Monkey See, Monkey Do, Monkey Done!

Pretty tame weekend around here. I can’t say anything exciting happened because it didn’t. Friday I received some goodies in the mail: fabric (to finish the quilt that’s on my banner), a new quilting magazine and some beading supplies (though those were for Shawn because he’s the ring maker, not me). I ♥ receiving packages. Saturday my Lola pattern came from Sew Liberated. I am happy to say that this pattern looks a bit easier than the previous one – there is no bias binding to deal with. I hope to start that this weekend.

The rest of the weekend was filled with napping, crafting with Jody and her kick ass mom, and celebrating Jem’s birthday. I have to say that it was very low key. I made him a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and he went swimming with Scout and my mom. The big 10. It certainly doesn’t seem like it’s been that long. But some days are longer than others!

I even had a chance to do some sock knitting. I’ve been so uninspired lately. But then, I really want to knit some socks. It’s not the yarn. It’s not the patterns. It’s me. Plain old young me. So I started these a month and a half ago. Had I not knit two hats and a cardigan for two customers on Etsy, they would have been done quite quickly I’m sure.

The infamous Monkey pattern. Definitely a favorite. Maybe because I’ve memorized it and it’s ingrained so deeply into my brain that I could knit these in my sleep? Or maybe because of the soft hand dyed yarn I bought on Etsy. The base is Louet Gems so how can I go wrong?

Looking at the heel made me realize that this yarn would be delicious as a plain pair of stockinette stitch socks with the self striping doing all the work. I have some more of Ellen’s yarn and I just ordered some more, so I’m thinking I will be doing a striped sock sooner than later.

So put me down for my one pair for the 52 Pair Plunge II and Summer of Socks. And with that I am off to figure out what pair of socks I’ll do next. I’m thinking about finishing my Mingus, but I think I need a pair that is mindless.

Mmmm, mindless…

Obsession

I have a current obsession with Blythe Dolls. The past few weeks I’ve seen them, so I don’t know if it’s just a tend that happened to grow and cause a peak in my interest. But I’ve been on Flickr, Etsy, Ebay and every doll/collectible store checking out the different creepy bug eyed dolls, (who I admit are cute and Shawn says are “scary). People sew for them, they knit for them and they give them “makeovers”. There are Vampire Blythes, Pirate Blythes, Rockabilly Blythes, Retro Blythes. I think my eyes will bug out of my head, like the notorious little doll if I don’t get one soon.

I had a dip in my depression for about two weeks, on top of not feeling well, and these little Blythe creatures helped me pull out of it. It’s sparked interest and a bit of creativity. I’m using that energy for the good. (As in, my carpets are now clean.) Shawn said he’ll buy me my own little girl in two weeks. I have two very long weeks to decide which doll I want and what I’ll do with her. Of course, I’ve got a list the length of a football field of what I’d like.

How can you not help but become uber thoughtful on the subject after seeing them?

1. new lips and blush, 2. Untitled, 3. alluring ari, 4. Commission custom makeup, 5. Powwow Poncho – New Dress, 6. Seraphine1, 7. Vivian, 8. Alpaca Mohair Rerooted MML for Adoption, 9. Red Madness ( 1 hour left , ebay), 10. Lilac cupcake Set, 11. Strike!!, 12. Mohair girl – Custom Comission, 13. Pinks, 14. Lucy Leopard, 15. PISTACHE – custom blythe-, 16. I will miss u!

These are all customized and they are all completely gorgeous!

And the kicker? There’s a shop in the L.A. area that is stocked with these little beauties. I get my tax rebate back next week, so you know what I’m thinking, right?

Danger, danger, danger ahead!

Terrible Tuesday

It’s been a long Tuesday.

