It's All Moved!

In the last post I promised photos of my new stash set up.

It's now in my bedroom. We were going to try to put it in the walk-in closet at the top of the stairs but as we started moving things around we realized that when we put the drawers in the closet it would be very difficult to open the drawers. With some creative rearranging everything fit nicely in our room. It's not as if I need to hide the yarn from hubby. He really doesn't care that I have enough sock yarn to insulate a 3 room cabin. Besides if he ever gives me a hard time about it I can calmly point out that I didn't raise a fuss when he decided to get a motorcycle. ;~)  

I now have my sock yarn stash split up into groups...semi solid, variegated, self striping, and workhorse sock yarn, ie Opal, Regia, Patons, basically anything that doesn't have to be wound into a center pull ball. Lone hanks of sock yarn that were bought for the girls socks are in with the self striping I have a few single skeins of Lorna's Laces and Claudia Handpaint that isn't enough for adult socks. My roving has it's own drawer now too. I'm using the cedar chest to hold sweater quantities of yarn and all the plastic drawers that have wool now have some cedar balls that I bought from The Loopy Ewe a while back. I haven't seen them sold there in awhile now. I may have to hunt for more somewhere else.

Anyway, I've been knitting too.

Bree decided that she needed a bunny blanket, which has been named Bunny Boo. I used the Bunny Blanket Buddy pattern (ravelry)(non ravelry). The non ravelry link is to Lionbrands website and you have to log on to see the pattern. I didn't have any suitable yarn in my stash so we headed out to Michaels to browse through the yarns and pick out an appropriate color. I went with Lionbrands Baby's First yarn which is a super bulky acrylic/cotton blend which passed Bree's snuggle test. It took less then one skein and it's really soft and cuddly. It would definitely be great for a quick baby blanket.

My birthday gifty from Colleen.

Well actually she sent me a gift card to Amazon. I was originally going to buy a knitting book until I stumbled upon the fact that Adagio sells a few things through Amazon. So I picked up the ingenuiTEA. All I can say is AWESOME! I picked up a cheap electric kettle. I'll eventually upgrade to one with temperature control but for now this one does the job.

I've made more progress on Cassidy. I'm actually hoping to have it done by the end of the this weekend but that may be wishful thinking. I have about 4 inches left on the sleeves then I'll have to block it so I can seam it all together to knit the hood and button bands. I'm actually contemplating leaving the hood off. I don't really use the hood so not sure if it'll be a waste of time. I may go with a nice fold down collar.

Until next time....Happy Crafting.

Yarn on the Move

A couple weeks ago I decided that my stash needed to move from its current location to a less stinky spot in the house. Our house is connected to our neighbors house and our neighbor stores their gasoline and lawn mower in their outside closet which unfortunately is next to my yarn closet and the stink is seeping into my yarn closet. So for two days I worked on moving everything around in our bedroom so I could move all of my yarn and fiber stash upstairs. I'm keeping my swift, ball winder, and knitting books downstairs but the yarn and fiber had to be moved before it started taking on the nasty smell of gasoline. I also bought some more plastic drawers for yarn storage. I lucked out and found a sale at ShopKo so they were buy one, get one free. I'll take some pictures for my next blog post. All my sock yarn is sorted out nicely but self striping, semi solid, variegated and mass produced balls of sock yarn like Opal, Regia, Patons, etc. My sweater yarn has a home in the cedar chest Shawn bought for me years ago.

Now if this was my house I would look into fixing the problem, unfortunately I live in military housing and anyone who has ever lived in military housing knows that it is like pulling hens teeth to get housing maintenance to fix something. They act like it's a crime to want to live in a house where stuff isn't broken. The less they fix the more money they save thus more money for the military to piss out the window on stupid stuff....course that is a whole new can of worms I'd much rather not ponder about. Thankfully we only have a little over two years and then I can buy my own home which after seeing the craptastic way most of the newer homes are being built I we will most likely look for a older home with a sound structure and a little fixing up needing to be done. I don't mind doing some of my own house renovations.

Now on to knitting which sadly there is some I can't show you.

