Juliet: The Beginnings

The problem with quick knit projects is that they are never really all that quick for me. With that said, Juliet is moving right along. I started this project a couple of weeks ago, in a desire to use up some stash and because I think this project is ideal for the fall-ish weather we've been having. Right now, Juliet has moved to the top of my queue and on the needles for that very reason. Earlier this week, I had Monday and Tuesday off and I thought for sure I would have it completed. It is possible that I could have completed it, but based on the picture below, you can see that it is not finished.

As usual, on my long weekend that I was going to enjoy, things came up that prevented me from my true state of relaxation, but I did manage to get many things completed.

I do appreciate you readers that are still hanging around. I needed to take a break from blogging and focus on others things for a bit. I was really slacking on finishing up the editing and revision of my final paper that I had to submit to my former university in St. Louis. I sat down last week and tackled that beast, sent it off and the professor has already approved it. After I send in a petition to graduate, I should receive my sheepskin for December graduation of '07, sometime in early February '08. To say I'm excited is an understatement. That and working on lingering things.

Something else I'm really wanting to work in is exercise and lifestyle (read: diet) changes. Diet, as in a way of eating, changes. Part of my focus is to lose weight, but really to be healthier.

I'm looking at either joining some online health/fitness communities and looking for good online tools. If any of you have suggestions, I'm definitely open.

Back to Juliet, I'm on the third repeat of lace now and expect I'll probably get up to six repeats and call it good. I've tried it on twice and am pleased with the fit. Now just to get 'er done.

Birthday Goodies

I hope you had a good Labor Day weekend. Mine was great. Very relaxed and relaxing. We hung out with some friends on Sunday evening for a bbq. Ate some Jamaican food, listened to some reggae and other Caribbean music and then came home and watched some movies. It was great to stay at home and spend time with M, just the two of us. And of course we were both off Monday and I have Tuesdays off, so it was a very nice, long weekend for me.

You would think on my day off that I would blog, but quite the opposite. I'm in fact, rarely motivated to blog on my day off. Instead I do fun stuff like laundry, washing my hair and twisting my locs. At least that was yesterday, but I truly cherish my time in the house alone. Hmm, lovely.

Thanks to everyone for your ideas about the tank. I'll probably pick up another skein of the yarn to see what changes I can make, esp. as far as picking up stitches around the neckline and armholes to perhaps make it more wearable for me. It is an ok top to wear, it's not horrible, but not loving it. So we'll see what can be done. It will probably be on the back burner till next summer, but that's a big deal to me.

On to my birthday, which passed over a week ago. All I can say is for the Birthday Card Exchange, you guys rock! My mailbox was overflowing with cards, which really made me happy! My mantle was full of cards. So much so, that I had an overflow station on top of the TV cabinet with additional cards. The musical cards that Del and Bron sent were too cute. And Michelle, that crafty girl surprised me with five, count 'em, five cards. So I had plenty o' cards for my birthday. My sister sent one from her and husband, as well as one from my nephew Chason with a new picture of him. Goodness all around!





Of course, some of my knitty girls had to hook me up with nice knitting gifts.
Nachaele gave me the gift of cold, hard cash which was to be used for yarn. But what the heck, I used it for me, so we're all happy! It's pretty much if I have cash, it's gone in a nanosecond. And Michaele provided the wine for the evening and a couple of bottles that came home wth me (as pictured in the mantle above).

Some Colinette Jitterbug in the Raphael colorway ::swoon::, more stitch markers! and a pair of Addi Lace turbo needles. Yay, I'm excited to have my very own pair of Addi Lace needles. There was also two skeins of Lacey Lamb laceweight in a beautemous red, which I forgot to include in this post. Sorry. But you can see it on Ravelry or Flickr.



And Joan, the Fairy Godmother indeed surprised with a lovely package. Sneaky girl, she is, asking for my address to send a card, which she did, but also included some neat things in her package. A bookmark in the shape of a buffalo (how did you know I keep losing book marks!-I've vowed to only use this book marker in my home library of books, so if I forget to take it out, it will only be lost in my house versus going back to the library!), a notepad with a knitting emblem from lantern moon, a wooden needle case with scrollwork on the case and two bars of Bison Chocolate (yes, I know there's only one pictured, the second is gone) in a milk chocolate bar with a truffle cream center. Yummy, yummy.
Thanks Joan! I loved it.



More knitting has ensued. A new project was cast on and has given me fits and starts with the pattern, but I will let you know about it soon.

Blogging might be sparse for a bit. I thought about taking a blog break, but I think I miss it a bit when I think of actually doing it. I'm working on some personal stuff, nothing major (and don't worry, no baby making is happening over here!), just doing some things for me, which may take away time from the blog. I do plan to blog, but it might be sporadic (which why is this really any different from the way I usually blog, I don't know).

Ciao,
W.

Analysis of a Pattern or Disappointing FO: Lacy Rib tank

Today's installment is analysis of a knit gone wrong. In all actuality, I suppose the pattern is just fine. It's not a good fit for me, however. A friend, Aisha, finished one and it was so cute, I really wanted one too and the yarn was fairly inexpensive.