I can’t seem to shake this feeling of ickiness. My head still hurts, though more like cluster or tension headaches as compared to the immobilizing headache known as a migraine. By afternoon my stomach feels like I’ve been on a 100 story top to bottom roller coaster. My stomach feels sour. I’m not sure what’s going on. It’s not the only time, but it has me thinking that there’s something more serious than just headaches and vertigo. I really don’t know how to describe it, but I will be delving into finding a GP to diagnosis whatever the hell is going on. I just can’t handle feeling this way. I just feel weird. That’s really the only adjective that I can think of that fits. Weird.

On the up side, I have a finished object which always makes me feel good, if not better.

The Shalom Cardigan is all done, but for the button. I was quite happy to get those last 8 garter stitch rows done. Not that this took long, less than a week in fact. But I had a deadline to have this out by Jem’s 10th birthday on Sunday and I was successful. So I’ll add a button. Wrap it up in tissue paper and string. And say goodbye.

Overall I’m happy with the pattern. As I mentioned before I’m a little disheartened that the pattern only has one sizing. Not that it would be difficult to modify. Even just adding 10 stitches to the yoke and decreasing to the appropriate shaping would easily make this a wardrobe staple. But for now I have a few unfinished items and Juliet to keep my yarn and my hands busy. Though, I haven’t figured out what yarn I want to use. I know a number of people have used Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece double stranded, but I am hesitant because I’ve never used the yarn, (actually, I’ve never seen it in person), and it reminds me too much of the scratchy acrylics I’ve come to despise. (I’m an uber yarn snob.) I did a Ravelry check and there seems to be an abundant number of knitters, (and crocheters, Jody), who have this stashed or used it for clothing. Do the numbers lie? We shall see. It’s between the cotton fleece or Uruguay Chunky from the Queensland Collection. (I just learned of a 60-70% sale on bags of 10 which would be the right yardage for my size, do I dare?)

Not too much else has been going on. Jem started summer school, (yay!). Is it bad that I over appreciate summer school? I’ve read a number of blogs where the author and their children are having a pleasantly slow summer swimming, baking, reading, and other activities. But here I am. Happy to have me and Scout time. Happy that Jem is away. It’s for his own good though. Not just academically but socially as well. He gets out of the house, gets his energy out and then we go from there. And because I don’t believe every moment of time needs to be filled. Summers are meant to be enjoyed. So mainly it’s been a lot of swimming. It’s almost too hot to go out most days, (though today is reasonably cooler, in the low 90′s). I have plans for a trip to the zoo and the beach. Plus I want us to make more ice cream and if you check out Heather Bailey’s Strawberry Pretzel Dessert you can see why. And Shawn and I have been discussing an overnight camping trip. But since we don’t have 24/7 entertainment aboard Princess AJ cruises we will have to be content to do nothing. Which sometimes I think what summer should be.

Scout seems to think so too. Life should be about laughter and fun, not just filling time.

Sometimes it’s a bit difficult to capture, but when you do you know it’s been worth it. (Especially when you see Scout dance to Fall Out Boy’s rendition to “Beat It”. Classic!)

Bag Lady

Two nights ago I decided to do a little sewing. Nothing fancy. I needed wanted a new knitting bag. I love my Namaste Messenger Bag but the poor thing has been abused. The cord is actually tearing away from the straps because I’ve packed so much useless crap knitting projects in there. It simply can’t take anymore. I just wanted something simplistic. Something deep that I can cram a sweater and pattern in. So I made yet another market bag, though this one is much deeper than the kitty cat carry all I use on a daily basis. I am quite happy with the results though I had issues with the straps. Such issues nearly causes my Singer to meet her demise, though by no fault of her own. It was all user error. But once it was finished I was quite happy and I vow to be not so harsh on my machine. She did nothing wrong.

I am glad to say that I also used some stash fabric. Remember way back in September when I started to stew about becoming a serious seamstress with no sewing skills at all? I had about 2-3 yards of dark brown cord and it’s been gathering dust, (not literally), from sitting in my stash. You can only use so much brown cord, right?

Wrong.