Here's Cassidy (ravelry)(non ravelry) in all her not finished beauty.

I finished the other front panel so next up is the sleeves. I'll most likely knit both sleeves at the same time which may be a bit of insanity on my part since I'll have four balls of yarn going at the same time. I'm alternating rows to make everything blend better.

I frogged my Mara shawl and started a different shawl with the yarn. I was counting on getting most of the Mara shawl knit in the car when we were traveling from here to Oregon and back when we visited my Granny last October. Unfortunately I didn't get as much done as I had planned and while tons or garter stitch while traveling in the car is fine I haven't touched it since we got home so ribbit ribbit.

Here's the pattern I went with.

It's the Sun Ray Shawl (ravelry). It's not a complicated shawl but there is enough going on that I'm not completely bored out of my mind which unfortunately is why I wasn't working on Mara. It probably didn't help that I knit the sample for Madelinetosh so I'd already knit one. I rarely go back to knit a pattern again.

I also have a new "on the go" pair of socks on the needles.

This is just my standard toe up sock pattern with a short row heel. The yarn is Patons Kroy sock yarn that I picked up from Michaels. It feels a tad thicker then most sock yarns I use. To save my sanity I didn't bother trying to match up the stripes.

I finally decided to start working on a sock yarn blanket.

This is based off a pattern I used to knit a baby blanket for my sister-in-law. You knit a mitered square and then pick up stitches along one side, cast on the other half of the stitches and knit another mitered square. You just keep going until your row is long enough and then go back to the beginning and pick up more stitches and start a new row. No sewing up your little squares and all you have to do is weave in the ends. I'm working on this off and on. 

I picked up some yarn to make another shawl for my mom.

The yarn is Dream in Color Baby in the Blue Sage colorway that I picked up from The Loopy Ewe. I received the beads I ordered from Fire Mountain Gems and Beads but they are to small to work with DIC Baby which is a light fingering weight yarn. These beads would work perfectly with lace weight. Unfortunately Fire Mountain didn't really list what size these beads are so I was kind of flying blind. Oh well, I'll set them aside for another project. I have the right beads on order from Earthfaire which is where I should have went in the first place and since I was ordering the beads from them I picked up the pattern too. I've heard nothing but good things about Earthfaire. I'm going to knit the Rosalind Shawl (ravelry)(non ravelry) by Sivia Harding. It's a lovely combination of lace, cables and beads. I got hooked on her patterns after a test knit I did for Woolgirl. I love knitting lace shawls but don't really use them. The only ones that I really use are worsted weight shawls that I can snuggle under during those cold winter days.

Oh and I finally blocked my Rivolo (ravelry)(non ravelry).

I have no idea who will give this scarf a good home. I started out making socks with this yarn but the a portion of the skein didn't have the little bits of green color so one sock was coming out a dark purple/pink color and the other part was much lighter with the green and lighter coloring so I figured a scarf would work best. You can actually see some of the color difference when you look at the scarf. I'm not much of a scarf wearer but I really wanted to knit this pattern. I normally wear cowls because they are easier to put on and take off when you're out and about shopping. Plus the bonus is that you can pull them up to cover your mouth, nose and ears. When a biting wind is ripping through here in the middle of winter it feels rather nice to have as much of your face covered as possible. 

I have some fabric to make a doll blanket for Kaity which I really need to get started on next week. I'm thinking about going with a simple four patch quilt. I need to do some measuring but I think I'll go with 2 inch squares. Time to bust out the sewing machine. 

I think that sums up what I've been up to. Until next time!

Happy Crafting!

Plugging Right Along

I'm trying to get back into a regular blogging schedule. Yes, I know I know this isn't the first time I've said that. It's only been a week since my last blog post so that's progress. I've finished a few projects but two of them are secret projects so no showing until well after the packages are sent out.

I did finish my "on the go" lemon socks.

These are made out of Lionbrand Sock-Ease in the Lemon Drop colorway. The pattern is my standard toe up pattern with a short row heel. The yarn is like most typical wool/nylon workhorse sock yarns. I'd say it's about as thin as Trekking. I haven't found any locally but people on Ravelry are destashing it at a reasonable price.

