I made a list

I really have to get organized, so I made a list. All of my UFOs (for those not familiar, UnFinished Objects). Disgusting! I must have over 30 here at home. I have 6 unfinished lace shawls, 5 lace scarves, 8 pairs of socks to finish, 5 sweaters or cardis in varying degrees of completion, and yes 4 purses to be finished and felted. I know I'm missing some stuff, in some plastic bags lying in some corner, with needles attached.

But first, I have to get rid of some yarns. Lots of acrylics I know I will no longer use, well, except for my crocheted teddy bears. I finished one 2 days ago. No pics, no camera, no batteries yet. Hats for the homeless this coming winter.

It feels good to make a donation to Ships Support. I was going to knit some more hats and adult booties and sew up some cool ties for the troops but I've been sooo busy lately. So, I auctioned up some of my yarns and donated the proceeds to Ellen for postage. Voila! Boy, it feels good.

Black Flower Power

My digital camera's totally dead. I hope it's just the battery. I'm off to Walmart to buy new batteries. I feel completely lost without my camera since I use it all the time for my Ebay pictures.  Before it fizzled out, I had a chance to take some pics.   This is another version of Stitch Diva's Mini Flower poncho.  I added a few rows on the neckline and made the bottom even. The yarn used was Read Heart Casual Cot'n in Zebra colorway. It doesn't really show the flower stitch but I loved working with it. A blend of acrylic, cotton and polyester.  Here's the original version, finished several weeks ago.

See what happens when I get bored

I used to do rag rug crochet and wanted to do something really quick. Plus, it will help me organize some of my yarns.  Hence, the basket.  Made with strips of fabric crocheted with a Q hook (one of those blue plastic ones at Walmart and Michaels).  Super quick and finished in less than 1 hour.

Library book sale

Being a member of the Knitswap group in Yahoo,  I saw a post that blew my mind. I believe it was Lynda who posted that she donated her collection of  Interweave Knits, Piecework, Vogue Knitting, FCEK, and Spinoff magazines to the local branch of the Sacramento Library, just a few minutes away from where I live.

Come Saturday morning, I was there at nine o'clock , and zeroed in on the magazines.   I was the only one interested. There were no others.  Almost everyone flocked to the books.  I saw them all and I conquered.  I asked the girls manning the table if I could have several paper bags because I'm buying a lot of magazines.

Most of the issues were out of print. There was a premier issue or two.  They were all my favorite magazines.  Final count:  50 magazines at  10 cents a piece!   A whopping $5.00  .   It was sad because the library did not know the value of those magazines.  And I felt like I was stealing.  But before I went home,  I made a donation. 

Thank you, Lynda, wherever you are.  THANK YOU!

Lace pictures

This shows the pretty border.

Simple Elegance Shawl (stole) designed by Debra Chinn, in the latest issue (Aug 2004) of Knit 'N Style magazine. This is the one I'm knitting for Jonelle Raffino of Southwest Trading Co. (Soysilk anybody?) using Infinity, 100% soysilk yarn.


A close-up of the center panel. Susan, I believe Debra. It is sloooooow going. Picture this: Sewing thread size silk yarn, double stranded, knitted with size 3 US circular needles. Arghh.....

But then, I am cheating. The pattern calls for stockinette stitch lace, 147 stitches of purling on teeny weeny needles. Just shoot me!
So, I'm doing garter stitch lace and knitting every stitch that requires purling. I like it better.

Maybe it will only take me 2 hours to do a 12 row repeat.

More FO's this week but no pictures yet. I finished number 2 Flower poncho from Stitch Diva but with changes. I tried it on and it looks good. Believe it or not, it can also be worn as a skirt, on top of another skirt. It's too lacy to be worn alone--lol! Scandalous!

Finishing 2 more socks. I'm making a dent in my stash, an itty bitty teeny weeny dent. Unfortunately , I also dyed more sock yarns, and added more to my stash. Fortunately, I sold several lots of handpainted sock yarns in my Ebay store.

I mailed the pair of pattern tested socks back to Mary McCall with the 2 foams heads that she asked me to obtain for her. Sheesh, we waited for 2 months for those foam heads to arrive! Foam heads, you ask? Head-shaped styrofoams used to display your knitted or crocheted hats. Can also be used to display wigs.