For the pocket and lining fabric I used

Ginger Blossom fabrics by Sandi Henderson, for Michael Miller. (How interesting that her last post is all about Market Bag patterns she’s just made and will soon be released with a new line of fabric.) The colors were perfect for complementing the brown cord.

I love the inside but looking back, (a whole two days, I know), I think I should have used the pocket fabric and used that for the lining. I’m thinking there’s a bit too much brown.

Either way I’m happy that I have a new bag. I was never much of purse whore, but the past few years I’ve accumulated many more bags than I thought possible. I blame the knitting. Needles, yarn, patterns – it’s their fault.

My migraine has subsided a bit, with the help of Aleve. I wasn’t expecting much but I heard that Naproxen is a good pain reliever when it comes to headaches. I still seem to have a bit of a tension headache, which usually introduces himself, (notice that headaches are masculine when sewing machines are feminine?), midday. But I’m so sick of laying in bed with no light. The meds even helped yesterday once I got out of the house and went to the LYS. I ran into Jody and we had a few laughs about braids, (as in your hair), pubic hair, (don’t ask, it was her friend), alphabetizing books at the bookstore, (an employee had the nerve to ask her if she put her book back in alphabetical order), and the latest gossip that she’s missed out on. I ended up being sucked into the “you gotta have this new book right this second or you will never have an opportunity to buy it again” syndrome and grabbed me a copy of this:

Aprons are the thing now. It’s totally ok to walk out your front door wearing one, you know? I was enticed by Emmaline and then I just had to buy Lola. What would I need a whole book about aprons for? Because I can’t seem to say no to glossy covers and pretty pictures. Yeah, I’m a big fat sucker! I had a chance to delve into the patterns last night while watching Shawn at his last r/c race for the season and there are at least 6 aprons I want. Not just want. But want now. I even know what fabrics I want. Can’t wait.

But then there was some bad news. And then some good news. But I’m gonna throw the bad news in here because when you see the good news you may think that things have balanced. This morning I took the photos of my bag and something else, (you’ll see in a moment). I loaded the photos. The computer stalled twice. I restarted twice. But when I got online the second time every single one of my bookmarks, (favorites), was completely and utterly gone into computer hell oblivion!!! I’m sure you can call envision me thumping my head against the computer. Literally. Yes I thumped my head against the computer. I envisioned taking my PC and drowning it in the middle of the 7 ft. deep pool. Where they went? Couldn’t tell you. Who is using them? Don’t know that either. I did have three days of history so I went through every page I visited in the past three days and had to re-bookmark things. The problem? I don’t visit all my links every day. I’m missing a good 80% and have no idea how to go about retrieving them. I sense that my ass is going to be getting bigger and getting stuck in the chair while I sit here for hours trying to play detective. Ay yi yi.

But for the good news? Well, I’ll show you rather than tell you:

Sundara Silk Lace for the Winter Seasons club. Nuff said.

Shalom

Cardigan, that is.

I’ve been working on this every night for the past three or four nights. Just one Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky skein at a time. Not much yardage to each soft ball, about 77 yards I believe. But I feel a twinge of accomplishment when I finish each skein. It will be finished over the weekend and off to it’s rightful owner by Monday.

Here’s 4 balls progress:

Right now I’m into the 5th ball of yarn and working on the back. It’s a quick knit on 11′s and chunky yarn. And it’s remarkably lightweight. The only disappointment in the pattern is that it’s sizing is only for size Small, (in which you would need a 34-35″ bust). I would love to make this pattern for myself but I see a lot of substituting of numbers. I can’t imagine going up to a size 13 needle to make this cute little cardigan fit. In fact, truth be told I don’t really care for large needles. Insane I know. My preference is to work with 6′s. Us 9′s are usually my limit. I don’t really like working with chunky yarns either. Add one more point to my insanity card. My personal preference is to work with yarns that have recommended gauges on 5-7 needles. Chunky yarn and big needles = cheating. To me at least. I suppose that makes me much more of a process knitter than a project knitter because I’m not all about finishing it and wearing it 24 hours from cast on. All the same, I enjoy working with this pattern and yarn, (who doesn’t love working with anything Debbie Bliss?).