I have gotten a few kits too. I just link them to my Flickr account so I don't end up spoiling it for anyone who hasn't gotten theirs. I've received the Yellow Brick Road Wizard of Oz sock club kit, my Tea Party kit, and the final shipment of the second installment of the Lord of the Rings sock club from The Unique Sheep. There is one set to sign up for but I haven't yet. I hope to sign up for it in the next payday or two.

My Cassidy (ravelry)(non ravelry) is moving along well and I'm about a quarter of the way through the other front piece. I would have been farther along but I messed up and had to frog 20 plus rows.

I also started another pair of "on the go" socks. I'm using some Patons Kroy sock that I picked up from Michaels a few weeks ago. They're toe up and will have a short row heel. They're going to be plain stockinette because it's easy and I can toss them down and not have to worry about losing my place.

Happy Crafting!

Bad Blogger, No Cookie

Wow, my last blog post was written at the end of March. This could be why I've had a serious drop in readers. Sorry for not posting, things have been busy. I'll try to post more often but I'd be crazy if I made promises. Now that Shawn has a motorcycle to get him back and forth to work I have the car with the exception of nasty weather days then he takes the car.

I've been pretty busy with knitting, between test knits and my own knitting I always have something on the needles. I've finished a few pairs of socks since I last posted.

First up is a pair of basic socks knit with self striping sock yarn.

The yarn is from Studio Avenue Six and the pattern is my basic toe up pattern with a short row heel. For a little excitement I worked a picot cuff.

Next up is a pair of socks from Wendy Johnsons new book Toe Up Socks for Everybody.

These are the Laurel (ravelry) sock pattern and the yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy in the Flamingo Pie colorway. Very comfy socks! My next pair are going to be the Diamonds and Cables socks (ravelry)using String Theory Caper sock.

I've also finished two pair of socks for Bree.

The top photo is Regia sock yarn and the bottom pair is made with Knit Picks Stroll sock yarn. She requested socks out of the blue one day so I cast on right away. I have some Patons stretch sock and Kroy sock in the stash that will soon become socks for her.

I started a baby blanket for my sister in law who is due in July.

The yarn is Knit Picks Comfy and the pattern is Pine Forest Baby Blanket. It's a freebie pattern available for download on Ravelry. It's an easy pattern without being completely boring. I've set the blanket aside to work on other things but will get it finished before the wee one is born.

I've also started my Cassidy (ravelry)(non ravelry) sweater for the Loopy Ewe quarterly challenge which is now due 1 July instead of the original date of 1 May. 

I'm using Dream in Color Classy in the Deep Sea Flower colorway. I'm alternating skeins every other row and it seems to be coming out nicely. I'm actually a lot farther along then this photo shows. I've finished the back piece and the left front piece. All I have left is the right front piece, 2 sleeves and a hood and the button bands and I'll be done. If I keep going the way I have I should be done with it in time.

I also have a new pair of "on the go" socks on the needles.

These are once again a basic toe up sock with a short row heel. The yarn is Lion Brand Sock-ease in the Lemon Drop colorway.

I got my May Loopy Ewe sock club package in.

I really like this one and it does scream summer. The yarn is Fleece Artist BFL sock and for the extra goodie we got a set of Oh Snap bags from Namaste. I've been wanting a set of these for quite some time now.

I've also acquired quite a bit of yarn since my last post but I think that could be a post all on it's own. If you're on Ravelry and are on my friends list then you've most likely seen all the yarn added. If you're not on my friends list and want to be, let me know and I can add you.

Happy Crafting!

Back from the Dead

Things haven't been all that exciting around here. I've been dealing with a nasty head/chest cold that I'm finally starting to kick though I still have a nagging cough that is driving me crazy. So needless to say I was sporadically online but just not feeling the love to work on a blog update even though I do have a few things to post about. Amazingly enough I do have some finished knitting projects even though there was a good week or so where I didn't touch my knitting needles....shocking, I know! I'm really looking forward to kicking this cough so I can go back to physical therapy since my back is starting to bother me again. 

