in order to get me motivated again.
I have signed myself up for Ravelympics 2008! I will post my entries soon.

Forget Newbie Knitter. How About Never Knitter?

2008-05-15T23:21:00.004-04:00

Yes that is right. I have not picked up the needles in months. I have so many things going on that I have not touched the cursed blanket in months. I am not even sure I will remember where I left off in the pattern. I am going to try to be a good girl and pick it up in the next couple of days, or I might just start a new project.

I finally got my Ravelry login!! WHOOHOO!! Perhaps this will spur interest in a new project. Hmmm we will see I guess.

I hope to have new news to report soon!

Not Much Knitting Going On

2008-03-28T00:17:00.005-04:00

I know I am already neglecting my new blog, but I have some very sad news to report. I have been busy with a sick horse. Despite my best efforts, my beloved 3 year old colt had to be euthanized in the early morning hours of March 26th. He was out of my old show mare Sweetie. I had waited for this boy for 10 years. I had very high hopes for him as a show horse and am absolutely devistated I lost him. Especially after losing his mother and younger half brother in 2006. As I tend to knit more when I'm stressed, I'm sure I will return to my projects in full force shortly.

On a lighter note, I have decided to start the pillow pattern I have had my eye on for a while. It will be a 16x16 pillow in a chevron pattern. I am using Caron Simply Soft in off white. I am very excited! I will see if I can scan the photos and pattern and will publish them soon.

I also had a chance to add a few more rows to my "Elsie" blanket. I was distracted with a sick horse and really messed up a row, I had to rip it out and redo it twice. Normally at that point I give up, but I did manage to fix it and continue on. The process is slow, but its really coming along nicely. I am proud of myself for sticking with this one after my mess ups. I'm turning in to a real knitter I think!

My Latest Project

2008-03-19T00:21:00.004-04:00

I took some pictures of my current project today and although there isn't much new on the knitting front as far as new or finished projects go, I thought I'd at least post photos of my baby blanket I'm making. This is a very easy pattern to follow and is turning out very cute. The darker image is truer to the actual color of the yarn. I wanted a non-typical baby color and I think I got it. I have gotten many compliments on the color I chose. This is certainly going to take me longer than week to make, but will be well worth it in the end.

My nephew wants me to make him a blanket and I have a particular idea in mind but cannot to find a pattern to match my idea. I may toy with creating my own pattern for this throw. It could get interesting!

Who's Having A Baby?

2008-03-15T20:29:00.007-04:00

Certainly not me! But you wouldn't know that by all the circular needles laying around with baby pastel colored yarn on them! It is time to learn something new I have decided. This new pattern comes compliments of my Knit Pinkie friend. She loaned me her "Quick Knit Keepsakes" book for a while. As I said in an earlier blog, none of my close friends (or me!) are preggers, so I'm not sure what's up with the need for a 3rd baby blanket, but I'm making it anyway. The way I see it, with my attention span and lack of dedication to anything other than horses, I figure I'll get a few made now and look like a great friend when my pals do decide to start making little spawns of themselves.

The pattern I have chosen is called "Elaine" and is fairly simple. This will be my first attempting YO as well as skip 2 tog, K1, P2SSO (slip 2 together, knit 1, pass 2 slipped stitches over). After making two baby blankets in the now much dreaded baby pink, I wanted something totally different. I just found out a family friend's better half is pregnant and the nice thing to do would be to make them a blanket, but I'd also like to make something without a deadline for once. I have chosen two colors for two different blankets. Caron Simply Soft in Off White, and Simply Soft in Sage. Nobody seems to like the sage color for a baby blanket except for me, but that hasn't stopped me from making it!

I am really starting to rethink the pattern I chose. It is a fairly easy pattern to follow but its the name that's got me worried. Being that I knit to relieve stress, and I've been knitting an awful lot lately if you know what I mean, you would think I would've chosen a blanket NOT named after the current cause of my stress. I have knitted and then torn my stitches out and completely started over on this blanket 4 times! Once in the off white and three times in Sage. I refuse to give up though, I have renamed the blanket pattern "Elsie" (because the book of patterns is all "E" girl names) and am starting over. Hopefully 5th time is a charm. I have never had to redo a pattern this many times! My first blanket made it after the third attempt.

This blanket is by far one of my favorites from this book of patterns. It is the easiest of the two I liked. Hopefully my Sharpie write over work has changed my luck. I put some good time in on it today with all of the bad weather and it's looking good so far. Hopefully my friend won't be mad I defaced her book to change my luck! I'm not typically a fan of any colors in the green family, but I really like this color for this blanket.

I Shall Call Him...."Pearl"

2008-03-15T19:08:00.003-04:00

Okay first I have apparently been watching too much Austin Powers on TBS, but poor blog naming aside I have bigger news. I have been purling wrong! Yes that's right, I told you I was a newbie!

After a helpful friend informed me that a how-to website existed with video I decided to check it out on a cold boring night. I was actually checking out continental knitting methods and learning how to Yarn Over, when on a whim I clicked on the "How to Purl" video. Not sure why other than I was bored to tears and the TV hog was still up. Low and behold I have made 4 or 5 scarves and two baby blankets with a method I have apparently made up all on my own. Luckily I have been getting the same result so at least I diverted one disaster!

After a little practicing to master the real Purl, its time for a new project!