Anyway, I’m off to get my beauty rest. I have had a persistent migraine since last weekend and pretty much everything, and anything, I try to do only causes more pain. Shawn took tomorrow off and we are supposed to take a trip to the zoo, but the way I feel…well all I can say is Shalom.

OTN – On the Needles

It’s about time I took some inventory of what the h-e-double hockey sticks I’m doing. I forget sometimes that not everyone is on Ravelry, (could it be?). And I realize that I have been jumping from one hobby to the next on here. But don’t ever forget that knitting is my true love. I ♥ knitting. And truth be told I am making progress but I can only show you the same progress photos, add a row or three, so often.

My Ribs and Lace Tank is close to being done. I’m still decreasing for the armhole and in a few rows I’ll be ready to do the bust descreases. I’m excited that this will be ready to wear for the summer though the Aurora 8 may not have been the best summer yarn to use. While it has created a heavy fabric, I don’t mind. I think it will wear well for the warm weather and for the slightly cooler weather come September and October. (It’s ridiculous, but I wish that it was Autumn already. I can’t wait for the cool breezes and the changes of colors.)

As you can see, I’m on the ribbing. It’s a bit tedious on 4′s, but that’s obviously what makes the bodice more fitted.

And a sneak peek to the test knit I’m knitting in Noro Kureyon:

I love the colors. And the yarn isn’t half bad. It’s not incredibly smooth like butter yarn. But it’s not like working with steel wool either. I’m excited to be a part of the test knitting process. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, along with my own designing which right now is on the back burner because of all the projects I’ve been working on lately. One day I’ll get to post asking for people to test knit my designs and that prospect is very exciting.

I started Helena late Saturday night and have finished the bodice and am starting the lace patterned skirt. I don’t have pictures unfortunately. Give it a day or two and it will be finished I’m sure. It’s a quick and easy knit. Instant gratification. And a cute knit for Scout to boot. Two for two.

Today I will start the Shalom Cardigan using Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky in a dark charcoal gray. It looks like this will be a quick knit also, using chunky yarn and 11 needles. Can’t beat that right? Hopefully the pattern proves to be 100% the model shot because I’d love to make one for myself too.

My Bed Jacket, Monkey socks, and Chevron scarf are all in the works though they are sitting on the right side of the couch awaiting their turn. I’ve found that I need to rotate my projects for a few reasons. One is to avoid boredom, (ribbing on 4′s is not what I consider “fun”), and two, because of my arthritis. Some days are better than others but I find that switching from small to large needles really helps.

So, yes I’m knitting. And a knitting I shall go right now.

This, that and something else

If I told you that I’d been busy, you would believe me right? Yesterday was the last day of school for Jem and his counterparts. Fortunately for him, unfortunately for them. I’m certainly not ready for the “I’m bored” and “what are we doing today” drill. But he’s going to summer school in a week. Fortunately for me, unfortunately for him.

So in the midst of early dismissals and end of the year parties I’ve kept busy at home trying to get a few things done before having even less time to myself than before.

Nothing finished in knitting land, though I am … that close to finishing the Ribs and Lace Tank. Maybe this weekend? I cast on for the test knit in Noro, which I read some not so good and some great reviews on the yarn. I’d been expecting scratchy, itchy wool. While it doesn’t have the best in soft factor, it does knit nicely and the color, of course, is superb. I also checked out the new Knitty for Summer and was quite pleased that they had something for Scout’s age. I bought some Elastico for the Helena cardigan for Scout, which was what I used for the Bubblegum sweater that I made about a year ago. I also like the look of Gigi though I don’t have the models figure so it may not be as flattering for me as it is for her.