Lets see, hmmmmm, what should I start with first. Ah, I know the Butterfly Garden socks (Ravelry)(non Ravelry).

They are a bit snug so I'm trying to decide if I want to frog the leg and reknit without the pattern on the back of the leg and do a simple ribbing or seed stitch to match the front of the sock. I did change the cuff to a basic k2, p2 ribbing. I tried the cuff from the pattern but it was way to small for my foot let alone my leg. The yarn used is JulieSpins M420S (etsy)(artfire) which is a lovely superwash merino sock yarn and the color way is called Golden Glow. I'll definitely make these a again but use a slightly thicker yarn, maybe Dream in Color Smooshy.

I finally finished my latest "on the go" socks.

These are knit using Patons Kroy Stretch sock. The colorway is called sugar and the pattern is a basic toe up sock with a short row heel and k2, p2 ribbing. I do believe I can get this at Michaels so it's cheap and easy to obtain. It's not a bad sock yarn and I think they'll make great summer socks. Not that I stop wearing wool socks in the summer. I don't wear them outside but I do wear them around the house. Certain parts of the floor here in the house are freezing because the designer of this house was a real idiot when they decided where to put the vents for the air conditioner. This of course wasn't the only thing the designer messed up on but I won't go into that since it would probably be a blog post in itself.

I started and finished a scarf using the Mountain Colors Crazyfoot I won in a blog contest. 

The pattern is Rivolo (Ravelry)(non Ravelry) by Knitspot. As you can see this is the progress photo that I took. I haven't blocked the scarf yet so I'll post a finished picture when I get that done. This was a great knit and the pattern repeat was easy to work so I had no difficulties working on it when I was watching tv. It took me less then a week to knit. I haven't decided what I'm going to do with the scarf....keep it, gift it. The yarn is Mountain Colors new sock yarn called Crazyfoot and the color way is called Wild Raspberries. I originally started a pair of socks but the two socks were completely different colors. There was a portion of this skein that was a much darker purpley color and then later lighter parts with bits of green and an almost orangish color (which is very pretty) for the rest of the skein so one of my socks would have had a dark purple foot. So to the frog pond it went and became Rivolo which played much more nicely with the yarn.

Here's the projects I worked on for Woolgirl/Miss Babs for Stitches West.

The top picture is Gust (Ravelry)(non Ravelry) in Miss Babs Yummy Sock in the A Day at Blue Spring Park colorway and the second picture is Hayrick Socks (Ravelry)(non Ravelry) in Miss Babs Yummy Sock in the Vlad's Red colorway. Both patterns are Knitspot patterns. I really need to get my hands on some of the Vlad's Red for myself so I can make my own pair of red Hayrick socks. I love the way these socks came out. 

I did pick up a few goodies along the way. 

An order from The Loopy Ewe.

 I picked up some ShibuiKnits sock yarn to make the Transitions socks, Dragonfly Fibers Djinni sock (merino/cashmere blend), and Needle Foods sock yarn. 

The first shipment for The Loopy Ewe sock club came in.

I'm sure most, if not all people have gotten theirs in now. We got Fiesta Baby Boom sock yarn, a sock pattern by WendyKnits, a shawl pattern, and two wooden shawl pins. I haven't decided which pattern I want to knit yet.

Gave some JulieSpins BFL (etsy)(artfire) roving a new home. The colorway is Peach Melba.

Someone on Ravelry was destashing and I do adore BFL although I haven't used my wheel since I threw out my back several months ago. She's been rather lonely and neglected. I really must give my Precious some attention.

I found some self striping Watermelon sock yarn on etsy from KnitPurlGurl.

The colors are vibrant and the yarn is super soft. I'll probably end up using this one soon for a pair of socks.

And that sums up my blog post for this round. I'm currently working on some test knits so I won't be working on my own knitting much. I was lucky enough to be picked by The Loopy Ewe to be a sample knitter so I'm really excited about that.

