Knit n Things

On the Sockwars front - still alive and kickin' my target Joni got her socks earlier this week & I'm waiting to get her pair in progress. Haven't heard a peep from my assassin - is that a good thing?

So I joined a new swap - this one I get a pair of socks out of!! So your excused from reading todays post cuz it's just boring questionaire stuff that you've probably heard a zillion times before. Come back later (um... maybe Monday) for real honest to goodness knitting. Really - knitting on a knit blog?? Knitting that's not socks or washclothes? What a concept!

Sock-ret Pal Questionnaire

The basics:
How long have you been knitting? About two years
Do you consider yourself a beginning sock knitter, an intermediate, or have you been doing this so long you could probably knit a pair in your sleep? I’d say I’m an advanced intermediate knitter

The measurements:
While your pal may ask for some additional info to ensure a great fit, please provide your shoe size, or any other fitting related info you think is pertinent. I wear a US size 10 don’t let that freak you out – the standard size sock usually fits - my foot is about 10 ” heel to toe.

(fiber related) Favorites:
What colors do you love? Deep rich colors like jade and burgundy but I’m not crazy picky.
Do you prefer solids or variegated? Both – depends on what I’m gonna knit.
What fibers do you most love to knit with? Anything that feels yummy on my skin.
Who do you consider your favorite yarn vendors? I don’t have one – yet.
What projects (other than socks, of course*S*) do you most enjoy knitting? I’ve been on a lace kick for a while now.

(fiber related) Dislikes:
What fibers can you not stand to knit with? To wear? If it feels yucky I don’t want it – I don’t care if it’s some 200 dollar cashmere (not that cashmere could be bad) – if it feels nasty we’re done.
What colors would you never wear? Fluorescents.

The Tools:
Plastic or Metal? Bamboo or wood? Anything but plastic.
Circs or Straights? Both but I don’t like the really long straights nothing over like 9 inches
DPNs or Magic Loop? I’ve never done magic loop and I don’t’ have any desire to try it. I will use two circs though and I love my dpns
Are there any knitting accessories you don't have in your collection but would like? A swift – but I’m not asking you for one.

The Extras:
Do you have a wish list? If so, please share the link! It hasn’t been updated in so long it’s probably useless but if you’d like I’ll update it.
Do you like sweet, sour or salty? (or all of the above? *S*) All of the above ;)
Do you have any allergies your pal should know about? (Certain foods, smoke, pet hair, etc) Nope
Favorite scents? Scents you can't stand? I like citrus, sweet, and fruity scents – nothing too floral
Do you collect anything (other than yarn and knitting toys of course)? Books
When is your birthday? (month and day is fine!) 7/5

Do you spin? Dye your own yarn? I’m learning to spin, I got a spindle and fiber from my last secret pal. I do dye yarn occasionally – but I stick to the food friendly stuff, Kool-aid & Wiltan’s dyes.
Your favorite author/band/vacation spot, anything you think will help your pal know you better... I’m pretty eclectic I like all kinds of different stuff.

Gauge is EVIL! And it LIES!! Trek is forever busting my chops becasue I NEVER check gauge - this is why I never check gauge. If I don't check gauge and my project comes out wonky - then I can blame gauge. If I do check - if I waste spend an entire TWO HOURS checking the bloody gauge and I get it right and it still comes out wonky well then I'm a moron and the knitting powers that be are punishing me for some unknown reason.

I was late for work this morning looking for the camera so I could show you a picture of what I'm talking about. You'll just have to imagine. Here we go - Sock of Doom number one finished. A little wide in the cuff but I dumped some stiches out of the foot so it should fit ok. More like a slipper than a sock but it's DK weight on size 5 needles what did I expect. Sock of doom two - just past the gusset, with 3 flipping yards of yan left!!! There is no way 3 yards is going to finish the whole rest of the foot. I checked the WPI - I checked gauge - twice - once on size fives and once on fours just to be sure - I got gauge. I had the yardage - it was close but I had it. I don't now of course.