But onto the actual finishing. I finished two Icy Petal bracelets for a friend at the LYS. The first was similar to the lilac one I made myself, though I used a different accent color. I don’t have pictures to share since she picked it up after I finished attaching the clasp last night at the SnB. But I did finish the second one for her friend which is done in earth tones:

Check out Flickr for a few more shots. I really like the greens and browns together and I’m hoping they will too.

I also finished my first quilt. I can’t say I’m 100% proud because once I finished the binding there were three mistakes on there which I don’t know if I can fix. Basically on two parts of the quilt I either didn’t sew it exactly on the 1/4″ seam so it seems to have frayed away a bit. Or, the fabric just frays and that’s what I get. It is very lovely though and Scout loves it a lot. So that’s all that matters because she will always know I put a lot of love, (and a lot more fingers pricked), into this quilt. I think all in all I learned a lot and I suppose I should be 110% proud because what I’ve learned I can now apply to my second quilt, (which the top is done but for the borders and the sandwiching of layers). But see for yourself and tell me what you think:

So that’s really it for my FO’s. Like I said before I’m really hoping to get some knitting done. I haven’t been knitting as much as I’ve wanted to lately, though the beading and quilting are similarly satisfying. So are water balloons. At least Scout thinks so:

Jem and Scout had a water balloon fight yesterday. I filled a bucket of water and got them soaked. With the weather the way that it is I won’t be surprised if we do this more often. It was 83 in the house at 9 this morning. It’s getting ridiculous especially when you hear about the floods in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. My cousin lives out there. Hopefully her house hasn’t floated away.

Have a great weekend and Father’s Day out there!

Relaxing

I can’t say that I’ve been 100% completely relaxed the past couple of days, but I have been trying! I’ve done a bit of driving over on Bouquet Canyon which, if you didn’t know, was one of the areas affected by the wildfires last October. The area has been really dry. Not much green going on out here. We’ve been lacking rain for quite a while and it’s only going to get worse now that summer has approached a little too quickly. But the mountains and the farm areas are still very pretty which leave a deep longing inside. While I was born in Chicago, I really am more of a country girl than a city girl. At least, I’m not a Californian city girl. Maybe if I went back home I would be. But I miss riding horses, the air filled with all of natures secretions, and how time just passes not too slow and not too fast. I never felt like I was missing anything. Even though it isn’t too far from home, I still miss this:

Scout and I took a drive on Friday afternoon, I just had to get out of the house. So we went to the fabric shop for a little fabric retail therapy, (I was good, honest). We had lunch together and stopped by the LYS to say “hi”. And then we hit the proverbial road and just took it all in. Next thing I know I started to hit the “Welcome to Angeles National Forest”. A little foreboding in my mind because once you hit the forest “city” limits, the trees became black. Branches entangled. They seemed to be reaching for the sky. Hopeful for air. Fire is a scary thing people. Especially out here in the mountains and forest areas. With our little drought we are currently experiencing fire is now a common household discussion. Anything will spark a fire out here. I’m hoping that we don’t have the same situation as we did last year. There were wildfires everywhere in So Cal but we were hit hard out here when the fires where West, East and North.

But onto happier topics, like fabric:

I bought a few fat quarters from JoAnn’s a week ago, along with a Windmill acrylic template for the next quilt. But I needed some more browns so I hit the fat quarter section at the quilt shop. I doubt I’ll use the blue fabric with brown birds in this quilt, but I had to have that one. That’s how it starts you know? I know you know!

I picked up some Eco Wool at the LYS after searching high and low for the right yarn for this Wraparound Cardigan that I’ve been wanting to knit the past two years. Three skeins of it will be more than plenty, (how often does that happen?). I decided that this will be my project in August for the 2008 Knitting Olympics. (The Yarn Harlot is not hosting this one, but you can find the group on Ravelry. Essentially the rules are the same.) I figured this would be a good enough challenge. A long, chunky cardigan in 17 days? I’m hopeful. Especially because I’ve been commissioned to knit for a few Etsy buyers. On the list is the Shalom Cardigan, Jayne Cobb Firefly Hat, Golden Snitch Hat (scroll down), and I believe that’s it aside from my test knitting and my own projects. It’s a lot I know, but I have time for most of the items and it helps to keep me busy.