Southwest Trading has also sent me the latest knitting project for me to work on, Simple Elegance shawl (Knit 'n Style pattern) using Infinity yarn. Picture sewing thread size but doubled on size 3 needles. I'm working on it! Slow going but I'm making progress.

The rest of the projects are put on hold. No more new ones until I can see progress on the shawl (yeah, right). And of course, I can still do socks. Socks are quick.

Addicted to Socks

Yes, definitely, I am. I love to knit socks: small project, portable, and you get that warm tingly feeling when you finish a pair. I have so many pairs already that I don't know anymore what to do with them. And I can't stop.


My finished Cloverleaf pair as part of the Six Sox Knitalong, sport weight discontinued Country Cobbler yarn from Brown Sheep.


Mermaid socks, pattern from "Cool Socks, Warm Feet" by Lucy Neatby. Lana Grossa Cotton Fantasy yarn #807. Neat book, lots of techniques, some I haven't even tried yet.


Soy silk socks, Bella sock yarn given to me by Jonelle Raffino, pattern is Ladder socks from the Craft Yarn Council website.

My new wheel

We go on a long weekend and I get into trouble. Here's my newest baby, a Louet S17 spinning wheel. The ad says perfect for beginners and for production spinners. It may be lacking in looks but it does the job. And for the price, I can't go wrong. This was so easy to assemble! Even for someone like me who hates diagrams and anything technical, I was able to put it together with only 25% help from hubby--lol! Well, sheesh, a washer and a screw look the same to me!

It's so sturdy that even my 7 yo Matthew can't do any damage. Emily, 3 yo, is determined to learn how to spin. I figure, I can teach them on this one. My other wheel, an Ashford Traveller, is for delicate spinning (if there is such a thing). That one is my other baby, the one I learned to spin on 2 years ago (or is it 4?).

I got the S17 from Teresa Simons of Mountain Shadow Ranch. She sells it for $219 plus shipping. Can't beat that!

My Favorite Things

Two more projects I've finished. These are 2 of my favorite things to do: a crocheted purse and lace socks.

This design is from Maggiescrochet.com. I changed the color combination, some stitches, and the way the handles were attached to the body of the purse. I used J&P Coats crochet nylon thread.


Below is a lace sock using Durasport sock yarn from Briggs and Little. I really enjoyed knitting with this yarn. The design is from Socks (3X) book by XRX pub.

Classmates

I found my high school classmates (or they found me?) and we've started a group in Yahoo.I have been so busy e-mailing them back and forth that I haven't had a chance to blog or read blogs. But no fail, I zoom in on Yarn girl's and Vera's, Yarn Tomato's, Marlo's, Cat's, Susan's, Chicknits and Keyboard Biologist's blogsites. I find myself reading more crochet blogs nowadays.

I've also dyed more rovings and yarns. I love experimenting with hand dyeing or kettle dyeing. I save those little plastic bottle applicators that hair dyes come in. Those are perfect for applying colors. I just have to remember to put on gloves.

I'm also pattern testing another sock pattern for Mary McCall. She's a genius at making charts! And finishing up some socks I have lying around. No matter what, I go back to socks. I can't make myself go back to the Sheep Shawl project that is almost finished. Just do the borders, Vicki, and you're done!

Was it Susan who was talking about a Poncho-Along? Well, I started one, from the Straw.com site, using my own small skeins of handspun wool. We'll see how it turns out. Just too lazy to take pictures.

Experiments in Dyeing

Tequila Sunrise roving



Violets in bloom



Tie-dyed Rhapsody



Durasport sock yarn

Amazingly, I had fun handpainting these rovings and yarns. I like knitting with that Durasport sock yarn! It's spun by Briggs and Little, single ply, wool and nylon blend. They're the makers of Tuffy and Heritage yarns. Very affordable.

You have to check out these crocheted sandals at the Gotta Make Something blogsite. It is so cute! It's a freebie and requires Adobe Reader. Do check it out.

I have been busy dyeing some yarns and rovings which I'm going to sell in my Ebay store. My fingers have turned black. And I used Latex gloves. Must be the fact that I keep taking them off--lol!

Pictures to follow.

Tribute to a Great Man

I cried my eyes out last night watching President Ronald Reagan's funeral. It's so heartwarming to see how he was loved and to know that Nancy will miss him terribly.