The Scarf Factory

2008-03-15T18:41:00.002-04:00

Okay well lately I have to admit I'm feeling like I work in a sweat shop rolling out scarves in record numbers. Personally I'm not a big fan of scarves. I mean, I live in Georgia and it never seems cold enough to really warrant bundling up with any accessory other than a jacket. My original scarf is still tucked away in the closet, probably never to see the light of day again. But alas, I'm making them anyway. It started with my mom finally giving in and admitting she actually likes the things I knit, even though she has been an avid knitter-hater for quite a while. I gave in and agreed to make her a scarf. I let her pick out her own yarn, after all, she is not the easiest lady to please. She close a heavier weight Lion Brand homespun yarn in blue, sorry I can't remember the details and I pitched the label. I finished it in a record two night sitting thanks to the thicker weight yarn and my size 13 needles. I have since been asked by my nephew and my neice for scarves also, which then lead to the realization I like the scarves I am making and didn't have one for myself. For the nephew I chose the Red Heart Light and Lofty Super Bulky in black so as not to look too girlie. My niece chose the same in Bikini. It's hot pink with splashes of blue and purple, she's 9 so its perfect! My plan is to make both of the kids matching hats, but I have yet to buy double pointed needles so they may have to wait until next winter. After all it is March in Georgia and in the 60's most days. The weather has put a damper on my scarf making. I have three down and two more to make. It seems as soon as I get one finished I have requests for 2 more. I'm not complaining! They are certainly faster than any other project I could think of making.

My nephew did have a chance to sport his new scarf at school as the weather hit a chilly spell, but mostly he has just been wearing it to bed every night. Perhaps we should check his room for drafts! I haven't heard from my niece on how she likes hers, but she's only had it a few days. I will try to steal them back for photos soon. They were all made with heavy weight yarn of different brands, using size 13 needles in Garter Stitch.

My First Blanket!

2008-03-15T18:14:00.004-04:00

After making my first scarf, poorly I might add, I decided it was time to make something for real. With my internet being down at the time, I skimmed through my "I Taught Myself Knitting" book. I wanted something simple to start out with that I wouldn't be embarrassed to show people. That was a difficult task since apparently this book was published in the early '80s. It's full of big poofy hats, sweater vests, and some BIG hair. About the only easy thing in there was "Baby's First Blanket". No babies on the way for me, but I figured I'd eventually have a friend expecting should it turn out nice enough to give away. I headed for Wal-Mart because there are no craft stores close by and settled on Red Heart Baby Pink. Okay so it's a bright baby pink, but I was in a pink mood.

I had to hit the local Hancock Fabrics for the size 13, 29" circular needle I needed. They carry Lion Brand, and as I'm sure you all know is a plastic needle with a dull tip on it. It cost me $9 and I was not happy. I prefer the Boye needles at WalMart, and they are cheap to boot! Needle complaints aside, this is a really easy blanket to make! It consists of just knitting and purling and it goes REALLY fast. I finished the first one in about two weeks. Not bad for a first project if you ask me. I will say thought that the Lion Brand needle I used slowed me down, and made my hand hurt because of the extra hand movements I had to make to make sure I obtained the proper gauge.

To date I have made two of these blankets. I made one a few weeks back as a baby gift for a friend. If you don't mind the simplicity of the design I highly recommend this blanket if you want to make something hand made to give and don't have much time. Blanket 2 (now that I have more experience) took only a week to finish. Still complaining about that needle though!

This blanket is approx. 38" x 38" and uses two strands of yarn throughout. I kept blankie 1 because I am more attached to it than I realized I would be (seeing as how it was my first real project) and it is incredibly warm. It is the perfect size to cover up with while I'm sitting on the couch knitting. It did fade out after washing and drying and I actually like the muted color better. It has also held up well to abuse from a 7 year old and a multitude of cats and dogs that apparently find it quite comfortable. I may revisit this pattern yet again should I need a heartfelt,handmade baby gift, but only if I can get a better needle. Photos of blankie #2 below.

Newbie Knitter!

2008-03-15T17:31:00.003-04:00

I debated on calling this blog "copycat" because I got the idea from my friend who also has a knitting blog, but thought newbie knitter would explain me better. I have been fighting the blogger bug for a few months now. I have toyed with a few different topics to blog about but ultimately decided on knitting. Knitting seems to be the only thing productive I have going on right now so I decided to go for it.

I started knitting back this past summer. Since I don't know anybody close by that knits (yeah not even my Grandmother!) I went the book route. It was really an impulse buy. I had been bored out of my mind staying home and my friend had mentioned that a lot of people with A.D.D. found knitting helpful, so being the poster child for A.D.D I decided to give it a try. I forked over the $11 for the "I Taught Myself Knitting" book at Wally World and a skein of Red Heart Yarn. I bought a skein that was three different colors. To be honest I'm not really sure why I bought it, but it ended up working out in my favor. Once I started I found it easier to see what I was doing with the multiple colored yarn vs. a solid color one. Call it dumb luck.

I am the least domesticated stay-at-home gal you have ever met! I am terrible at sewing and I have only just now started learning to cook. So knitting for me was a stretch. Starting out I was terrible. I can't really say that I'm much better now, but I have the hang of the basic moves and have finished a few projects to date. I had an unfortunate run-in with a slicer back in December so I'm just getting back to my knitting after a 4 month hiatus to let the pinky I nearly sliced off heal. It's still not 100% but it's good enough now to at least start knitting again.

My first project was a scarf for myself. I made it out of the three colored yarn in Stockinette Stitch with a size 8 needle. Surprisingly it only had one or two holes in it but its definitely not something I would ever wear!

I do really enjoy having something to do with my hands as I'm watching TV or sitting around before bedtime. That is my main reason for knitting, however strange that may sound! So my interest right now isn't making any elaborate creations but more perfecting my pathetic knitting skills and keeping that wandering part of my mind focused. It really is a good stress releiver.

Wow this blog is long for my first time! Hopefully I will keep this blog updated. It will keep me motivated!