So does this:

I know I haven’t shown many progress photos but I suppose this shows you just how much progress I’ve made since mid May. I’m at the bodice and in about two inches I can start shaping the bust. The Aurora 8 is a pleasure to work with and the pattern has just enough to keep you going and not make you put it down, though the ribbing on 4′s is a killer.

Aside from all the aforementioned excitement around here I’ve had a chance to hang out at the LYS for a few hours. I also finished a really good book and started another last night. I haven’t been cooking many elaborate meals lately but I did find an absolutely delicious, (and simple), Chicken Pot Pie recipe. Shawn even ate the peas, it was that good!

So I guess now come to think about it, I have been relaxing and you know what? It feels great!

Following the popular crowd

I’ve actually been meaning to add something like this to the blog for a while, but I don’t always have the time to sit at the computer. I was up a bit early this morning, (anything before 10 a.m. is early for me), so I started to mess around on Flickr and read some blogs when I came across this cute little meme/mosaic. Anywhoo here’s mine:

1. AJ, 2. French Fries, 3. Chatsworth, 4. Blue, 5. Desmond Harrington, 6. Strawberry Lemonade, 7. England, 8. Chocolate Vesuvio, 9. Ballet Dancer, 10. My Family, 11. Restless, 12. Polar Bear

Created with fd’s Flickr Toys.

How to play:

1. Type your answers to the following questions in the search function on Flickr.

2. Go through the first page of pictures and choose one for your Mosaic.

3. Copy and paste the URL in the Mosaic maker.

Questions:

1. What is your first name?

2. What is your favorite food?

3. What high school did you go to?

4. What is your favorite color?

5. Who is your celebrity crush?

6. Favorite drink?

7. Dream vacation?

8. Favorite dessert?

9. What do you want to be when you grow up?

10. What do you love most in life?

11. One word to describe you.

12. Your Flickr ID name? (Or your favorite animal.)

Happy Friday everyone and have a great weekend.

Shiny

Lately I’ve found myself jumping from one project to the next. I might knit for an hour but then I’m making jewelry or hand sewing the binding to my quilt, (yes, I actually started the hand sewing which is what I’ve dread the most). But it seems that the jewelry is what is most rewarding at the moment. I can churn out a bracelet in three hours. Almost instant gratification. I suppose if I could knit a sweater in three hours I’d be a legend, but I am not.

Anyway, debuting the new Lilac Petals Bracelet:

Amethyst and Light Amethsyt 6mm bicones; Silver glass pearls; Size 15 seed beads in lilac and silver; 2mm silver ball beads and a sterling silver floral toggle clasp.

Once I made one, I had to buy the supplies and make another. I made this one the day Oliver died just to keep myself busy and of course, it being blue is my favorite.

Montana and White Opal Sky Blue 6mm bicones; 6mm rounded Hematite crystals; 2mm silver ball beads; size 15 seed beads in silver and metallic blue; silver plated heart shaped toggle clasp.

I’ve also been working on a freshwater pearl/silver/crystals necklace, but I can only give you a sneak preview because I haven’t finished it yet.

Blue, Silver and Cream freshwater pearls; Sterling silver findings; Square Smoky Quartz crystal; Crystal 6mm bicone; 3 6mm rounded crystals in Montana AB; Silver chain; Sterling silver link.

I have yet to find a clasp to go with this. A lobster clasp really wouldn’t do this justice. And I have to make it a little longer, otherwise it will be worn like a choker and I can’t stand anything too tight on my neck.

So that’s what I’ve been up to. I do have some knitting photos, but I’ll save that for another post.