I did finish it (over two summers). The first side went much slower than I expected, but I don't knit stitch patterns as much in garments, but once I got used to it, the second side went very quickly. Once I seamed it and tried it on, meh. Really not excited by this one at all. I wore it to work one day and still pretty blah about it.

The biggest problem is it's not flattering to my body. It's okay, just not very figure-flattering. The first problem that I didn't notice b/c the first one I saw was on someone and then I haven't seen it in awhile, so it's based on my memory is just how low the front and back are. Now I've got cleavage to spare and then some, so not the problem. But the neckline isn't working the girls, it's just there. A nice plunging V would really benefit them, or a square neck or a round neck, but perhaps a smidge higher. The neckline is very open, which is okay, but I felt very exposed all day wearing it. Secondly the straps are too skinny. They barely cover my bra straps and cami (that was required with the laciness of the pattern). It was pretty annoying.

Thirdly, I should have known better since there was no shaping in the pattern at all. I learned last year that I really do prefer some shaping. However, because this is ribbing, it does cling to your curves, but I just don't care for it.

This is why you should really pay attention to the pattern and your body type. I guess for me, I do still have problems determining what is a good fit or not.



Pattern: Lacy Tank
Yarn: Schachenmayer Nomotta Rainbow 6 skeins
Needle size: US 5
Project Completion-August 2006-July 2007
Mods: None-super simple project to knit, no shaping, just a stitch pattern
Fit: D-
Wearablity: F
Overall feeling of this top: Meh!

And there you have it. Your thoughts on this project/pattern are welcomed.

I am still knitting, working on other projects. I'm down to one pair of socks on my needles. I decided to give the Opal Caterpillar socks to M2. Even though they are a bit high for him, he said he would still wear them. Next, I'll cast on a pair of socks for M. He's deserving of a pair, but man is he ever picky. I got him to agree to a pair of Trekking socks in shades of black/grey. I think he's scared I will give him some wildly variegated socks and expect that he wear them. See, this is why I buy lots of black socks in bulk! Boring man socks, but at least the man-friendly Trekking has something for me too. He thinks I will be knitting them in stockinette, but little does he know. I'll do the Thujas and see what he thinks. Or some other simple pattern, not too much patterning for him.

My computer is still actually working, so I'm not sure about the virus thing, but I've backed up everything to be sure. I'm sick of spending so much time on my computer lately, so I've just backed away from it for awhile. What you don't realize when you get a laptop and add WiFi is that you spend so much time on it.

While I love Ravelry, I've decided to use it as a repository to add projects to queue, look up projects instead of googling them and keeping stash up to date. I don't have the time to spend chatting on various forums. School has started again for M2 and now it's high school. I'm getting old when high school algebra is starting to stump me! Gah.

Okay, back to my cave.

p.s. Thanks again for all the lovely cards I received. I must post soon with my array of cards and a beautiful package from Joan. Thanks to Cozy and Bron for my singing cards!

FO Report: Lemon Ice Socks

Happy Birthday to me! Yes, I am posting this on my birthday. This year marks 35 years on this earth. I'm very excited about my birthday. Not that there is much planned, but I'm always a bit happier and cheerful on my birthday, as well as I should be. :-)

A pair of socks has made its way off my needles, yay! Lemon Ice socks which were gifted by Kathy in my coffee swap package. The sockotta sock yarn did not sit long and immediately launched itself onto my needles.

A very simple sock, a k3, p2 rib. I used 60 sts on the first sock and realized it was too wide. 55 sts on the second one and it's a perfect fit. The socks are quite comfortable and cozy. Not much to say about these socks. The yarn was easy to work with. Not exactly my favorite, but definitely nothing wrong with it.



Project Specifications:
Sockotta sock yarn
Needle size: US 2 (2.75 mm) dpns
Started: mid-July 07
Finished: August 07
Mods: none really.

And because Beth asked so nicely, a couple photos of the finished DFS modeled by me.





Have a great day! I sure intend to. Oh and while you're at it, please wish my grrl,
Michelle, a Happy One year Anniversary!!

FO: Diamond Fantasy Shawl

I posted some pictures a couple of weeks ago about the blocking of my finished Diamond Fantasy Shawl. Sorry it took so long. I thought I would get some pictures with me modeling it, but my photographer hasn't been around lately (too much working late) to get a good picture, but I was also too lazy to get out the tripod, so what you see is what you get, sorry.

Because I only had 500 yards of yarn, I planned to knit the scarf version, which I knit an extra repeat of the pattern. The I-cord edging uses up a lot of yarn, so I'm glad I stopped at one additional repeat.



This is a pattern that I would normally not knit, just looking at it, it's not the type of lace I was drawn to. However, I liked the idea of using some of those huge skeins of sock yarn as something other than socks. The pattern was a bit challenging, but in the end totally worth it for me. When I took the "scarf" off of the needles, it was indeed a scarf. Once I blocked it though, it really grew quite substantially. It's a good sized shoulder scarf/shawl now and I really like it.



Pattern:
Diamond Fantasy Scarf/Shawl by Sivia Harding
Yarn: Hello Yarn fingering sock yarn(wool/nylon blend) in color Staggering
Started: Mid-March '07 (during Spring Break)
Completed: July 29, 2007
Modifications: just knit an additional repeat of pattern to use more yarn and make a bigger shawl.

I also finished up the Lacy Rib Tank. I'll eventually get some pics of it up. I'm not pleased with this one at all. It's just ok. It might not get a lot of wear, we'll see. I wore it once and was less than impressed.

P.S. It might be a little bit before the next blog post. I was going through the blog blahs for the last little bit, but now my laptop has a virus and I'll be backing up stuff and doing a "destructive recovery" so says the HP support rep. So it's all fun and smiles at Chez WWK.

P.P.S. Thanks to those lovelies who have already sent me birthday cards, it really brightened up my day yesterday.

Sockapaloozed!

In my last post, I talked about how I never receive good mail anymore, no cards, no letters. But I neglected to tell you that I did receive my Sockapalooza socks from my pal, Jun.

I received a lovely package from Jun. I absolutely adore these socks and the color too. I would have never chosen it and I'm quite happy with the choice she made. I ran around the house wearing wool socks in a very hot house and was quite happy to do so.

It is really great to receive something handknitted as I don't receive handknit gifts from other knitter friends and the others who don't knit, never seem to think of taking up knitting, even though they may receive handknit gifts. It really is quite special.


My socks were quite well-travelled. The yarn is from Jun's stash of Sweet Georgia Yarns in Willow. I feel really special. The pattern is Adrian's Cable Twist sock patterns. I don't think I would ever knit cabled socks, so these are perfect to receive.


And look Ma, they fit! They were a little tight to pull over the foot, but then they fit snugly, but not tight. Very nice socks and surprisingly, the short row heel fits better than I thought it might.


Thanks a lot Jun for the socks, I really appreciate it!!

Birthday Card Exchange

So here's a little germ of an idea that started floating in my head yesterday after I went to check my mailbox yesterday. I used to love getting mail, fun cards and other packages here and there. Now picking up mail is just drudgery, bills and other junk mail. Rarely a card from a friend anymore. I hadn't checked my mail at all this week and on Saturday thought I should pick up the whack of mail I'm sure I'd accumulated.

When I checked my mail, I had a pleasant surprise, my Sockapalooza socks arrived (pictures and post tomorrow). As I have a birthday upcoming, I thought how said it will be to collect birthday cards this year in my mailbox, as I get very few cards anymore. In college and post-college, I was the person that had friends galore everywhere. I loved receiving cards and mail and sent them to everyone else as well. Over time, I've lost contact with many of my college friends. And at birthday time, I receive less cards and it's a bit sad for me.

What I propose (really because I love to receive cards and I'm hoping you do too)is that anyone who likes to receive cards, send me an email(awanda AT gmail DOT com) replacing the AT with @ and a . with DOT with the subject Birthday Card Exchange. In the email tell me your address and birthday and I will send you a card on your birthday. I'll send you my address and hopefully you will send me a card back too.

My birthday is August 27th and I would love to receive a few cards from my virtual, but also real, friends. Please don't think this is a way to ask for stuff, this is solely a card exchange. I'm not trying to hit up people, I just truly love receiving cards.

Let me know if you're interested! I thought it might be fun. If I get no response, that's ok too.

Knitting Camp: The Other Side

Others have already documented the Knitting Camp experience, aka Camp WannaKnitKnit. Some of my favorite people and knitting buds all get together once a year and go to a cabin in the mountains, for a lot of girl time, knitting, eating and some movie-watching and a general chance to catch up with everyone. This year was our third year and every year, Stacey and some of the other girls put together a gift bag and this year they surely went over the top. What can they ever do to top this year's goodie bag, I just don't know!

This year's bag was a Colorful Accessories creation. Beautiful print, no? And a good size to carry a sweater or larger project in, perfect!




The contents of said bag:
Highlighter tape, which is awesome for lace, a skein of yarn dyed by Adrian, a mini sock blocker kit and stitch markers.



Sock yarn by Adrian of Hello Yarn in a Camp WannaKnitKnit colorway, Tres Campy (for our third camp year!), which is a heavier sock yarn, more sport weight, imo. 395 yds of lusciousness (my made-up word), these will be perfect for comfy house socks and will remind me forever of my camp time this year.




Thanks girls for a great weekend! Can't wait till next year.

With A Little Help From Our Friends

Who hasn't needed a little help from time to time? If you read Norma, like I do, two things that you need to know.

One, the Red Scarf Project has some different rules for donation for 2008, as well as a donation fund to be given to students in need. There's also a button on the right-hand sidebar of my blog. Feel free to donate early and often. Norma's also running a contest for donations to the OFA/Red Scarf Project, so do send Norma an email if you donate.

Second, Norma's (almost son-in law) participated in a reality show for a 13-week contract on As The World Turns. He needs your help in voting here and you can read more about it on Norma's blog. Okay, enough from me today, 2 posts in one day? What is the world coming to? :-)