What am I gonna do?!?!?! I'm thinking about starting again - I'm not really loving these socks anyway. I used Cherry Tree Hill cotton that I had in my stash and it's got this texture to it - kinda like that stretchy cotton stuff um...what's it called? Whatever - so I'm not really loving the pattern yarn combo but I'm on a deadline here. Now what?? I'm also thinkin different colored toes - but um one sock will have a part of the foot a different color - will that look dumb? I'll have to rip back the other sock to make them match but I'm not ripipng out part of the other foot - just the toe, will it be stupid? HELP!!

I had these plans to write a nice post about - something I forgot what I was gonna write. But that's not what I forgot. I signed up for Sock Wars I complete forgot it starts TODAY!! I haven't swatched - I haven't even picked up the yarn yet! After she posted needle yarn requirements I totally spaced. I've got the gun but no bullets! Some warrior I'm turning out to be - I'll be dead in a week.

I'm in for it. I did something bad today. Today - I fell in love. Head over flippin heels. Why is that bad you ask? Some may say it's not - but me - yea I'd say I'm in big trouble.

Today I went to the Garden State something or other fiber thing. It's an itty bitty baby fiber fair in Ringoes NJ. When I say itty bitty I'm talking like 15 - 20 vendors. They all fit into one barn. It's small. I almost didn't go cuz it's so little but they were having a workshop on spinning with a spindle and Mom wants to learn so being the enabler wonderful daughter that I am we took the trek. It's only about an hour and it was a really nice drive and totally worth the trip (once).

But I was talking about trouble right? So we've got about an hour to kill before the spindle workshop begins and we're wandering around and stop to admire the beautiful spinning wheels. Next thing I know this WONDERFUL woman by the name of Lea from The Wheelwright has me sitting at a wheel, and then another wheel, and another, and another. She put me on all the wheels she brought with her (totally benny of there not being a lot of people.) So I tried five different spinning wheels today.

Dude - I am sooo toast. I LOVED IT! Spindle spinning is completely different. This is so much smoother - and the treadling is so hypnotic. It's wonderful. I'm in love and now I'm actually considering buying a wheel (see trouble!) I've all ready decided I prefer the tradition wheels, they feel more comfortable and they look prettier. I really liked the Polonaise (which figures cuz it was her most expensive wheel). I also liked the Prelude but I had problems drawing it. I'm not sure if it was me or the wheel. I'd bet my money on me but Lea had the same issues. So I'll be trying every wheel I can get my hands on when I go to Rhinebeck - look out!

After the wheel the spindle workshop was fabulous. They gave us these neat spindles made from a couple of CD's put together with an o-ring shoved into the middle. And some romey (is that right?) I had so much more fun today with the spindle. Why is that? I started using the park and draw method and I have SO MUCH more control over my draft. I'm actually making something that I'm mostly happy with.

Mom (who is also in love with the wheel idea by the way) got the hang of it and bought herself some really pretty roving and abandoned the romey . Mom's gonna be a lace weight super star. Look at this stuff. I think it might be a bit over spun but holy cow is it little. I told her she should maybe try to spin it a little thicker - she says she can't "it gets all messed up and lumpy." Did I mention that this stuff is some kind of wool angora blend? Why start small and easy???

We had a awesome day. Made some new friends (whose names are totally lost to me at the moment - * hi blonde lady with the funky cool name that I can't remember ;) Arisha maybe or Tarisha - I'm sorry I'd tried really hard to remember but I forgot anyway.) Talked to a couple of breeders. Saw the cutest aminals. Bought some stuff. The woman who sold Mom the roving actually sat down with her to help her get started and make sure she was going to be ok spinning her new fiber on her new spindle. Have you ever noticed how totally awesome fiber people are? I wonder if I'll ever stopped being awed and amazed at the coolness of all you guys? Hope not.

Gretchen came through and without further ado in all it's glory - the secret pal swag!

It never fails when a package comes I'm in a fugly shirt and my and my hair is a disater and someone wants to photograph me opening the box. One of these days I'll learn my lesson and clean myself up before the photo shoot - on this particular day I was dying yarn which is why my fingers are kinda orange in this first shot (yes I have pics of the yarn - no you can't see them now - this is about Keohinani's stuff.) K wrote me a fabulous letter and folded it into a wicked cool heart (Dude you must send directions - I can't get it back together!)

Then there's the spindle & stuff. Seriously you can't really tell (or maybe you can)but I was almost in tears - the laughing / crying thing. That's why my face is all red. Tisha has been after me forever to take up spinning (no no no no - I don't wanna.) Yea - that's out the window and she was there to see my downfall - it was a moment.

Fancy coffe & Burts Bees lotions. I see these lotions in the store ALL the time and I'm always like "hmm I wonder if this is good?" It so is! It smells like fruit & it makes my hands all nice! LOVE IT!

Here's the whole haul - the candy yum! The yummy blue & green hanks? Thats a 50/50 merino alpaca blend - WOW! I'm trying to think of something wonderful for it to be. The Sock yarn - it sparkles need I say more?!

So since I still don't have the fun pictures from Gretchen I'll show you a little bit of what I got from Keohinani. She sent me loads of yummy macadamia nut based candies. Like caramel popcorn with Macadamia nuts and caramel Macadamia chewy things and some other chocolate covered Macadamia goodness - but it's all gone so your beat on seeing that stuff. Oh and by the way K you've pretty much got me hooked on the Hi-chews and you may have to get me a life time supply ;) mmmm good a little bit like a Starburst but more chewy and it comes in a package of all one flavor (mmmm grape yummy).

Enough about the candy that's almost all gone - she sent me something that I've kinda wanted to try but have been avoiding forever. Yup she sent me a spindle and some lovely corridale which (according to Virginia) is all top so it's easier to learn with. When I go to fiber festivals and I always avoid touching the roving and the lovely fleeces. I just wasn't ready to get on the band wagon. I had no doubt that eventually I'd give spinning a shot - how can a knitter resist the idea of making her own yarn! But I really just wasn't ready to go there.

Well I went there this weekend. I made something that - well - it might be something that might look like yarn. It looks a little more like - I don't know what it looks like - a bird nest maybe?

I took my beautiful spindle and my fiber over the the guild's spinning night and Virginia held my hand. We started out with my spindle which didn't really have enough spin for me to learn with. It stops dead after about 2 seconds so she gave me a guild spindle to borrow. Then I was strangling the yarn and crying in frustration cuz I just couldn't make it work so she set me up with some roving she had in her basement and her spinning wheel (how awesome is this woman!) I sat next to her while she treadled and I learned to draft. Um how come no body told me it's hard to spin? Spinners make it look so easy and they all tell you it's a joy to do and so relaxing and meditative - bologna! It's hard and frustrating and my fingers wont cooperate and I'm making this beautiful roving into a mess.

Admittedly I was getting it on the wheel and drafting fairly well but then when I switched back to the spindle I was totally screwed up. Now I'm drafting in a different direction and the spindle is the devil and keeps eating the roving that's waiting for it's turn. There's no consistency at all and some of it's really thin and some kinda thick and then there's some that's spun so tight it's making little corkscrews. I don't know that I'm cut out for this spinning thing. I want to keep trying but I'm going to ruin this fabulous corridale. Maybe I'm not cut out for a spindle? Do you have to learn on a spindle? Is that a rule? Maybe I could just jump to a wheel - anybody wanna buy me a wheel for Christmas?

to a blog near you - Secret Pal Swag. Wait till you see what she sent me. OMG! Wow. Gretchen took the pictures for me while I was opening the box - it's kinda worth the wait to see the look on my face. If we don't get the pics onto my computer in a reasonable amount of time I'll take new ones. So until then a quick THANK YOU to my pal Keohinani of Aloha & Oreos - you rock!!

And speaking of Gretchen. For those of you that don't know - I taught G to knit in November. Yes, this past November like 10 months ago. Do you know what she did today? She put me to shame that's what she did. Would you look at this! The woman knit a sweater. A whole flippin sweater!! I'm so impressed. Heck - she's impressed! Just look at this work - aren't you impressed?!
I made a knitter! And she made a sweater - everyone should be impressed!Well she made most of a sweater the very observant will notice the stitch holder going across the back of the neck (sweater still needs a collar) and the ends need to be tucked away but holy cow - she made a sweater! If I'm this excited about her sweater I really need to get my act together and make my own sweater!