Sunday, December 28, 2008

End of Year Catch Up!

Yeah, well, it's now year's end and the good news is, I found the cable to my camera and have access to a laptop at home again, bad news, I'm still not done with Christmas knitting and it's well, not Christmas anymore. Everyone will get their presents by the end of January and just have to deal with it. I know, I'm being grumpy and it's not their fault, it's mine, I over committed myself and I became subjected to carpal tunnel which left me unable to knit for a good 2 plus weeks and having to knit slow, but I have learned that if I plan to make everyone knitted gifts, I have to start in March, so I won't be doing that again. Also, I'm grumpy because since I've gotten back to knitting and learned crochet, I still haven't made a single thing for myself so all this effort has been for everyone else and not me, but that will change! As soon as I finish the current WIP that I need to send off, I have my eyes on a beautiful scarf and mitt set that will be done in July, but it will be all MINE!

What I have finished is nice, which is a good consolation and my WIP are going well. I've certainly learned a lot. I Finished my first pair of socks!!!

They are ugly, imperfect, and took me at least 30 false starts to get them going, but man does it feel nice to have turned those balls of yarn into something so cozy an practical! They are my "Mommy Socks" as they are for my mother-in-law for Christmas. She loves me enough to like them and I love her enough to not keep them for myself. Also, I finished PopPop Beadle's Scarf which turned out very nice!

I had a few issues initially in reading the pattern, but once it got goin

g, it was great! I liked learning about cable cast on and it really turned better than expected. I made a few pattern alterations, I knitted it in one piece, and I made it in a smaller gauge making it a thin elegant scarf which I think will match the eldest of the Beadle Brads' personality much more.

I'm not yet finished with Roland's Ugliest Stocking Hat Challenge, but it's getting there! I'm now on the yellow band and will soon be adding the cookie monster yarn level! It's wide on the bottom, but I'm going to work this out with a rubber band. I've got some soft elastic band from the corsages I make for my brother Victor's dances so that will be really great and it was recommended to me by people from my guild that I wrap the bottom around it to cover how it goes, so I'm going to see it that works.

One semi-failed attempt I had was at my 4 at a time socks. It's not totally failed and I have one pair ready nearly ready to go, but 4 at a time was taking too long. I'm slow enough as it is and new enough to socks. I ended up taking off one pair and just focusing on 2 at a time, which has worked out well. These are for a friend of mine and they are my Twilight Socks! I have a few charts for when I'm done to duplicate knit over them a Twilight Saga inspired pattern, but I've worked out an image with all four of the book covers blended and I'm going to try and chart that out, so wish me luck that it will be ok.

There also have been a lot of abandoned projects. My brave attempt to make things for the family kiddies is null. But that's fine, it just means I already will have yarn for my next projects. So basically that is where my knitting stands so far as we reach years end.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

The Great Twilight End Swap 2008: Part II

Finally got my package done and pictured, I know I’m late with everything!

I have here 55g hank of hand spun bamboo in a blue/green/aqua palette. I spun it myself! Didn’t find a bamboo skein in the color she likes that looked nice, but I saw the fiber and said, “What the hell!? I’ll spin it!” This my first spinning project, with some imperfections, so I hope my partner likes it.

I’ve also included a box of MilkDuds, her favorite candy, for her to go prepared to the film, (I know I can’t watch a movie without the stuff), a bar of Ghirardelli’s dark chocolate raspberry chocolate bar which is my favorite also for the movie, and some hot cocoa, a comfort food of hers (and who isn’t comforted by hot cocoa!?!?!) with little marshmallows to make her feel all warm and fuzzy when she returns from the movie and realizes that the book saga is over and now has to start them all over again…

Then I went crazy at the dollar store with fun stuff and symbolism.

Fun Stuff:


A cute little “very Alice” style fuzzy Muppet/hippie/flower purse and a Winnie the Pooh jacks game, because nothing picks me up more than Winnie the Pooh!


Symbolic Stuff:

Apple Cinnamon Candle = Twilight (get it? Apple!?)

Flowery Bath Beads = New Moon (they didn’t have any moon flower stuff, but this seemed ok…)

Peel&Eat Twizzlers = Eclipse (because they are ribbons that break apart!)

Deck of Playing Cards = Breaking Dawn (couldn’t find a chess set, but at least there is a queen in here!)

(OK! I know I’m a dork! But I’ve gotten the feeling my gal will appreciate a dorky sense of humor!)


Then I’m packing all of this with Tootsie Roll minis stuff and Hershey Kisses as packing peanuts as Tootsie Rolls are from Chicago (where I am now) and Hershey is from PA (where I’m originally from), this will be a shout out to her from me.


Pictures are all below, so tell me what you all think!!!! It goes out tonight!!!!!!