The Shock of It

Eeeek, gasp, shock, wow! I know it's shocking that I'm posting to my blog and it's only been about 2 weeks since my last post. I may just get back on a regular blog posting schedule after all, not that I have a whole lot to post about other then some yarn purchases. I have two items I knit for Miss Babs for Stitches West and since that's going on right now I'll post some pics in my next blog post.

We got the final word down the other day so it's official, we're not moving to Germany. Our orders were canceled so we'll be staying here in Montana for now. I'm really not upset about it. I think it would have been a wonderful experience for our family but at the same time it was going to be a lot of hassle. We've already been told that there is a big possibility for another set of orders to come down in 6 months so we'll see what happens. If we're meant to go then we'll get another set of orders to Germany in 6 months....only time will tell. I for one still have my fingers crossed that the next set will be to Honolulu, Hawaii. Hey, a girl can dream can't she.

I'll start with the few knitting projects I can post about then follow them up with the yarn.

First up is a pair of socks I'm knitting for myself.....Butterfly Garden Socks (ravelry)(non ravelry)

 

These socks are actually a lot farther along but I haven't taken a picture of them yet. I've finished the heels and have worked about 2 inches of the leg. The next picture I take will most likely be when I finish them. The yarn is JulieSpins M420S and the colorway is called Golden Glow which is so cheerful and perfect for overcast nasty weather. The weather here was overcast and we had a good amount of snow when I cast on these socks. The weather has since changed and is now more like Spring. I keep waiting for the weather to change and dump 2 feet of snow on us. I keep having this feeling like we're not done yet. If you like a pattern loaded with little cables and twists then you'll love this pattern. I find that the more complicated patterns work up quickly for me then plain socks.

The 1 Jan 2010 Monthly Dishcloth KAL cloth.

 
 

I was using scrap yarn in my stash and ran out. I had another red ball in there but as you can see the two colors weren't from the same dyelot. I'm not even sure if they're the same brand since they all feel the same to me.

Now on to the goodies portion of the post. I have done a bit of yarn buying since we're not moving. I need to restock some of the yarn I destashed....ok so I didn't really buy this yarn with that intention.

First up is Zen Yarn Garden's new base Serenity 20.

 
 

This sock yarn base has 20 percent cashmere in it and is completely squish-able! The colorway is Blueberry Swirl. I'm to busy hugging it to knit it right now but I'm looking for the perfect pattern so I can't start knitting with it soon.

My last Woolgirl order.

 
 

I picked up a few things from Woolgirl's shutting down the online store sale. I picked up 2 sock patterns and several skeins of sock yarn (from left to right): Union Center Knits sport weight sock yarn, Mama Llama's Bounty Ewe (merino/cashmere base sock yarn), Yarn Love Marianne Dashwood, and Curious Creek Fibers Serengeti.

I have the first shipment of the second installment of the Lord of the Rings sock club from The Unique Sheep. I joined for another 3 shipments. If you want to see it Click Here.

Beyond Basic Knits Self Striping sock yarn.

 
 

I picked this one up because all proceeds from the sells of these pink yarns are going towards their fundraising efforts for their Susan G Komen 3 day walk. They have a blog set up if you want to check it out. I love self striping yarn and the money is going towards a great cause so you can't go wrong.

The Sanguine Gryphon Bugga!

 
 

Need I say more. I caught this in the last update from The Loopy Ewe. The colorway on the top is Marpesia Marcella (picture came out a little bit to maroon-ish) and the colorway on the bottom is Oleander Hawk Moth.

Wollmeise 80/20 Twin sock yarn in the am kalten Polar colorway.

 
 

I happened to stubble upon a Wollmeise update going on at The Loopy Ewe. I've been wanting this colorway for some time now and finally managed to get a skein.

Finally, an order from Knit Picks.

 
 

Actually the order was placed for the skeins of Comfy worsted (planetarium colorway) for a baby blanket but I had to throw in the skein of sock yarn (stroll handpaint in the Make Believe colorway) and the Sock Club book to hit the free shipping mark. Plus the book was 40% off when I ordered.

I think that pretty much covers everything for now. I'll try to post here again in the next week with some more knitting pictures. I'm hoping to start spinning again this weekend. My back is doing much better now and I think I'm finally ready to spin again.

Happy Crafting!

No Snappy Titles Left

I think I've used up all my snappy titles. After several years of blogging I'm all tapped out. Actually I think maybe I just need a vacation. I keep saying my motivation is hanging out on a warm beach sipping mojitos and enjoying a good book so maybe I should join my motivation. I does sound like a great idea! Nothing better then your toes in the sand, reading a good book and sipping on a cold drink.

Not a whole lot going on here in the Luvs2knit household. Same junk just a different day. The base is undergoing a huge inspection so I've pretty much been stuck at home since Shawn is working late hours and weekends. If all goes well this weekend will be ours although they haven't announced if they'll get Presidents Day off or not. It's getting kinda boring sitting around the house and no I don't want to scrub the house from top to bottom just to keep the boredom at bay. Between you and me, I'd rather be bored....just sayin.

Let see if I can play a little catch up here. My mom now has her shawl and loves it to pieces. I've been working on a few test knits for Woolgirl and I have some yarn coming in to knit samples for Miss Babs for Stitches West.

Might as well get started on posting FO's and new goodies that I've received in the mail.

First up is the beaded socks (ravelry).

I ended up making these for my mom. The yarn is Huntington sock yarn from WEBS. It's very soft, super cheap, and I loved knitting with it. I see more of this yarn in the future.

Shawn's Iain cabled hoodie (ravelry)(you can find the pattern through various stores online)

The picture isn't all that great. We had a lot of days with little to no sunshine so an indoor photo was all I could get at the time. All I need to do now is knit the sleeves and hood. Shouldn't take much longer. 

I broke my no yarn till after we move rule to pick up a few skeins of yarn since my last post.

First up is JulieSpins MCN355 in the Ginger Cat and Emerald colorways.

I found two people on Ravelry who were destashing these colorways so I had to give them a new home. I can't get enough of this yarn. It's so squishy and soft plus JulieSpins colorways are gooooooorgeous!

My Ruby Slippers Oz Sock Club package came in. You can see it here if you want. This is one of the patterns I test knit for Woolgirl not that long ago.

Next up are two skeins of JulieSpins M420S which is her superwash merino sock yarn.

These were from her Unclub that she does out on her Ravelry group. The top color is called Golden Glow and the bottom is Beach Plum. I absolutely loooooove these colors. I'm using the yellow one right now to knit the Butterfly Garden Socks (ravelry)(non ravelry).

Then I picked up some Fearless Fibers Merino Cashmere Nylon sock yarn.

I like Fearless Fibers sock yarn so I wanted to give this MCN base a try. The color way is called Feel the Love and is absolutely gorgeous.

Skein of String Theory Caper sock that I picked up from The Loopy Ewe.

This is the Isle colorway. OK, I have to admit it appears I've got a merino/cashmere sock yarn addiction now.

I have in my possession a skein of the new Mountain Colors Crazyfoot sock yarn.

Mountain Colors was having a contest on their blog and I won along with I think 49 other people.....woot! The colorway is Wild Raspberry. As soon as I finish up my sample knits this will be hopping on the needles. I just need to figure out which pattern I want to use. 

Finally this yummy squishy yarn ended up on my doorstep.

It's Dream in Color Classy in the Deep Sea Flower colorway to knit Cassidy (Ravelry)(non Ravelry) for the TLE 2010 Q1 Sweater Challenge. Thankfully the challenge is going on till July so I have plenty of time to get it finished. This is my "woohoo we got our income tax refund reward".

I have a box full of goodies coming in from Woolgirl's "closing the shop" sale. She posted out on Ravelry that's she closing down the online/store portion of the business and is going to concentrate on kits and clubs. Everything is 35 percent off. I'm sadden to see her close the shop but it's for her health which is more important then yarn.

Now it's time to go wake sleeping beauty (who is snoring on the couch, quite loudly I might add) and go to bed. Course it's very possible that sleeping beauty won't wake up and will sleep on the couch for the night. I swear when Shawn falls asleep on the couch in the evening time it's almost impossible to get him to move.

Happy Crafting!