In 1982, my family and I came here to the US as immigrants. Ronald Reagan was in office then. I was totally amazed at how different it was here, us coming from a country that was under Martial Law, under the dictatorship of one man. Soon after we left our beloved country, the Marcos regime crumbled. President Reagan was the first US president I knew. Five years later, we were naturalized US Citizens. I value that gift, I value the democracy that this country offers, and I value the privileges that most people craved, that this country gifted us. Here's to a great man! Thank you, Mr. Reagan!

Okay (wiping off tears), on a knitting note:
Here's sock #1 of my Cloverleaf socks, part of the Six Sox Knitalong.


And here's another sock I just finished, from Handjiveknits.com


The yarn used is the same Nature's Palette yarn I got from her, color is Owl's Clover. Very pretty color.

I am so NOT good at scanning pictures either. Just as terrible with digital cameras.

Flower Mini poncho from Stitch Diva Designs

Aside from the obvious fact that I don't know how to center my digital pictures, here's a pic of my Flower mini poncho. Very enjoyable to crochet inspite of my reservations on doing triple trebles. And very quick to finish. Of course I made some changes to suit my fancy. The yarn used is a peachy blend of acrylic and wool from Bernat. It is a discontinued yarn and I doubled the strands to meet the chunky requirements of the pattern. It drapes well and even with the holeyness of the fabric, it can keep you warm and cosy on chilly summer evenings. I think I will take a better picture later, with my daughter modelling it.

BTW, Vera has started a Crochet-along for this pattern. Of course I joined since I plan on doing another one. I got the pattern on Ebay under username "Stitch_diva".

I can't believe I've finished 2 of my sock knitting UFOs. These socks were started 2 years ago. Inbelievable!

Oh my! After reading Rachel G's comment on my blog, I got nosy and went to her website. What a Treasure Trove of free Crochet patterns! Why have I not seen it before?? Visit Crochet Pattern Central and go crazy. Big problem- I don't know which one to click on.

Check out the Midnight Knitter website for lots of free crochet and knit patterns. They're way too cute!

I finally got to watch THE LORD OF THE RINGS #3 on DVD. This is so far the best of the 3. Everytime I watch this trilogy, I always fall in love with Legolas, the elf of Greenleaf. But, this time, the one memorable character who stood out is Eowyn, the blonde niece of the old King. Very courageous yet feminine. A woman after my own heart. She didn't have to fight but she did, just to be with the people she loves. And she killed the one nemesis who cannot be killed by any man. Her words: "I am no man!" She would have made Aragorn a great queen. But it wasn't meant to be. Aragorn's love is Arwen.

Oh yes, I've done some knitting and crocheting and spinning too. But that's for later.

I read somewhere that you can finish this Stitch Diva pattern in 2-3 hours, non-stop. I finished mine within one day with constant interruptions. I had to stop every so often. The triple trebles are really hard on the wrist--4 yo's.

The poncho is close fitting with only one increase and looks really classy when worn.

This is my latest project, a crocheted flower poncho from the Stitch Diva Studios. This is her actual picture in her Ebay Store where I bought the pattern from, transported via email in pdf format. Immediate gratification. Love that!

I love to knit socks but sometimes, knitting them with those itty bitty, teeny weeny needles using super skinny yarns drives me crazy. One crazy afternoon, I grabbed my size 5 bamboo dpns, gathered my leftover stash, and knitted this pair.

One strand of Millenweit variegated (non striping)sock yarn and one strand of ecru Kroy 3 ply, knitted together, cast on 40, short cuff, short row heel and the result: one sock finished in 2 hours (a little less). Got so excited, forgot that I suffer from SSS (single sock syndrome), I cast on for the next one. One pair in one day, including interruptions. wooo hooo!!!

The following day (can you tell I'm obssessed?), I finished this other one:

There's lots of ends to weave on this one and I decided not to hide them, so I created a fringe running down the side of the cuff. Unlike the first one, there are five different sock yarn combinations on this sock. Hey, at this rate, I should use up my stash in no time. More excuse to buy more.

Lost Points Shawl from Soysilk.com

This was the design I knitted for them using Melody (ladder yarn in multi color) and Bamboo (solid purple). I enjoyed knitting the Bamboo, slick, nice drape and has a sheen to it.

However, I'm not a fan of ladder yarns and won't knit with it again--lol!

The pattern is rather unique. A long rectangular stole with the 3 points at each end. Beautiful for formal wear.

Here's a close up: