knitting in the bellybutton of california

"Bling!"

2011-01-28T09:30:00.000-08:00

"bling" (originally published in the cd/book, 50 socks-50 states and more, is now available as a stand alone pattern. special price of $4.50 until february 4, 2011! enjoy!

"x" is for

2010-11-30T14:42:00.000-08:00

..."xciting!" ok, i am stretching it here.

i was asked by a dear friend to design some socks to promote autism awareness. autism affects one in 110 children. The symbol for autism is a puzzle piece which is featured on the heel flap. the mosaic pattern on the leg, hopefully, gives a puzzle "flavor" to the socks.

"a piece of the puzzle"

heel designed by meagheen ryan

mosaic pattern would be fun in a solid and variegate colored yarn

the pattern for this cute mini sock is included in the download.

"murphy stands up for autism"
designed by meagheen ryan

"a piece of the puzzle" is available for purchase at meagheen's etsy shop for $6. all proceeds from the sale will go the the hollyrod foundation which provides support to children with autism and their family.

thanks to angie kachelmeier for knitting "a piece of the puzzle" and to sally knotwell for knitting "murphy stands up for autism."

vee three

2010-11-04T16:31:00.000-07:00

vee three is now ready for sale at a special introductory price of $4.50 until november 12th. after that date, the price will be $5.50

Knit cuff down with a hybrid heel (mini heel flap/gusset paired with a short row heel). The cables morph into matching lace on the instep with all ending in a “v” before the toe.

Sock shown was knit with Pagewood Farms Denali 4 (dk weight) in JF's Folly.

"w" is for

2010-10-22T07:21:00.000-07:00

...WALL of mochi (mini, plus, chunky, and otherwise!)

YES! i got to visit the infamous wall of mochi yesterday! i finally took a ride on bart out to richmond to meet up with susan for lunch and a visit to the straw into gold (crystal palace yarns) warehouse!

cathy campbell (who refused to be photographed. i don't know why. she is a cutie!) is out here to make up rep kits with the new yarns that are coming out. it's a very labor intensive process but the results are wonderful.

here is the table with all the new sausalito* colors.

the yarn is cut into long lengths. then cathy pulls out about 5 or 6 pieces showing the different variations of the colorway and loops them around a cardboard strip. these are then mounted onto a black background labeled with the colorway names. i forgot to take a picture of the final product but the presentation is wonderful.

the warehouse is huge

the yarn, needles, and other accessories are housed in this room.

walls of mochi

i did tell lorent (susan's son) that laura and i both fantasize about stuffing our mattresses with mochi. it's so soft! and to be suspicious if i leave the building looking pregnant. LOL!

susan and me with sausalito in hands

(she told me to grab a couple for the photo and totally laughed when i picked up my favorite colorway which will be called mediterrean-similar to neptune)

and i couldn't resist taking a picture with the gorgeous entrelac scarf that debi (corirallen on rav) knit as a sample for susan. the yarn is mochi plus, bodega bay. of course, i checked out the workmanship on the backside. i'm bad that way. =)

it was a wonderful visit. it was fun to finally meet susan and cathy in person. the internet is an interesting place in that we all "chat" with people and get to know them online, while rarely ever meeting them in the flesh.

and yes, susan sent me home with a very generous "goodie bag" filled with yarn and needles. and no, it was not all mini mochi! LOL! i think my favorite is the sausalito in half moon bay (similar to bogeda bay). she just got in some sample skeins. squeeeeeeeeeee....

* sausalito is two-ply, but the two strands will match as much as possible so the yarn will knit in long gradual color changes (not tweedy), just like the mini mochi. the colorways are similar to the mini mochi but will have different names. it's amazing how changing the number of plies changes the look of the colors. it's going to be perfect for socks!

"v" is for

2010-08-23T06:29:00.000-07:00

...vanished! LOL! yes, it appears that it's been many months since i've posted.

the last 4 weeks have been very busy design-wise for me. i had a pattern accepted for the iron knitter 2 competition which starts sept 1. had to get a sample sock knitted up and the pattern written. rav group for ik is here.

THEN i was totally tickled to be asked to be a mystery sock (mock) designer for sock knitters anonymous. THEN i got the yarn (i was all excited because this was the first time all year that i have gotten the yarn for the sotm kit more than 1 month ahead of the deadline for the pattern) to design the october sotm kit for theknitter.com which i wanted finished and written up by sept 1. THEN i was asked if i would design the september mock!

3 stealth projects, 2 with definite deadlines BEFORE sept 1! nothing like stress designing! LOL!

but yes, "v" is for victory. my iron knitter pattern has been sent in. (there is still time to sign up for the competiton if you're interested! there are yarny prizes!) my sept mock clues for ska are written up! and i am working on the sock for theknitter.com!

and my hubby is working on his second scarf! yes, he is still knitting. and he has decided that he needs to learn another stitch besides KNIT! purling lessons coming soon. this may be worse than 3 sock designs in one month!

now comes the hard part....waiting for september 1!

"u" is for

2010-01-21T08:01:00.000-08:00

....UNbelievable! thank you for all the comments. so many of you "LOVE" my bling! **blink, blink** LOL! i'm so bad!!!

anyway, i guess you are back to see who won the 50 socks/50 states cd/book. using the random number generator (although i am more of a draw a name out of the hat person), the winning number is..............................................

"the answer to the universe and everything" + 1

43

christineT

congrats! i will be contacting you by email to get your address.

if any of you are interested in purchasing this nice collection of patterns, you can contact drlaura (aka the publisher) here. $24.95 + s/h for 57 patterns! she will ship internationally too.

HELP FOR HAITI: i am donating $2 from each pattern purchased between january 18th - january 31st through my rav store to doctors without borders. as of now, the total is over $120. my patterns are listed on the sidebar. thank you for your support.

"t" is for

2010-01-12T08:57:00.000-08:00

...treat!

i have a copy of the cd/book, 50 socks/50 states, to give away to one lucky commenter. just leave me a comment on this post by wednesday, january 20th.

of course, it wouldn't hurt to tell me that "bling" is your mostest favoritest sock of the entire collection! **wink, wink** =D

we are having a kal for the sock cd/book over on the rav group, 50 socks book, . come join us! the designers will be around to help with questions and problems.

and for extra chances to win, go visit siriusknitting. she is giving away one cd/30 entrants. her deadline to enter is january 24th!

ps. don't forget to leave me a way to contact you, should you be the winner.

"s" is for

2010-01-11T07:57:00.001-08:00

...shawlette! i've finally named my "nonameyet" shawlette and have the pattern up for sale on rav.

"in the land of oz"
where 'roos and peacocks reign supreme

introductory price of $4.50 until january 15, 2010.

"r" is for

2010-01-06T10:22:00.001-08:00

REALLY BIG NEWS! "bling! bling!" is available!

the 50 socks/50 states cd/book has finally been released and can be purchased directly from the publisher here and should soon be available in your lys (if they carry crystal palace yarn). there are 58 sock patterns crammed onto this one little cd!

dr laura is holding a drawing for a copy or two of the cd so head on over there and leave a comment. winner will be drawn on january 24th.

i also have an extra copy for a drawing, so come on back soon after i figure out how i want to "torture" you. :)

we are having a kal for the socks in the cd/book over on rav. currently voting on which socks to knit first. of course, there will be prizes. check it out if you are interested.

and there is a 12 months/12 projects/12 balls of yarn kal on the carefree blog. i joined but i don't expect to last very long. i am so easily distracted. LOL!

ps. yes, i know i skipped "q"! and i realize that i have been a very bad blogger...but you should see my stack of scarves and shawlettes!!!!!!!!!!!!

"p" is for

2009-11-11T08:05:00.000-08:00

"pretty pleased" with himself! (and a little bit "proud" too!)

i hate sewing in the ends after i finish a project. i especially hate sewing in the ends on cotton dishcloths. my hubby is the dishwasher in the family (and no, you can't have him) and likes using handknit dishcloths. one day, he asked how hard it was to sew those ends in. thus, it became his job to finish off the dishcloths.

a few months later, he asked how hard it was to knit dishcloths. so, i got him a set of knitting needles and cotton yarn and proceeded to teach him how to do the knit stitch, cast on and bind off. This is his third dishcloth. he likes them small.

well, a couple of weeks ago, he came home from work and asked if i had any yarn that could be used to knit a scarf. after overcoming my shock, i asked "why?" he had decided that he wanted to knit one for his co-worker. so, i dug around and found two balls of patons allure in a pretty teal.

hubby is almost done with the scarf and as you can see, he is VERY "proud" of himself. today, we went yarn shopping for more yarn so he can knit a scarf for his mom. (my ulterior motive is to keep him out of MY stash! i am definitely going to have to find better hiding spots for my good stuff!)

the reason for the lei is that he thinks he deserves a trip to hawaii as a reward for finishing his first really big project.

he has even said, "wait, i need to finish this row first!" is that good or what!?!!

he is on his way....

ps. our sons laughed when they saw both of us sitting at the table knitting. their turn will come. they just don't know it yet.

"o" is for

2009-10-03T10:06:00.000-07:00

.."ooh, child..."

i've finally given a name to the sock formerly known as "it's a mystery sock kal." my friend, debi, said the name made her think of this song. of course, now, she can't get it out of her head! LOL!

anyway, as i mentioned before, the sock reminded me of the child empress of fantasia who also needed a name. what better name for the sock than the one bastian shouted out?!

"moonchild"
aka the sock formerly known as "it's a mystery sock kal"

the pattern is available for sale on my rav shop for a special discounted price of $5 until october 9th. after that, the price will be $6.

and special thanks to katrin who suggested this name.

"n" is for

2009-09-16T16:21:00.000-07:00

...'nnouncing the winner of the copy of the joy of sox!

some very interesting things in your knitting bags! sounds like "some" of us need to dump our bags out more often! LOL!

being from the old school, i like to do things the old fashion way...yep. i cut up all your comments and stuck them in here:

shook everything around and drew out this:

*

*

so, yoyo socksister! you have won a copy of the new sock book, the joy of sox, courtesy of lark books and moi! congratulations! i hope you enjoy the patterns. please email me at ajmcfong at yahoo dot com with your mailing address and i will get this lovely book out to you.

and because so many of you took the time to leave me a comment, i decided to draw 3 more names and will be giving you a pattern of your choice from my ravelry store. you can also pick the mystery sock but the pattern will not be available until october.

kate
turtle
stacy

if you gals would pm me (rav id is bellybuttonknits) over on rav with your choice of pattern, i will get the pattern out to you.

thank you all for playing along!

obligatory ugly hummingbird picture
6-21-09

one of my friends sent me a picture of a baby cockatoo and it's even uglier than baby hummingbirds!

"m" is for

2009-09-08T11:35:00.000-07:00

..."make" someone happy AND "mystery" socks!

i want to make someone happy by giving away a copy of the joy of sox! here's the deal. leave me a comment ON THIS POST telling me the strangest thing you have in your knitting bag and why it's there. i keep a small superball in my knitting bag. it's perfect for sticking in sock toes while you are trying to even out that little kitchener graft! strange but it works. or if you are more normal than that, you can leave me a comment telling me why you think you deserve the book or how/why you got into sock knitting. once upon a time, i honestly did think it was strange for people to be hand knitting socks!

deadline for posting a comment will be tuesday, september 15th! us residents only, this time. sorry. please leave me a way to contact you should you be the lucky winner.

and the final clue for the carefree mystery sock kal went out over the weekend. so i can share some pictures with you.

my pattern still doesn't have a real name...
kind of like the empress of fantasia in neverending story

it's a mystery sock

pathetic, huh?!

crystal palace yarn - panda wool (ultramarine)
us 1.5 (2.5mm) needles
i love them but i only wish i had added some sparkly beads

hummingbirds
6/20/09

i kept wondering when they would get cute!

"l" is for

2009-09-02T14:50:00.000-07:00

...LOTUS!

color me EXCITED!

and you have a reason to be excited too! i have a copy of the book to give away, courtesy of lark books. weren't they nice? check back in a few days while i come up with some kind of contest.

**singing, "i'm so excited!!!! lalalala!!! so excited!!!**

"k" is for

2009-08-20T06:25:00.000-07:00

kal!

my mystery sock kal starts tomorrow. wish me luck! i've never lead a mystery kal before. and i found the pattern was much more work to write up than a regular pattern. but then i do tend to make things a tad more "jazzy" than required. and yes, that was a hint. LOL! you should be scared! :op

hummingbirds
6-19-09
bigger but still ugly

"j" is for

2009-08-04T11:25:00.000-07:00

...just because i can.

remember that noro yarn that i knit into :

the entrelac scarf?

i actually finished the scarf, using 4 skeins of noro. didn't like it so frogged the entire scarf and started

the mystery of marie roger scarf

i liked how the colors were making stripes. however, i kept losing my place in the scarf and ending up tinking back at several times. do you know how frustrating it is to find a mistake in a scarf that is knit lengthwise?! yes, close to 300 stitches in a row. and yes, i did...

ten stitch scarf

the yarn is in its third reincarnation of a scarf! and i think i will keep this one. i did have to frog this version once after knitting 3 -4 repeats because i realized that i was knitting the corners wrong and that they were not sitting flat. i get easily confused, thankyouverymuch.

i don't think i have ever gotten so much play value from any of my other yarn. seriously!

and you all know i love contests. barbara bretton (author of "casting spells" and other romance novels) of romancing the yarn blog is having a 2 month prize giveway. well, i won her drawing for july 11th. she sent me this cute bag, bookmark, a magnet (it's some place), and 2 skeins of elann baby cashmere (perfect for a scarf-and you all thought i was scary with socks! LOL!)

there is still a month to go for the daily drawings so go on over and sign up. it's really easy!

and the sign-ups are open for the carefree mystery sock kal. as i mentioned in my last post, i am designing the socks and i hope some of you decide to play with me. i hate being lonesome. you do need to join the carefree kal blog in order the receive the clues. there will be a limit to the number of people allowed to join just cause that's the way blogger plays.

hummingbirds

6-17-09

"i" is for

2009-07-29T16:58:00.000-07:00

... itsy-bitsy! ( stretching it, i know!)

"vauvan sukka"
which translates to "train socks" (i think)
my way

kroy sock yarn
us 1.5 needles (2.5mm)
40 sts (probably 3-6 months)

saw these adorable baby socks on ravelry but the pattern is not available. it would have been in finnish anyway (and my knowledge of finnish is even less than german which is virtually non-existent). so what was i to do? why, reverse knit the socks, of course. as per protocol, i knit three socks to get the two. i started off with some leftovers and got to the last 6 rounds of the toe to realize that i would not have enough for a pair (unless i downsize to 32 sts). groan! well, you know me and the frog pond. so, i started all over again with a new skein of yarn. the socks are sooo itsy-bitsy (that they make you want to start talking in a high squeaky voice!).

i may write up my version just so i have a reference for future pairs. i love how they turned out!

in september, we will be having a mystery sock kal over at the carefree kal blog. i have the sock done and just have to write up the clues. let me know if you are interested in playing along. you have to be a member of the blog to receive the clues.

hummingbirds
6/15/09

they've grown a lot in 2 days. still looking like plucked chickens.

"h" is for

2009-06-25T08:31:00.000-07:00

....hummingbirds! my hubby spotted a hummingbird's nest in a tree in front of our house. we weren't sure if the nest was active so i used our digital camera to take a picture of the inside of the nest.

look at what we found!

may 31, 2009

mama wasn't sitting on the nest when hubby first spotted the nest. it was very well camouflaged in the leaves. later, mama came back and we got a shot of her sitting on the nest. can you see her?

here's a closer look at her. she wasn't afraid of us.

i took a couple of pictures of an old nest that we found on the ground a couple of years ago. the inside of the nest is about the size of a quarter. i imagine the eggs are a bit smaller than pinto beans.

then i stuck the nest next to a dwarf marigold flower

it wasn't until almost 2 weeks later that i thought to see if the eggs had hatched. ding-dong here should have been checking everyday; then i could tell you how old the babies are.

june 13th
did you know that the hummingbirds use spiderwebs to build their nests? it looks funny to see the nest stretch and wiggle as the babies get bigger and move around.

the mama hummingbird usually lays two eggs; laying one, skipping a day, and then laying another. she does not start sitting on the eggs until both are laid. it takes 16-18 days before the eggs hatch. the babies are born naked and without the characteristic long hummingbird beak (which i am sure makes mama happy). they really are butt-ugly!

fledging usually takes place about 3 weeks after the babies hatch so i suspect that i will find the nest empty soon as the babes venture out with mama.

we have been following their progress and have been taking pictures every day or so. i will be posting more pictures. it's not everyday that we get an opportunity like this. isn't nature wonderful?!

"g" is for

2009-06-24T08:37:00.000-07:00

....goody! goodies!!!!

i won a blogiversary drawing over at learner's per-knit by sharing my ugliest project. and no, i didn't win because mine was the ugliest, thankyouverymuch! but ugly did beget something most lovely....

storm moon knits - tornado sock yarn
"i kissed a girl" colorway

i love it! thank you, kristen!

and then i did finish my pair of "kai-meis" -only my way! i added the lace panel down the sides of the legs. i just can't do 6 inches of plain k3p3 ribbing. i'm sorry!

"kai-meis"
from sock innovations by cookie a
mini-mochi in violet rainbow
us 1.5 needles (2.5mm)

submitted them for the may contest on socktopia over on ravelry and won this:

the yarn is called "yummy' and is new to me. i love the colors. emm1e, the mod, personalized the prize by checking my rav profile. isn't she the sweetest thing?!

my hubby and i went to go see the new star trek. i was dubious about this as i grew up watching the original star trek. i must admit that the actors did a remarkable job capturing the essence of the original characters. and oh my! the "new" spock looked more like the "original" spock than the "old" spock did. i didn't realize that leonard nimoy was in this one. what a surprise!

oh boy! now i get to do "H"! i have something wonderful!

taking a break from the alphabet

2009-06-16T13:25:00.000-07:00

to let you know that i've finally got "zen garden" ready for sale over at my ravelry shop. only took me a year and a half! i am working on my other patterns...slowly! very slowly

!

"f" for

2009-06-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

..."fluffy, fun, fiber!"

lookie what i got in the mail from my "best friend" , susan (crystal palace yarns). YES! mochi plus in my favorite color. it is a new addition to my "stuff the mattress with mini-mochi and mochi-plus" campaign. for some reason, i can never capture the richness of the colors. the colors are more saturated than the photo. thinking these will make a beautiful scarf.

and i won a blog contest over at http://www.danido.com!

dani also has an etsy shop http://danidocrafty.etsy.com

she has a sock yarn club where her inspiration comes from "great rock 'n roll." the colorway i won is called "one beat." pretty, huh?! she also included some swag. thank you, dani!

"e" is for

2009-05-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

...someone ELSE is having a contest.

ok, i cheated but hey! go visit ruffled feathers who is celebrating 300 posts with a drawing! don't look at me! it's going to be a LONG while before i get there!

"d" is for

2009-05-11T11:51:00.000-07:00

...dewdrops! hey, i'm on a roll here! lace, cables, AND BEADS! (yes, i seem to be on a bead kick right now. why do you ask?!) i LOVE my lace, cables, and beads!

"dewsdrops"
designed for theknitter.com's luxury sock club
april 2009

pagewood farm "st. elias" in watermelon
us size 1.5 (2.5mm) needles
gauge: 8.5 sts & 12 rows per inch

sparkly cuff
(the pattern for the kit only has one row of beads)

carried design down heel flap
(i love fancy heels!)

i loved this yarn. it was so soft and the yardage was very generous...450 yds/150gm. i had a lot left-over. was going to weigh it just out of curiosity but haven't gotten around to it. the colors didn't pool or stripe which was nice. AND (are you sitting down?) i finished BOTH socks! pictures of both to follow later.

"c" is for

2009-04-29T09:45:00.000-07:00

...crazy! it's been over a month since my last post. i don't know what i am doing! income taxes (yes, i waited to the last minute. why are you asking?) and 3 sock patterns to be knitted and written up.

i did finish knitting a mismatched pair of "bling" ("just a little" and a "bada" version) for the 50 socks/50 states book cd. yep! mismatched socks are my lifestyle. NOT! i really do have a problem wearing mismatched socks. remember! i am the person who knit 4 mitts to finally get a pair of matching jasmine fingerless mitts. yes, that would be me. so i plan on knitting another pair of "just a little bada bling". i am going to try it with a beaded cuff, beaded centers, and beaded back sides so the beads go down the heel flap but not the front insteps; so this would be inbetween the two versions.

"bling"
"just a little" version on left, "bada" version on the right

then i have to finish up theknitter.com's april luxury sock kit. loved the yarn and really had fun with the pattern. the kits should be in the mail soon so i will be able to show you the socks in the next week or so. i also designed theknitter.com's may sotm club socks. loved this yarn too. i am actually knitting the mate to this one and may have a real PAIR to show you when i can.

other than that, i was just sent a new batch of mini-mochi which has been spun a little tighter than the original batches. seems like the yarn will be less splitty but it is not as fluffy. i am wondering if the yarn will fluff back up after washing? i kind of like the fluffy mm. well, off to check out the stitch pattern books; i am thinking scarf!

i've signed up for so many mystery sock/shawl kals for the months of april and may that i can't keep track of the clue releases and of course, have not started any of them. oh yeah, i am still working on my "i am not a lemming leyburn" socks too. that kal officially ended march 31st. oops!

"b" is for

2009-03-25T15:15:00.000-07:00

...bada bling! i think i overdid the bling for arkansas. i have been in denial the whole way down the leg, the heel flap (though i do like the sparklies on the flap!), the gusset, and starting down the foot.

so, i have this version on hold and have started another version with "just a little bling"!

just some sparklies on the cuff and 3 in the middle of each motif.
i will miss the glitzy heel flap.

if anyone wants to see me, i'll be down at the frog pond. someone pass me the pitcher....

"a" is for

2009-03-06T08:40:00.000-08:00

...adrienne and arkansas!

i admit that i have never been to arkansas. yet, this is my state for the 50 socks- 50 states cd. i had to do some research as i am not familiar with all the wonderful things this state has to offer. my only knowledge of arkansas was that it was the birthplace of our 42nd president, william jefferson clinton. pretty lame, huh?

well, the most exciting thing i found out (at least exciting for me) is that arkansas is home to the only active diamond mine in the usa! yes, diamonds! sparkly things. perfect inspiration for...

yes! lace and beads!

lace, silk, and sparkly!
i am in heaven!

now, to actually finish knitting the sock and write up the pattern!

ps. i also learned that the ozark mountain range is in arkansas and that the mighty mississippi river runs down the eastern border of the state. arkansas is the only state where the state legislature voted on the pronounciation of the state's name (ar-KAN-sas vs. AR-kan-saw). (although our govenator does do a number on ca-lee-four-nee-ahh). but i still think "diamonds" are more exciting. yes, i am shallow like that.

"joy of sox"

2009-02-25T15:03:00.000-08:00

i think that i mentioned last year that i had a sock design accepted for a new sock book being published by lark books which will be available this fall.

well, lark books wants to know how obsessed you are with socks and has put up a poll here. deadline for the poll is march 15th. i saw a list of the other designers! i'm not worthy. i'm not worthy.

go take the poll. the results will be published in The Joy of Sox: 30+ Must Knit Designs. my answers were totally pathetic and will never be revealed.

edited to try and fix link! thanks, katie k! i just tried it and it now works.

http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/105003/for-the-love-of-socks-

why i almost never finish

2009-02-24T15:19:00.000-08:00

...a pair.

since january, i have managed to finish almost 3 pairs of socks. pretty good, huh?

first, socks for my bil's christmas present. what? christmas was two months ago? hey, i gave him one sock and the yarn to make the mate. what more could he want? he did say that i forgot to include needles. oh well.

then, while i was waiting for the yarn to do some new designs, i joined the leyburn sock kal over at the socks that rawk ravelry group. being that i can't leave well enough alone (and also due to that fact that my 5 stitch quilted lattice looked lousy), i found two other patterns using the same/similar stitch and came up with...

"i am not a lemming, "green", crystalline leyburn socks"
the 3 stitch quilted lattice is from the green merino socks
the cable is adapted from the crystalline socks
the leyburn is just so i can say i am doing the kal

yarn: str, medium in cobblestone county
one of my first bmfa purchases
us 2 (2.75mm) on leg, us 1.5 (2.5mm) on foot

then i finished one of these.

"time in a bottle"
february sotm club kit for theknitter.com
my design

meilenweit arizona #57o7
us 1 (2.25mm) needles
gauge: 9 sts & 12 rows/inch

if you are keeping count with me, that makes 2 pairs. ok, close. i am almost to the toe of the "leyburn".

and then i have this "pair."

on the left is the sock for the may sotm club kit for theknitter.com
on the right is the leg of the april luxury sock club kit for theknitter.com

yeah, sneaky black and white photo so you can't see anything.

yeah! THREE PAIRS OF SOCKS! i know, i worked so hard to make matching jasmine mitts and then i have all these mismatched pairs of socks. d'OH! but i really don't wear them this way.

did i tell you that i am waiting on some more yarn so i can work on a design for the "50 states/50 socks" cd? "somebody stop meeee!" i'm still working on my noro mystery of marie roger scarf and i NEED my jasmine scarf to wear with my mitts.

**go to socks and more for more info about the "50 states/50 socks" cd. previews of some of the socks are being posted there. **

i am going to stitches west on friday to play at the market. i love breathing in all those fiber fumes! yeah!

so, what's going on in your little corner of the world?

and it takes "four"

2009-02-17T10:23:00.003-08:00

to make a "pair!" mostly because i am that way.

i was mostly curious as to whether i could get a matching pair of mitts from one ball of mini-mochi. my first ball of yarn was short a few grams and i could not get a matching color sequence which was why i started the left mitt with another ball of yarn. then i noticed that i could get a matching sequence with the second ball. i found what i thought was the same sequence going the same direction and almost finished the 2nd right mitt when i realized that there was a bluish teal and a purplish teal which were now going in the wrong order. being anal, i frogged my 2nd right mitt and started from the opposite end of the ball (which was what i was originally going to do but obviously didn't). so i've knit one left mitt and three right mitts for a "pair." but hey, they match and i am happy!

jasmine fingerless mitts
mini mochi - neptune rainbow

artsy, f*rtsy, modeled picture

now to knit a "matching" scarf! and some socks!!!

jasmine lace fingerless mitts

2009-01-27T06:36:00.000-08:00

the pattern is posted and ready to fly! click here!

the pattern for the matching scarf should be ready soon.

and the pattern for socks is still in my head! "danger, will robinson! danger!"

and the shipment of mini mochi has arrived and is available (hopefully) at a lys near you! you're gonna love this stuff.

jasmine fingerless mitts and fun things

2009-01-15T09:38:00.000-08:00

this is my favorite color of all the new mini mochis available from crystal palace yarns. unfortunately, the colors are very hard to capture. the blue fades into an aqua which fades into purple, then green, purple, aqua, then blue again. i think it then repeats in that sequence but i am not sure as i am not knitting these from one skein.

jasmine fingerless mitts
mini mochi neptune

i was going to knit the pair from one skein and told myself that fraternal is good but after i got into the first pattern, i couldn't do it. if i had planned ahead and knew the color sequence, i might have started the first mitt in a slightly different spot and could have worked the second mitt from the opposite end of the skein and had matching mitts. unfortunately, that is not what i did so i broke into a 2nd skein which actually started in the same color as the first skein so i didn't have to work too hard to get these to match. now i will try to piece the colors i have left to knit a "matching" jasmine scarf.

i have the pattern for the scarf written and am working on the pattern for the mitts. bad, that i am, i did not take notes when i knit the first one (flame) as a sample, so i am reverse engineering the pattern and writing it down this time. both patterns should be available at the cpy website in a few weeks. i will let you know when. and there are plans for some jasmine socks too.

the good news is that mini mochi has arrived and is available for you to buy and fondle.

i wanted to share this gorgeous bobbin lace heart that my friend, tunie, made me for my christmas tree. she told me that her bobbin lace friends call this "peasant thread" because it is so "thick". dime placed for comparison purposes.

i will never have the patience for bobbin lace; even if i use this "thick, peasant thread." thick?! i don't think so. thank you, tunie!

and then, my buddy, stilaholic nartian, held her first blog contest in november. for her birthday, she bought herself **mumble, mumble** skeins of socks that rock. the contest was to identify the colors she bought. well, out of 3 entries, i won. does that mean i spend too much time over at the blue moon fiber arts website? and here is my prize:

a skein of str lightweight, iolite colorway
and some make-up from "stila" and "nars"
(i always wondered how she got that blog name)

we have a running joke going that because we live in the same town, we can't let the other know our address because we might go stealing each other's stash. so, of course, we had to meet in person at the local starbucks to make the exchange as she won the frog pond drawing from the carefree kal. we met on the rainiest day in december. she brought her littlest monkey who taught me how to count to 10. she is sooo cute. anyway, thank you, nartian, for this wonderful prize. you need to have more contests.

and speaking of blue moon fiber arts, my pattern for the 2008 rockin' sock club ("serendipity") and the colorway ("dragon dance") have been posted and are now available for purchase by the general public.

out with the old

2009-01-04T14:57:00.000-08:00

...and in with the new!

have you ever bought yarn just because it was on sale?! never mind that the colors are just so "not me". well, here begins the tale of the noro entrelac scarf that was not meant to be. i purchased 4 skeins of noro #93 because it was on clearance. it had purples (love purples), light turquoise (good), hot pink (like hot pinks with purple), a little yellow (ok, not fond of yellow but it's just a little bit), and orange (ok, don't like orange, but hey, it's just a tad).

i have always loved noro as an entrelac scarf. so, enter the beginning of the entrelac scarf.

and i even finished it, all 4 skeins! joined the colors so the color sequence was the same. learned how to knit backwards.

but i hated the colors the way they came out on the scarf and i knew that i would never wear it. so, on new year's eve, the scarf became this...

did you know that noro is really hard to frog?!

i looked around on ravelry (doncha love ravelry?!) and found a scarf that is knit lengthwise, thus breaking up the blobs of colors that i didn't like on the entrelac scarf.

mystery of marie roger scarf

i even like the little bits of yellow and oranges now, as they seem to accentuate the colors i really like. i definitely am getting my play value with this yarn!

happy new year! i know i went missing in december but hey, you can probably guess what i was doing! i will show you what next time.

thanksgiving desserts

2008-12-01T11:59:00.000-08:00

i don't know about your family but our thanksgiving dinner always ends up with way too many desserts. this year, we had 6 pies, one ice cream cake, and these delicious cranberry bars for 18 adult/teenage persons and 2 younger children who didn't eat much but played a lot of video games.

cranberry bars

i was told that they are even better frozen and they are. i am so thankful for the internet and my new-found internet friends who love to knit and cook. the cranberry bar recipe came from my new friend, tunie, a former californian who has tranplanted herself & hubby to the land-down-under. yummy, yummy. i am thinking that they would be even MORE delish with a handful of chocolate chips.

i am almost done with my pair of socks i am knitting from panda superwash. for some reason, i have been making all kinds of mistakes on the mate and have spent a lot of time talking to my little green friends down at the frog pond. i have enough yarn left-over that i might make a pair of baby socks to throw in the washing machine...just to check out the superwash.

my own pattern
panda superwash "joyful"
color pretty accurate in this photo

carried pattern down toe

see how well the heel fits?
i added about a 1" heel flap before starting the short row heel.

the only thing i didn't like was the transition from the ribbing into the pattern. i would definitely change that if i were to reknit this.

old navy

2008-11-25T12:09:00.000-08:00

finished a pair of socks for my brother who said he wanted "blue"socks; so blue socks it is!

" old navy socks"
regia line steps color #5374

us size 1.5 needles (2.5mm)
gauge: 8.5 sts/inch in sockinette
mods: cast on 72 sts because yarn is thinner and socks are for a guy! knit pattern on leg only; extended ribbing down instep; eye of partridge heel flap. and they match, too!

then, i decided to play with some of the new panda wool superwash that susan sent me. psup (nickname used by cpy) feels and knits the same as its mommy, panda wool. It's still a bit splitty but not extremely so. i only really notice it when i have to pick up stitches i've dropped or frogged. the test will be in the washing. i plan on knitting up a swatch from the left-overs and throwing it in the washing machine. the original pwool seemed to felt if you even looked cross-eyed at it!

my own pattern
socks for my sil
panda superwash "joyful" (color is pretty accurate in first picture)
186 yds/50 gm

needles: us size 1.5 (2.5mm)
gauge: 8.5 sts/inch in stockinette

i hate short row heels; and yes, you do see a short row heel in that sock. i don't like them mainly because they generally don't fit my high instep and because i can never get the two sides of the heel to look the same. nonetheless, you never can tell when knowing how to knit one will come in handy so i will periodically try different ones (which usually get frogged and replaced by a heel flap and gusset). i have learned that working a short heel flap with a short row heel or using 60% of the stitches works. i just have not found a short row heel that i like ... until now. this is a jojo heel with a tutorial here. both sides look pretty much the same. i am getting very small holes but think that those will go away with more practice. and i know you are probably asking when would i need to use a short row heel. well, two situations do come to mind. did you know that short row heels use less yardage than the traditional heel flap and gusset? so this is a handy trick for the times you don't have a whole lot of yarn. short row heels also cause less pooling of handpainted yarns and such. of course, adding the small heel flap will still cause some disruption.

jojo short row heel with small heel flap!

i can live with this one!

jasmine scarf

2008-11-21T08:54:00.000-08:00

knit with mini-mochi strawberry-lime rainbow. lace stitch matches the fingerless mitt. if you don't mind a shorter scarf ( i calculated that you can make a scarf about 40" in length from one skein), then you can make a nice gift set of the scarf and the fingerless mitts from 2 skeins.

here is the cast-on edge, using a cute picot cast-on and garter stitch border
(i like the slight ruffle effect of the edge so would probably only lightly block the finished scarf)

this is the bind-off edge with a matching picot bind-off
(i think the two ends match very well)

and just for fun, i am showing a picture of my entire "scarf"

i used a us 5 and will have to knit a stockinette swatch to see what gauge is.
i like the fabric i got for the scarf.

edited to add gauge:
us 5 needles in stockinette (not washed or blocked)
6 sts - 8 rows/inch

it's not blocked yet. i am going to see what water does to this gorgeous yarn later today.

is that funny or what? it's about 6 inches long and weighs 7 gms. i can't wait until i have time to knit a real set for me out of neptune rainbow!

i am naming the set "jasmine". thank you, cait!

i have been trying to be good and stay away from this yarn. i have been working on my brother's sock. one done, and the other almost down to the heel flap...slowly, very slowly.

crazy over you

2008-11-20T08:59:00.000-08:00

is up and ready for purchase. link on sidebar.

thank you for your interest and support.

margaritaville

2008-11-19T15:49:00.000-08:00

...is spiffed up and ready for purchase over at my ravelry shop. there is a link on the sidebar!

oh boy! two patterns up! slowly getting the other ones ready. sigh.

chance to win MORE yarn

2008-11-19T15:12:00.000-08:00

go visit to knit and write and leave a comment telling your favorite yarn and your favorite project.

please tell her i sent you over for brownie point entries. one winner will be the person with the most entries and two more winners will be selected by a random number generator. i love blog contests.

contest ends at midnight november 23rd! hurry, hurry!!!!

free mini-mochi!

2008-11-18T20:51:00.000-08:00

did i get your attention?! yes, you can win some free mini-mochi. hey, don't look at me! i don't have any. you need to head on over to socks and more where they are holding a drawing. the deadline to enter is december 2nd, 12 midnight pst.

more details here. of course, if you win, you have to send the yarn to me! i want it ALLLLLL!

finished the sock. look at the gorgeous color transitions. it reminds of of a tropical sunset. hey, pass me an umbrella drink!

another mini mochi ball

2008-11-17T12:56:00.000-08:00

susan sent me another color to play with. this one is strawberry-lime rainbow (#106). i am knitting the sample as a toddler size sock but am planning on using this for an uni-sex adult size sock. the slight texture brings interest to the yarn without distracting from the beautiful color changes. i did "cheat" and used the other end of the ball to knit the heel so as not to disrupt the colors as presented.

view of instep
(i still haven't reached the beginning of the next repeat yet)

side view
colors are close but not accurate. the orange is actually slightly more red than here.

i am wondering how this pattern would work with panda superwash. susan sent me a couple of balls of that to play with too. off to experiment.

you know this is really bad. i still have my windowpane socks and the mate to my brother's old navy socks to knit. distractions, distractions!!!!!! not good but oh soooooo FUN!

mini mochi, part 2

2008-11-11T15:39:00.000-08:00

i finished my mini mochi fingerless mitt sample for crystal palace yarns. i am not use to knitting with single ply yarn so it took a bit to get use to the fluffy aspect of the yarn but once i did, knitting with it was wonderful.
i used around 22 gms for the one mitt so one skein of mini-mochi will be enough for a pair. the colors are a little faded in the pixs.

the colors are a little better in the photo below. you can see the color changes better on the palm side. just for fun, i used some of the stitch pattern from the top on the cuff ribbing.

the yarn is actually pretty sturdy. i had to pull pretty hard to break off the end when i finished the mitt.

i had a hard enough time taking a picture of my left hand in a fingerless mitt. you should have seen me try to take these pictures of my right hand in a fingerless mitt. let me tell you that it is very difficult; especially when i am right-handed and the button for the shutter on the camera is on the right hand side.

now comes the hard part...i need a name (kind of like the princess in never-ending story.)...hmmm, fantasia. maybe.

mini mochi

2008-11-09T14:13:00.000-08:00

don't cha love that name?! reminds me of those japanese mochi which are absolutely squishable! this mini mochi (or mini m) is a new yarn ( self-striping single ply, fingering weight merino wool/nylon blend) from crystal palace yarns. it will come in some glorious colors (similar to noro sock). only this yarn is so much softer than noro. ask me how i know!

because..........(squeee) i am playing with one of only 8 partial skeins available in this world!

"heaven, i'm in heaven..."

flame rainbow (#102)
colors are a bit more subdued than in photo

and it is sooooooooooo soft! i would compare it to malabrigo; yes, it is that soft.
i want to make scarves!

but it is lacking one thing that noro has...

VEGGIE MATTER!
yep, no twigs, leaves, thorns, etc.

it has some thick and thin spots, as is common with single ply yarns, but the differences are not extreme. there is a nice halo to the yarn. and that blue one is to die for...i want it all!!! MINE! MINE! MINE!

you will need to get yourself some of this when it becomes available; if there is any after i get to it. and it will be cheaper ($8.60/50gm, yes, i had to ask) than noro.

i am working on a fingerless mitt (sample for the tnna show) to show off the color variations of the yarn . pattern for the mitts and a matching scarf will be available on the cpy website eventually. i want to make matching socks too! susan said i could!

i got some panda superwash (psup) to play with too but the mini mochi needed its own post. it is too wonderful!

merletto mitts

2008-11-03T14:45:00.000-08:00

...are ready for my hands, just in the nick of time, as the weather has definitely turned cold this week. of course, next week is another story. this is california, after all.

i enjoyed the pattern; enough going on to be interesting, but simple enough not to boggle the mind. i did frog the first mitt back to the cuff after knitting the second one. first, i was hoping that i could knit both mitts with one skein of yarn (didn't quite make it) and secondly because i wanted to move the thumbs in from the edge.

merletto mitts
finished size: palm circumference - 6 1/2" relaxed
wrist circumference- 5 1/4 " relaxed

panda wool in lacquer red
us size 1.5 needles (2.5mm)
gauge in stockinette: 8.5 sts/inch
used slightly over one skein
i managed to knit both mitts minus the thumbs with one skein
but this is the original put-up for the yarn so you might be ok with the newer skeins.

i made quite a few modifications so they would fit my almost 6" wrist. i am showing the palm side of the mitt so you can see that the thumb placement is more anatomically correct.

used smaller needle for smaller gauge. i knew the pattern as written would not fit my hand.
did 14 rounds of ribbing instead of 10.
continued the ribbing on the palm side of the mitt for 3 repeats of the lace so mitt would fit snugger around my wrist.
knit 4 pattern repeats instead of 5 before starting thumb gusset.
for right mitt: k6, pm, then started thumb per pattern. mirrored on left mitt. this helped keep the lace pattern centered over the hand. i knit the first mitt per pattern but found the thumb pulled the pattern sideways. increased every 3rd round instead of every other to compensate for tighter gauge.
didn't like that the top ribbing did not match the bottom ribbing but could not find another way so finally just followed the pattern for the top. i did mirror the bottom ribbing on the palm side. also started ribbing on palm on round 7 of final pattern repeat.
errata-there is a mistake in the first decrease/set-up round; the pattern assumes 29 sts on the palm side but there are only 27 sts.

i don't know how to photograph my own hand so that it is in a graceful position. this is about as good as it gets. it's kind of like trying to photograph your socks on your feet without making your leg look like an elephants.

the winner is

2008-10-27T12:07:00.000-07:00

...picked. but first, i want to share some stuff i have been working on.

i finally finished the hermione cable and eyelet hat for my niece. i did a cast-on of 132 sts for 12 repeats of the cable pattern; worked a total of 4 repeats of the pattern; and followed the decreases for the crown per the pattern-ending with 6 sts instead of the 5. i hope i didn't make the hat too big. she does have a lot of hair so this might work. the closest thing i had to a model was our ice bucket!

hermione cable and eyelet hat
woolease (for the college student) 70 gms
us 5 needles

i finally got bored of miters after almost finishing the leg of the second windowpane sock. so what's a person to do? start another project! i've been wanting a pair of fingerless mitts to wear when our weather starts to get a bit chilly (soon). i wanted to use a fingering weight yarn so decided to go with these. i love cables and lace.

merletto mitts (ravelry link)

panda wool (lacquer red)
will use slightly over a skein or i could frog back one repeat on the arm
us 1.5 needles (2.5mm)
gauge: 8.5 sts/inch

i made a bunch of modifications. i am not happy with the top ribbing yet. i have done 3 different ones so far. i didn't like the pattern because it does not mirror the bottom ribbing. i may end up with a plain 1x1 ribbing which will at least match the thumb. i will post my mods when i finish the second mitt. (and no comments from the peanut gallery. yes, i am talking to you, ms d!!!)

ah, contest. i found this lovely skein of socks that rock in lightweight for the winner. isn't it purdy?! the colorway is turquoise.

before i announce the winner, i want to thank all of you for playing along. i have put some of your suggestions in my never-ending queue. thankyouverymuch!!!!

THE WINNER OF
KNITTING IN THE BELLYBUTTON OF CALIFORNIA'S
100th + POSTS CONTEST
is........

congratulations, gigi! please email me through my profile with your snail mail addy and i will get this out to you!

announcing

2008-10-14T14:07:00.001-07:00

...no winner yet. i'm still thinking.

however, i did almost finish one of the windowpane socks. wanna see some pictures?!

just need to kitchener the toe

cth supersock merino (river run)
13 sts mitered squares/10 squares
7 tiers of miters
(could have probably gotten away with 6)
continued miters down heel flap
3 random miters on instep
used us 1.5 (2.5mm) needles on leg and heel flap
used us 1 (2.25mm) needles on foot
gauge: 9 sts/inch in stockinette (2.25mm needles)

check back later in the week when i will announce a winner for my 100+ posts contest!

started something new

2008-10-10T13:53:00.000-07:00

here is a progress shot of hermione's cable and eyelets hat (as seen in the movie "harry potter and the half-blood prince"). it will be for my niece who devoured all the harry potter books on the first night they were released...reading into the wee hours of the morning. i guess you could say she loves! harry potter. i am using a very machine washable woolease as she is now a college freshman, responsible for doing her own laundry. i am not sure who was responsible for her laundry last year but she said she was NOT responsible for shrinking the horcrux socks i made her for christmas. i have learned my lesson.

i am still working on the mitered windowpane socks. gladys has posted part 3 of her tutorial. i am not there yet. i figure that i will do maybe 6 to 7 tiers before i get to the heel.

isn't this just too cute?!

don't forget to leave a comment on my contest post if you want to be in the drawing for some socks that rock yarn!

someone else is having a contest

2008-10-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

...and she is giving away some handspun yarn. go check jc out! she is holding a drawing every friday for the rest of october.

don't know if it is the link or blogger but here is her blog addy:

http://garnfiti.blogspot.com

i don't spin so i am in awe of anyone who does. but if i did start spinning, then i would have even less time to knit and i don't have enough time as it is.

wow! a contest!!!

2008-10-07T09:54:00.000-07:00

where did the month go?

i did finish a pair of mismatched socks from the hurdy-gurdy and jabberwocky. it is fun to see how the pattern looks different depending on the yarn. i like both the definite stripes and the more variegated look. now to write up the pattern before tina kills me.

i hate boring knits. show me something different and i have to try it. i may not finish it (ie, the sideways socks from january '07. all the attempts have been frogged, never to be resurrected again) but i will try it. my latest challenge has been the mitered windowpane socks, a recipe by gladys of the yarn floozies.

the mitered squares are very easy and gladys has a wonderful tutorial, full of pictures. my problem was finding my "magic" number for my yarn (wanted an even number of squares).

i started off with some cth sockitome in blueberry hill, my addis 2.5mm, and 13 stitch squares: 8 squares too small, 10 squares too big.
same yarn, knitpicks 2.5mm, 11 stitch squares: 10 squares too small.
same yarn, addis 2.5mm 11 stitch squares: decide i don't like the color because there is not enough variation.
new yarn: cth supersock in river run, addis 2.5mm, 13 sts squares: same as first attempt.
supersock, knitpicks 2.5mm, 13 stitch squares: 10 squares is perfect. did two tiers with miters facing the same direction. didn't like them facing the same direction.
supersock, knitpicks 2.5mm, 13 stitch squares, 10 squares, alternating directions: FINALLY!

so, here is the beginning of my mitered windowpane socks:

i don't know if it is just me, but i find that i knit to a smaller gauge with my knitpicks 2.5mm as opposed to my addis 2.5mm. i measured both and the knitpicks seem just a little bit thinner. anyone else notice this?! or am i weird all by myself? (and no, debi, don't go there!)

we still have a few more spaces open for the carefree holiday (or not) kal. here's a chance to win some yarn just for knitting and you might even get a few of your holiday gifts out of the way. we cap at 100 people so if you are interested, please go on over and sign up. the kal ends november 30th.

so, about that contest to celebrate my belated 100th post! i may be convinced to dig into my stash of socks that rock to find a nice prize there. let me think (which can be very dangerous!). leave me a comment on this post about a project that you find intriguing or a project that you really want to knit. i would love a link! as you know, i am a sucker for brownie points. so, extra entry for posting about my contest on your blog (again, leave a comment on here) and extra entries for you if someone says you sent them over.

deadline for drawing is whenever i get up on tuesday, october 14th. that gives you a week! let the game begin!

edited to help those who can't think of anything intriguing. grin!

socks that rock!

2008-09-19T09:44:00.000-07:00

i am starting to get a feel for how socks that rock knits up by looking at the way the yarn is dyed. i am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. but hurdy gurdy surprised me, in a good way.

hurdy gurdy, skein
socks that rock lightweight

hurdy gurdy, opened

hurdy gurdy, "swatch"
64 sts; knit with us 1.5 (2.5mm) needles
gauge: 8.5 sts/inch

i love the way the colors alternate between a fairly solid stripe and a multi-colored stripe. i am going to have to go through my stash and see which other colors are dyed up this way.

i am also playing with some jabberwocky and this is knitting up fairly typical for this pattern of dyeing. i am posting this for comparison. my moody blues is dyed in a similar manner and knit up similarly to this.

jabberwocky, skein
socks that rock, lightweight

jabberwocky, opened

jabberwocky, "swatch"
64 sts; knit with us 1.5 (2.5mm) needles
gauge: 8.5 sts/inch

the colors of the skeins themselves are very true to life; rich and lucious. i wasn't too sure about that "orange" in hurdy gurdy but it is a wonderful compliment to the burgundy/purple and the blue. i may have to start broadening my color palate.

there is still time to join me over at the carefree holiday (or not) kal (crocheters welcome too). there will be lots of fibery prizes. you should check out the "welcome" drawing prizes. winner of that drawing gets a choice! kal starts on october 1st.

come on over and play

2008-09-16T09:13:00.000-07:00

join me over at carefree holiday (or not) kal. we are holiday knitting or not, depending on your mood. regardless, there will be fun and there will be prizes (yarn and some other goodies). kal runs from oct 1 to nov 30.

kal is limited to 100 people, so if you want to play, you had better head on over soon!

everyone who joins is eligible for the "welcome prize" drawing. mention that i sent you over. yes, it's the brownie point game.

the shop is open!

2008-09-03T06:48:00.000-07:00

i signed up to open a shop on ravelry many months ago but have been procrastinating. one reason was i needed to spiff up my patterns, add pictures, and turn them into pdf's. a second reason was i told myself that it would be hard to upload the pdf's onto ravelry and get all the little stuff up. and finally, i really didn't know how much to charge for a pattern. i was almost ready to give my patterns away to anyone who expressed interest in them instead of putting them up on ravelry.

yesterday (after some nudging by a potential customer, hi tunie), i finally got my butt in gear and uploaded my first "for sale" pattern. it was already in pdf; although i did a little spiffing up on it before letting her make her debut!

" 'round robyn's house" is now available for purchase through ravelry. you don't have to be a member of ravelry to purchase this. hopefully, i will be able to set up a link in my sidebar. my knowledge in that area is zilch! now to get some of my other patterns up. "zen garden" is next and then "margaritaville".

and what do modern day scotsmen wear under their kilts?! these guys wore basketball shorts and black undies (hey, the guy was highland flinging and his kilt was flying!). i can' t say for sure about all of them but these were two i could see. much disappointment here in the bellybutton of california.

i haven't forgotten about my "100+ posts" contest. i'm still procrasti... oops! thinking!

to distract you

2008-09-02T07:41:00.000-07:00

...from noticing that my last post WAS my 100th (it depends on what list you are looking at. my dashboard says i have 96 posts but my sidebar adds up to 100 -d"OH!), i want to direct you over to rita at keeping knit simple. she is celebrating a late blogiversary and is giving away some yarn and a cd. go check it out and tell her i sent ya. yes, it's another brownie point drawing.

thank you so much. i will be back with a contest soon. i promise. it will just be more than 100 posts.

oh! went to the scottish highland games over the weekend and i found out what scotsmen wear under their kilts. ya wanna know? come on back later and i'll tell ya!

happy! happy! joy! joy!

2008-08-26T06:06:00.000-07:00

where has this month gone? i don't know that i have accomplished much this month. i definitely haven't been posting, but i have been winning some contests out in blogsville.

first, from tonya at theshizknit: i received these a while back but never got around to taking a photo.

3 skeins of rowan denim
a cute pattern written by tonya
AND chocolate candy

i've never knit with denim yarn. it will be a different experience knitting to allow for shrinkage. i am not sure what i want to make with this yet. i saw a pattern for a cute tote bag but that took 4 skeins. i was thinking of making the bag a bit smaller or i can let the yarn age until i find the right project. any suggestions?

i was most surprised to win the addi lace needles and these cute handmade cupcake buttons (from south africa) from stephanie. you can't blame me. i did tell you about her contest! see blog entry from july 22!

my first pair of addi lace needles! i have signed up for all those shawl/stole mystery kals so these little babies will be used A LOT. i did test-drive these needles at stitches west a couple of years ago. they are very nice. the buttons are even cuter in person. i will be saving these for some very special baby. or maybe i will start making sweaters that just need ONE button. thank you, stephanie (who sent these all the way from the uk. they arrived within a week. pretty good, hey?!)

i have also been doing some olympic knitting while watching our athletes and their erratic results (i am still shaking my head over that baton pass in the relays, DOH!). i finished a pair of socks for olympicsox2008. it was a very hang-loose "competition". i wanted to see how "margaritaville" would knit up in a different stripey yarn.

"margaritaville"

red heart "heart & sole" in watercolor stripes
needles: us 1.5 (2.5mm) for the leg & us 1 (2.25mm) for the foot
gauge: 9 sts/inch in stockinette using 2.25mm needle
made for my niece who felted her panda wool "horcrux" socks
(she claimed that someone in her household washed her socks wrong)

this pattern is perfect for stripes. i LOVE it. it is a fun pattern, even if i say so myself. the yarn is actually pretty nice. i am not that into aloe soaked yarn but liked these colors. i even managed to make identical socks. happy! happy! joy! joy! now, if my niece can stop shrinking her socks. she just started college and will now really be responsible for her own laundry.

and check out these cute little babies. we went to the california state fair on opening day. uc davis vet school brought over some animals that were due to deliver during the week. we could actually watch the delivery if our timing was right (or wrong, as the case may be. did you ever watch city slickers when billy crystal's character helps deliver a calf? would major gross some kids out).

newborn long horn sheep
less than 24 hours old

we also saw piglets and a bullcalf. my camera batteries were getting low so no pixs.

i won one more thing but i haven't had a chance to take a picture yet. i just received it yesterday.

i am slowly approaching my 100th post and i have been lucky to be on the winning end of some wonderful blog contests. seems a good time to start thinking about "sharing the wealth" again. stay tuned. i'm thinking.

**DANGER, WILL ROBINSON, DANGER**

"margaritaville"

2008-07-31T09:18:00.000-07:00

i am really happy. of course, who wouldn't be happy after spending an afternoon with a pitcher (or two) of margaritas (on the rocks, please)?! but i am not talking about THAT kind of "margaritaville". i am talking about THIS "margaritaville"...

"margaritaville"
theknitter's july sotm club kit

regia cotton color (#4177)
needles: us 1.5 (2,5mm)
gauge: 8 sts/inch

close-up of stitch

i love the play of the stitch with the yarn. i even managed to get the ribbing to flow into the heel flap. how sneaky is that?! all in all, a very playful sock for the summer.

i have gotten into a market bag kick and have been playing with different patterns. the one on the left is the ever popular "everlasting bagstopper" with some modifications. i made the body a little shorter than the pattern, added two 12" handles knit in linen stitch, and added some extra decorative stockinette copied from yeayeayeah's tequila sunrise bagstopper. the other bag is crocheted and i don't remember the pattern. it stretches to hold so much that i cannot carry the bag. sometimes i think the clerks take it as a challenge to see how much stuff they can put in the bag.

i have a couple of more patterns printed out to knit. although, i do like the bagstopper so far. both of these are made in bernat handicrafte cotton and my thumbs hurt. knitting the bagstopper in 3 days didn't help.

some of my newer acquistions of lace yarn.

top (l to r): blue moon fiberarts lucious single silk in lapis, cherry tree hill merino lace in dusk
bottom: skacel merino lace #1785

i am definitely in a yarn rut as far as colors go. if you notice, all my projects have the same color scheme!!! but i love it. what am i to do?!

i still haven't blocked my swallowtail shawl. soon...

i'm almost finished

2008-07-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

...with my swallowtail shawl. i just need to weave in the ends and give it a bath and a stretch. i was getting bored with the shawl for some reason. maybe the nupps (yes, i did the nupps) were subtly driving me nuts. photos after i block it.

i also finished a market bag for my mil. i gave it to her before taking a pix. all market bags basically look the same and it is a boring beige so you aren't missing much. she did comment that it didn't look very big but my hubby, in turn, asked her how much can she carry at one time anyway! she doesn't know how much that bag is going to stretch!

CONTEST ALERT:

well, how would you like to win some flat feet yarn? go visit darcy and leave her a comment. if you would be so kind as to mention that you were referred by me, i would greatly appreciate it. yes, brownie point entries here. contest ends august 8th at midnight her time. of course, if you win, you send the yarn to me. (yeah, right!)

and dr laura is hosting a olympic sox competiton of sorts. she has prizes. go check it out!

wanna win some addi lace needles?

2008-07-22T10:42:00.000-07:00

go here:

http://domestic-miss.blogspot.com/2008/07/knitting-give-away.html

contest ends july 31st, uk time.

as far as knitting goes, i am finally down to the border of my swallowtail shawl. i am missing a stitch! i dropped a yarn-over on the last row of the lov #2. sigh! the nupps weren't that bad once i figured out a way to purl 5. my first set is kinda wonky because i was trying different ways of doing it.

looks like theknitter's july sotm club kits are arriving on doorsteps. i should be able to show you the sock next week. i really had fun with this one.

meet me at the fair

2008-07-02T16:02:00.000-07:00

just a quick post. went to the county fair yesterday to see if i got any ribbons for my entries. i entered 2 shawls and 2 pairs of socks.

"zen garden" got a blue ribbon!

and...

"swan lake" got BEST OF SHOW!

and, yes! i am thrilled!

my other pair of socks received an honorable mention and my "mystic light" shawl got a third place. i am a bit upset though. this is the second time that they have shown the wrong side of a shawl as the "right" side. the shawl was also draped so you only saw the front points and not the back where all the action in. one year, i did pin a note that read "this is the right side". i guess i should have done that again this year. oh well! i guess that they don't have any knitters to help set up the displays.

i did eat the required funnel cake, garlic fries, cotton candy, fudge, and orange treet (plus a pulled pork sandwich and a beef burrito)! have to have the funnel cake, if nothing else!!!

we went over to see some of the livestock. they had cows, goats, pigs, and sheep (without all their woolies). but look at this...

the goats are wearing sweaters! probably to keep them clean for showing. funny, huh?

where have i been?

2008-06-26T14:08:00.000-07:00

well, i have been busy knitting and frogging socks and shawls.

i had 4 sock patterns to knit and write up in the last two months. the first was for robyn's nest. to be truthful, i did not care for the yarn. it was scratchy and didn't have any "sproing". it was hard finding a pattern that would work with the colors too. i spent a lot of time at the frog pond with this one.

" 'round robyn's house"
may kit for robyn's nest sotm club

yarn: jennifer flock sock in exclusive colorway (robyn's nest)
needles: us 1 (2.25 mm)
gauge: 8.5 sts/inch

then, i did theknitter's luxury sock club kit for may. i truly love this yarn. anne is very soft and has great yardage. i love the pattern too. lace and cables are my favorite!

"leilani"

yarn: schaefer yarn anne in "bugs"
needles: us 0 (2 mm)
gauge: 11 sts/inch (very tiny)

and there is this...

what are they?!

well, they are the bottoms of some socks. i can't show you the rest of the socks but i can tell you that they are for a new sock book to be published by lark books in the fall of 2009. yes!!! I'M SO EXCITED!!!! can't say anything else as we are all sworn to secrecy. off to finish writing the pattern.

and i just finished the july sotm club kit for theknitter. can't show that sock to you yet but i will tell you that i had a lot of fun with it.

i finished my noro entrelac scarf. used 4 skeins and i managed to manipulate the colors so they are in the same order in the scarf. i have gotten very good at knitting backwards! my swallowtail shawl is at the first lov motif. i am doing the nupps...groan. but it is true that if you knit loosely on the previous row, it is much easier to p5tog.

i have been totally playing with crockpot cooking this month too. did you know you can make lasagna in the crockpot? and you don't have to boil the noodles first? and the lasagna was delicious. i made bread pudding last night. i am in love!!!

when friends help friends shop...

2008-05-15T13:44:00.000-07:00

this happens...

top: alpaca sox in dusty morning
bottom: noro sox #180, #40, #150

pretty, huh? barbara went to webs and i needed to help her so she could get the biggest discount. that's what friends are for, right? so she helped me get noro #40 and the alpaca sox. and debi helped me get the other two noro sox. i think i am going to use the #40 for the annetrelac socks and will probably use the other two for a scarf or shawl. thank you, friends!!

it seems the jojoland yarn is relabeled as house brand yarns and so i managed to find what looks like jojoland "harmony" at yarntreehouse labeled as "bloom" for only $4.99 a skein. they look to be the same colorways. i thought i had ordered c01 but received c04 (almost the same as co1 but a little darker) and c09. i didn't save a copy of my original order so can't really complain. it looks like the prices just got raised to $5.99. i think i may use the purple one for the goddess knits anniversary mystery shawl kal (deadline for sign-ups is may 30th and the first clue is released june 14th) and the lighter pastel for a sampler stole over at badcatdesigns. i enabled debi to buy some of this yarn too because "friends help friends shop!"

yarn treehouse "bloom" c04 (upper) & c09 (lower)

i started to tell you about my visit to article pract in my last post. well, hubby was home for the day and i told him that one of my new knitting friends had talked about this place in oakland that had a really good fried chicken sandwiches. he loves trying new places so off we go to bakesale betty for lunch. guess who was in line as we were leaving the restaurant?! tapmouse and nartian!! the two peoples who talked this place up in the first place. tapmouse gave me this cute little sheep bag because i played along on her blog contest a few months ago.

thank you, tapmouse!

the sandwich was absolutely yummy! we will be going back again! we also bought their strawberry shortcake and some pecan stickybuns. all yummy, yummy, yummy! but the real reason i wanted to go was because article pract is almost next door to bakesale betty. it is a nice little store with lots of stuff in a small space but everything is well organized and they do have a very good selection. i was good and only came out with this....

malabrigo lace in tortuga
(it's a purplish/black and so soft)

and it was on sale!!!!!!!!!

i also won a copy of "knit kimono" from socks and more. laura is hosting a contest (featuring crystal palace yarns) every month for the next few months. the color for may is lilac and june is white (i think). so if you have anything knit up using any of crystal palace yarn in this month' featured color, let laura know and she will enter you in the drawing.

i am still enjoying the entrelac scarf (why does noro have soooo many knots? 3 in the first skein, 1 -so far in the 2nd). i am easily entertained by the color changes. i am slowly working on the swallowtail shawl. and i have finally decided on a pattern for theknitter's july sotm club yarn.

what's going on in your little corner of cyberspace?!

lots going on!

2008-05-06T12:17:00.000-07:00

i finished my "mystic lights in foggy san francisco" last week and have it all blocked out. i love lace just because i love seeing a scrunchy ball of mess turn into something beautiful. the yarn did soften up some after a bath and vinegar soak. it's still a little on the scratchy side but the colorway makes up for it. love the yarn as a shawl!

unblocked
size: 60"x25"

blocking

"posing"

yarn: kauni - ec
needles: us 6 (knitpicks options)
finished size: 64"x30"

had empty needles (socks don't count) so decided to try entrelac. i found 4 skeins of noro #93 that i had purchased a few years ago. i wasn't really thrilled with the colors but the yarn was half-off so who' s going to complain. i figured that it would be nice as a felted bag if nothing else. well, let me tell you, entrelac makes this yarn gorgeous!!!! i didn't realize that the colors were like a muted rainbow! i love the scarf and i am enjoying entrelac. i even figured out how to knit backwards. still haven't mastered k2tog from the opposite side yet but hey!

entrelac scarf

after knitting one ball of noro
needles: us 8 (knitpicks options)

backside (for debi. don't ask me why.)

and after much nagging, i also started this:

"everybody's knittin' it, knittin' it!"
swallowtail shawl

yarn: newton country cashmere/merino (fingering wt)
needles: us 6 (denise interchangeables)

pattern is currently free as a download over here; but you all probably knew that already.

i got to go the article pract in oakland last week too. tell you about my visit next post.

last call

2008-04-28T07:10:00.000-07:00

for robyn's nest may sock club offering. the last day to purchase this lovely kit (which includes a very beautiful design by yours truly ;oP) is may 1st. the kit includes matching stitch markers, yarn from vancarcal sheep farms in an exclusive club color, and FREE postage! she does international too. so, please go see robyn.

i have 4 more rows and the bind-off on my mystic light shawl. almost there. i would have finished this weekend except for having to whip up another pair of fingerless gloves for hubby (yes, the weather was REALLY hot in the bellybutton this weekend but it is spring and still can be chilly in the morning) who had his last pair stolen. (you don't wanna know). i'd post a picture but they are a boring navy blue, knit from joan hamer's wristers pattern with some modifications.

a couple of my on-line friends and i are going to knit the swallowtail shawl (the pattern is free right now. too lazy to link) as a private kal. this will be barbara's first lace shawl. it WILL be fun!

mystic light kal

2008-04-24T12:03:00.000-07:00

clue 4 is done! and clue 5 (the final clue) was posted yesterday! the first skein of kauni had two more knots in that skinny dark gray section (about 2 yards apart). i think it missed a whole black section. that skein ended in the middle of black so i started the next skein with the black. i was hoping for a better transitioning of the colors but i am thinking that this doesn't look bad.

robyn's nest sock club kit

2008-04-21T10:13:00.000-07:00

oh, please, go to robyn's nest and buy the may sock club kit. i would be totally embarrassed if they don't sell, especially because my name is on it. of course, robyn may be getting a wee bit nervous since i have yet to send her a copy of the pattern. but it is done, just putting the finishing touches on the write-up now.

the yarn is flocksock sock yarn from vancalcar acres sheep farm (famous for tsarina of tsocks kits) in a colorway hand dyed exclusively for robyn's nest.

i am almost done with clue 4 of the mystic light shawl. i am so proud of myself for keeping up. of course, i will not have a pair of socks to post over at sam5. does having one robyn's nest sock and one theknitter sock count as a pair?! i didn't think so.

mystic light kal

2008-04-07T12:50:00.000-07:00

i am in the middle of trying to get 3 new patterns knitted and written up, so what do i do?

i start my mystic light shawl! i was hoping that the shawl would be started at the center neck and then worked down so i could use some of this kauni yarn that i won from a contest ellen was having at her blog. it was meant for a skirt but i doubt that i would ever wear it so i decided that the yarn would be wonderful in a shawl. she was most generous and sent me 3 skeins of kauni in the colorway EC. most people are knitting with oranges and reds to depict "light". i am making this for my sil and she prefers more subtle colors so this color will be perfect.

i am calling my version...

"mystic lights in foggy san francisco"

here is a close-up of clue 1

i am almost done with clue 2

there was a knot just as i finished with the black section. the knot attached to light gray so there is a major color jog in the shawl. i don't know if the colors would have gradually changed back to the light gray or not. the yarn is scratchy and feels sticky (probably because it still has lanolin? but my hands aren't feeling any softer). there is vm (vegetable matter like straw?) in the yarn. i have been reading that the yarn softens up after washing and a vinegar rinse so i will definitely be doing that! it seems a little rough to wear next to your skin. but i do love the long color repeats in the shawl. there are several people using the rainbow kauni and the shawl is beautiful! i may have to go find some for another shawl.

the pattern is lovely. but i have been spending a lot of time tinking and frogging. i keep losing my yo's. i'm not sure why. maybe because of the yo's with double decreases.

...and yes, leslie, the apple cake is worth it. yummy, yummy, yummy! it's almost like an apple pie cake.

knit & purl mama's mil's apple cake with lots of cinnamon

speaking of knit & purl mama aka robyn's nest, i designed the sock for her may sock club. she has them up for sale here. i guess i had better finish getting the pattern ready. it's written up but i have to make it look nice.

the secret word is

2008-03-24T13:01:00.000-07:00

...malabrigo!

cinnamongirl93 is celebrating spring by giving away some malabrigo. you have until tuesday, march 25th, 7 pm central to enter. and of course, if you would be so kind as to mention my name when you post! BROWNIE POINT ENTRIES are always cool.

ten "new" things

2008-03-14T09:37:00.000-07:00

robyn will be celebrating 1000 blog posts in the next week or two. she has made march a "slow" month where she is trying not to spend money (can you imagine trying not to spend money?!). her challenge is for us to post 10 things that we bought but have never used. my first thought was to post 10 skeins of sock yarn but i think that would defeat the purpose of her challenge. so here are my ten things:

rotary cutter and mat (for when i start quilting. my sil gave me some fabric and a pattern about 3 christmases ago)
a boucle cardigan knit kit (bought at my first stitches west market about 6 years ago - still in cute plastic bag)
tote led clip light (for knitting in the dark)
eye shadow (a girl cannot have enough colors)
a set of good steak knives (why use the good ones when we still have bad ones?!)
set of knit picks options (i haven't taken them out to check if all the cables and needles screw in properly yet)
hand made soap (just cause it smells like chocolate=yum)
purse size burt's bees hand lotions (perfect purse size)
tape measure (in case i lose the other ones i have open)
nail polish ( see #4)
bonus: macintosh apples waiting for robyn to post recipe for apple cake (HINT! HINT!)

and to divert your attention from my stuff; look at what i made for dessert the other night.

upside-down apple pie made with golden delicious and braeburn apples. absolutely yummy warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. NOW IF I ONLY HAD THAT RECIPE FOR ROBYN'S MIL'S APPLE CAKE, I COULD USE THOSE MACINTOSH APPLES.

swan lake is totally fini!

2008-03-11T08:52:00.000-07:00

it still amazes me what blocking will do for lace. you knit and knit and knit and end up with a light-weight blob of something. soak it in water, squeeze it dry, and then stretch it to an itch of its life (which is kind of scary because it was knit with very skinny, fragile-looking "thread"). somehow, it turns into a thing of beauty (if you are lucky and didn't make too many noticeable mistakes - grin)! i did find that i missed TWO beads in the edging; so did some minor "repair" work in those two spots. other than that, i think i did pretty well. the mistakes aren't too glaring. i am very happy with my finished "swan lake." now, i need some place to go. ah-hh! grocery shopping!!!

"the point"

"the wing"

"the whole enchilada"

zephyr wool-silk in ebony
approx. 80 gm/945 yds
us 4 needles
finished size: 20" x 78" (will probably shrink a little after i remove all the pins)
gauge: who knows? i am a bad girl and didn't swatch!

modifications: i used beading banshee's ending for clue 4 and didn't knit all the cat's paw lace. i am not sure how many i actually knitted. i was going to knit the shorter version but didn't because i would have only had like 4 repeats of the cat's paw lace and thought it would look really funny. i did add beads to clue 4. i hope that it's not too long when i wear it. i am still waiting for it to completely dry before i undo all the pins.

now, i'm itching to start another lace project from my long list of shawl/stole mystery (mostly known now because i didn't start them on time) kals. i could start the mystic water shawl or the secret of the stole ii OR i could wait for the mystic light or secret of the bad nauheim ( both of which start soon). i think i need to buy more lace yarn!

i really should just go finish my serendipitys and work on those 3 new sock designs (plus write up that one for crystal palace yarn) instead of thinking of lace; but the lace is so fun!

ps. hey, debi, i think i finally figured out that blocking thing. send your stuff down! of course, if i block it, i keep it!!!!!!!!!! then i can have a contest and give away all your shawls for prizes!!!!!

edited to correct needle size used for stole. you would think i would know after working on the stole for 8 months.

it's hatched!

2008-03-10T09:07:00.001-07:00

it's finally undergone its transformation from mystery stole 3 to "swan lake"! and it only took 8 months almost to the day (actually finished binding off friday night)!! sad but true. but it is finished. i am anxious to see the shawl blocked and in all its glory. i did miss one of the beads on the edging so am trying to decide if i should just leave it or figure out a way to add one now. being me, i will probably try to figure out how to add it on.

in other news, i have a new sock pattern available for your knitting pleasure over at crystal palace yarns. "kilauea" has just been posted. go on over and take a look. i want to thank barbara for knitting a sample in panda silk (so you can see the stitch better). she told me it was "total torture" having to knit with the yarn (she loved every minute of it!!!!)

"kilauea"

CONTEST ALERT!!! secret word is "malabrigo." i have touched it and it is soft. i want some! (i don't know why i am telling you. it may lessen my chances for winning.) head on over to mariknits who is celebrating a blogiversary. leave her a link to your first post. i get "brownie points" if you let her know i sent cha over. (i knew there was a reason why i would tell you!)

"pms" contest

2008-03-04T06:20:00.001-08:00

nope, it ain't me! and it's not "that" kind of "PMS".

nh knitting mama is having a contest to promote her esty shop. she has some very pretty hand-dyed yarns. make sure you let her know that i sent ya! yep! she has extra entries! you can win some of her beautiful yarn. of course, if you win, you have to send it to me.

i am still working on my "serendipitys". i 've frogged the second sock about 3 or 4 times trying to get the striping to match up. yes, i am totally anal! i think i have the leg pretty close right now. one time, i was knitting too loose so the stripes were getting too wide. i have kinda learned how to control the "pooling" and "striping" to a certain extent.

i am also working on new designs for theknitter and robyn's nest. hair pulling out time; especially when i can't find a pattern that works with the yarn. am i bald yet?!

my adventures at stitches west

2008-02-26T11:40:00.000-08:00

i was a really good girl this year and did not buy very much. this may have been due to the fact that i was just getting over my second bad cold/flu for this winter. yes, it has been a very lousy winter. i wanted to buy some lace weight yarn but nothing really struck my fancy. and on hindsight, there were some indie dyed sock yarns i should have bought but didn't. i guess i really wasn't in the right frame of mind for stitches (and the weather was cold and rainy; totally yech!).

the ravelry passport was entertaining. jess and casey (gee, i thought he would be bigger- GRIN) are the cutest couple. wish i had thought to have them autograph my passport.

the fun part was hooking up with some on-line friends. it's nice to have faces match names. i enjoyed meeting the sockateers over at bluemoonfiberarts. i think i know how tina gets all those kits ready for mailing. those women have the endless energy of 5 year olds!!!!!! it's amazing!

nartian showing irishgirlie
how to "french" her scarf a la tapmouse's blog entry

tapmouse working on "serendipity"
and me working on the world's longest sock a la rockin' sock club style

(gads, i look like something the cat dragged in. please excuse me - it was rainy and cold and my hair "don't do rain". besides, my hubby made me get up at 5 am to ride down to the south bay with him. i am lucky that i still look awake!)

i did finish a pair of socks. are you wearing your sunglasses?

isn't a pair defined as "TWO" socks?!

on the left is "serendipity" (which i had to tweak. pathetic, huh? tweaking your own sock pattern...one that hundreds have knit just as it was written.) and on the right is a new pattern (yet to be written up) for crystal palace yarn in panda silk (my toes really aren't as funny looking as the picture shows).

the sun is out and it is a beautiful day in the bellybutton of california. excuse me while i go get a tan!

another contest

2008-02-12T11:58:00.000-08:00

so many contests, so many chances to win MORE yarn! yippee!

go visit nancy. she is celebrating 300 posts! that seems like a lot to me. she has many ways to get brownie point entries. one is linking to her blog. and the other is to tell her that i sent cha over. deadline for entering is saturday, feb 22nd, 12 midnite est. wow! that's 10 more days.

is it "startitis" or finishitis"?

2008-02-11T13:46:00.000-08:00

i have a bad case of one of those things, for sure. i think it must be "finishitis" because i have no problems starting things. right now, i have on my needles (which i am actively knitting on; ie., not my projects that are hidden away where i don't see them so i can pretend that they don't exists):

mate to "zen garden" which had been frogged and needed to be reknit per observations in a previous post. (this may just be a case of "bad sock" time out until i finish the other projects listed below.)
i just need to knit the toe to the first of my panda silk socks. then i need to write up the pattern. this is a new design for crystal palace yarn. (i am loving the yarn; so why didn't i knit the toe last night instead of winding "dragon dance" (rockin' sock club kit yarn) into a ball?)
i am still where i was with "swan lake"...almost done. i could probably finish off the rest of the shawl in a day (if i were to pick it up to work on).

i have 3 things on the needles that could easily be finished up in the next two weeks. so why did i start on "serendipity"? i admit that i have been delaying the start of these socks, partly because i was scared that I would not be able to knit the socks so they look like the pattern. how embarrassing would that be?! but i thought it would be fun to wear these at stitches next week; although, i really doubt that i will finish them. for some reason, my family think that eating and wearing clean clothes are a necessary part of life. but start them, i did. and my striping is working out so far. thank goodness.

so, do i have "startitis" because i keep starting new projects or do i have "finishitis" because i am not finishing the projects i HAVE started? help me. i think i have a problem.

so, what's your problem?

ps. i see you guys lurking out there....

happy chinese new year!

2008-02-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

gung hay fat choy!

happy year of the rat!

took this picture of the lion heads in sf chinatown this summer
when my hubby and i decided to play tourists.

chinese consider RED a lucky color. so i proclaim RED to be the color of the month because i recently won two blog contests and guess what i won! YARN!!!!!!!

i received two balls of magic garden buttons in RED from gloria who lives in canada (i am so sorry but i didn't keep her blog addy...i am so embarrassed). we had to guess a number between 1 and 500. she was all excited about having 184 posts under her belt. so, what's a person to do? guess "184." she was going to give away 3 prizes. my guess came in just under the wire and she had 4 people guess her number of "184!" she generously gifted all of us with a prize. oh, what will these grow up to be?!

then monica who "knits a lot" had another contest where we had to guess how many pairs of socks she had in "ONE" of her sock drawers.
i reread her blog entry later and yes, it did read "ONE" of her sock

drawers which would imply that she has more than "ONE" drawer. i guessed "48 pairs of socks" and .....I WON this lovely skein of cherry tree hills supersock in RED, purple, and dark blue or black. love the colors. can you imagine 48 pairs of socks? that's a whole lotta socks and that's not all she has.

thank you, gloria and monica for your generous prizes.

my wayward "zen garden" has been frogged and reknit to the gusset. it is being timed out for now. i am having so much more fun with my new panda silk sock. i think i want to start my "serendipity" socks in honor of chinese new year. it is a fast knit. there are lots of people who had already finished their pair before the kit even arrived in the uk. unbelievable!

and i should just finish my swan lake (ms3). i think i only have less than 20 rows to go on it.

too much excitement

2008-02-06T14:27:00.001-08:00

...dulls my counting ability.

here is my "completed" pair of "zen garden" for which barbara so kindly sent me her left-overs so i could lengthen the toe.

"zen garden"
my design for theknitter.com luxury sock kit (november 2007)

claudia hand painted yarn in exclusive colorway "zen garden"
us 1.5 needles (2.5mm)
gauge: 8.5 sts/inch

i have a BIG problem. i was wondering why one leg seemed shorter than the other when i tried blocking them. i thought perhaps that i had knit the mate tighter than the first. i was also wondering why the foot seemed a bit longer too. after all, i counted the number of repeats and they are the same on both socks.

well.......i just took a better look at the socks. the second sock is short half of a pattern repeat on the leg, thus making the foot a half of a pattern repeat too long! dOOh!!!!!!!!!! honest, i counted at least 3 times before starting the heel.

if anyone wants to talk to me, i'll be sittin' over by THAT frog pond over there > > >

ps. working on a new pattern for crystal palace yarn using panda silk...oh, so soft. great stitch definition too. i guess i'd better go play with the frogs.

we can both be winners!

2008-02-04T07:30:00.000-08:00

go on over to the shizknit who is having an unusual contest to celebrate her upcoming post #100. you just need to leave her a comment that i sent you over and if she draws your comment, we both win a yarny prize. what could be easier than that?

i am almost finished with my ms3-swan lake (tortoise version). i am down to the last 12 rows or so. YIPPEE!!!!! then i can ponder which mystery kal shawl/stole i want to start next. i am soooooooo behind; but i can only concentrate on one big lace project at a time.

socks are another matter! and no, i don't know how many pairs i have going. i do have a LOT of needles!

and the winners are...

2008-02-01T11:15:00.001-08:00

...drawn! but i guess i will be evil and write a little bit before i let you know who they are.

i have enjoyed reading all your guesses. some of them were pretty funny! i think one of the funniest was that i knit enough to reduce my stash! i haven't really counted my sock stash lately. i don't think i want to know. you know, ignorance is bliss and i can continue collecting. hey, stitches west market is coming up in 3 weeks!

my secret was outed this week. yes, i designed the first sock for the 2008 rockin' sock club!!!!!!!

tina was more efficient than i imagined that she was going to be and got all those rockin' sock club kits out in the mail in THREE days. normally, she waits a week between the international and the state kits so i thought i had until this week for the kits to start landing in mailboxes all over the world. can you imagine?! "ALL OVER THE WORLD" people are knitting my sock! totally mind-boggling!

i have been keeping this secret since october. it was really hard not to share. i finally got to see the kit colors about 3 weeks ago and was absolutely delighted with what tina had done. and i got MY kit the tuesday that blue moon fiber arts started shipping, so i had a preview. i have had a lot of fun and some anxious moments watching the kits arrive and seeing people's reactions to the pattern and the yarn. most have seemed positive, much to my relief. and "serendipity" made the new and popular patterns list on ravelry today. it is currently #7.

now to the winners. i did the names on papers in a bottle drawing. i put the numbers in another bottle and drew a number after i drew the name. the yarn will be a surprise.

first winner is ........... rachel o who won yarn #2

second winner is...........marcy (knitting golfer) who won yarn #3

and the third winner is.............sjmercure who won yarn #1

if the winners (who all appear to be blogless) would email me ajmcfong AT yahoo DOT com with their addys, i will get these babies out to their new homes.

congrats to all the winners.

ps. you guys would really buy a book of my patterns?! i am totally speechless! thanks for the ego boost!

another contest

2008-01-31T06:57:00.000-08:00

here's another contest for you to enter:

kris is celebrating her 2nd blogiversary, so go on over and wish her well.

once again, brownie points are at stake. tell her i sent ya over.

my bad. i still haven't drawn my winners. i have to emergency work today so will really try to get to it tomorrow!

"TOMORROW! TOMORROW! I'LL LOVE YA TOMORROW! TOMORROW'S JUST A DAY AWAY......"

brownie point post

2008-01-29T11:26:00.000-08:00

yeah, i know i should be posting the winners to my contest but what am i doing? i am earning brownie points for someone else's contest! lol!

go over to:

http://knitmetotheendoftime.blogspot.com/

and wish her a happy one year blogiversary. tell her i sent cha over, will ya? i gotta try and maintain my stash count...same coming as going out. ;o} silly, huh?!

probably won't get to drawing names until tomorrow. my bad!

keep guessing

2008-01-25T09:25:00.000-08:00

i have had fun reading your guesses. keep them coming. i will not confirm or deny any of the "secrets" except the one that i am preggers. that was cute, though.

i am still going to keep the prizes a secret too but will tell you that there is a skein of socks that rock, a ball of opal, and a ball of trekking. if i get more than 100 guesses, i may decide to add another prize.

i finally got a copy of cat bordhi's "new pathways for sock knitters." the sock construction is fascinating. i did knit the pattern she had in vogue last year. now to find the time to knit a few of her sample socks.

i am on clue 6 of my ms3. i made mistakes so spent time tinking back. i just made another mistake a couple of rows back but i think i am leaving that one in. the rows are getting a bit too long to tink back. and i am really bad with lifelines. i put them in, only to find that i made a mistake in that row. or i don't put one in often enough so when i do have a mistake, i would have to frog 2-3" of knitting. i am not sure if it is laziness or stupidity. anyways, i spend a lot of time tinking.

i am planning on going to stitches west next month...just to market. anyone else thinking of going?

let's play

2008-01-22T06:28:00.000-08:00

... "guess my secret!!"

but first, let me share about my mystery stole 3 /swan lake. i have been very diligently knitting away; well, maybe not so diligently. i have been trying to decide whether to knit the shorter version or just follow the pattern. i am only 5'2" and don't want an overly large stole but then again don't want one that is too small. i finally decided to just follow the pattern; using beading banshee's version of clue 4 (which adds the border on the edge between the cat's paw and the wing). i am finally to the wing!!!!! and i messed up so i get to start the wing again. sigh!

enough already? you want to win something? well, my "cold-clouded" brain has cleared somewhat and i have come up with an idea for my blogiversary contest.

i have been teasing that i have a REALLY BIG secret that i cannot share yet. i thought it would be fun to see what you thought my secret was. leave me a comment. what do you think is my secret? or you can tell me one of your knittery secrets (it'll just be between you and me)! i will randomly draw three names to win one of three secret prizes (of the yarny sort). in fact, i will randomly draw the prize when i draw the names. everything is a "secret."

you know i love brownie points. so, brownie point entry if you post my contest on your blog. another brownie point entry if someone mentions that you sent them over.

here are the prizes:

(ok, imagine a photo of 3 tissue wrapped skein/balls of yarn labeled #1, #2, &#3)
(creative, huh?)

deadline for comments is monday, january 28th, 12 midnight pst. also leave me something (like a state or country) so i can distinguish you from someone else who might have the same first name.

of course, i won't be telling my secret until the time is right. if i did tell, i would have to "kill" you! now, let's have some fun!

eta: no, i am not pregnant ;o}. i was originally going to write that. my secret is knitting related.

a little bit of sunshine

2008-01-15T14:16:00.001-08:00

thank you for the get-well wishes. i am feeling better but still have the desire to go to bed early and sleep late. this is one humdinger of a virus. the first few days, i didn't even want to knit! now you know how bad it is.

as i mentioned before, i ran out of yarn when knitting the original "zen garden" sock. i asked my buddy, barbara (president of my fan club of 2 LOL), if she would send me her left-overs from her kit as i needed a few more yards to lengthen my foot just a bit. she is a speedy knitter and emailed last week that she was sending the yarn . well, i received an envelope that was slightly too big for a couple of yards of yarn.

look at what she sent me! it's a skein of seacoast handpainted yarn from her home state of new hampshire. it's so spring-like! it cheered me up and made me feel better instantly! she also tucked in a bar of handmade soap from whisper hill soaps. and she also sent her left-over yarn so i can finish up my pair of "zen garden" for ME to wear. thank you, barbara!

i did manage to finish my first pair of socks for 2008. these are for my brother's birthday last year. yeah, i'm slow. i had almost finished one "crosswalkers" so had him try the sock on when we got together for the holidays. the sock was not going to work. he had a hard time pulling the sock on. and the toe on the instep side was too long and on the sole side was too short. that sock went to live in the frog pond before i took a picture of it.

my own design for ribbed anklet
opal - unknown colorway (from an abo kit a couple of years ago)

72 sts/us 1.5 needles (2.5mm)
gauge: 9 sts/ inch
identical twins (my brother is very conservative.
i am just hoping he will wear these stripey colors. i wasn't going to try fraternal.)

blogiversary contest coming up. check back. i'm still thinking.

ps. i have a really big secret which i will be able to share with you soon. i am about ready to burst!

first blogiversary

2008-01-09T09:53:00.000-08:00

today is my first blogiversary! i was hoping to post about a wonderful contest to win some fibery goodness but i have been down sick with the worst cold or flu. i have been basically sleeping for the past 4 days. luckily for me, my manager, who tends to get easily confoosed with our schedule, happened to show up this saturday morning the same time i showed up for work. only one of us works the weekend and it was my weekend. he worked for me. (i must have looked pretty bad; since i was ok the day before).

so, happy blogiversary to me!!!!!!!!!!! check back in a few days after my brain starts functioning again so i can have a fun contest! i haven' even been knitting. now THAT is sick!

stay healthy, my cyber-friends.

it's "teatime"

2008-01-04T08:02:00.000-08:00

"teatime"

my design for theknitter's sotm club december kit

meilenweit #1334 & #1335
gauge: 8.5 sts/inch in stockinette
needles: us 1.5 (2.5mm) and us 2 (2.75 mm)

the hardest part of trying to design a mosaic stitch sock for a sock club is trying to complete a pair using just two balls of yarn. the second hardest part is finding two colors that work for the design. i started this sock over a year and a half ago with a purplish variegated yarn and black yarn as my prototype.

remember "raspberry lemonade"? well, those were the original colors judy and i had picked for this sock but the colors blended too much. yes, i had a lot of fun designing a new sock at the last minute.

"raspberry lemonade"

to make things harder on myself, i had to tweak the original pattern some more after judy sent me the new colors. here are the two socks side by side:

original design on the left/final design on the right

although i am partial to bold contrast for mosaic knits, i like the subtle colors we finally ended up using. it gives the sock a more "grown-up" feel to it, don't cha think?

happy new year!

2007-12-31T15:14:00.000-08:00

where has the month gone? i tried blogging about a week ago but blogger was being bad so i gave up.

i did manage to finish 3 1/2 pairs of socks this month. this was the cutest pair.

"horcrux" for my niece
she loved them

panda wool "ultramarine"
us size 1.5 (2.5mm) needles
modifications: longer ribbing for cuff, shorter leg after "horcrux", eop heel, plain stockinette foot, and a six point star toe.

i made a vanilla pair (elann puzzle) for my bil; and a textured pair (opal) for my manager. the 1/2 was a "crosswalker" for my brother. i had him try on the one sock at christmas and promptly frogged it. the sock was too tight and the toe was definitely wonky. i am using my own design for the yarn. one sock done, mate just cast on.

my one year blogiversary is next month. check back for a contest!

have a safe and happy new year!

"zen garden"

2007-12-04T14:22:00.000-08:00

most of the members of theknitter.com's luxury sock club have received their november kit so i can now share the sock with you.

may i present....

"zen garden"

claudia's hand paints in "zen garden"
colorway custom dyed for theknitter.com (silver, teal, & lavender)
us size 1.5 needles (2.5 mm)
gauge: 8.5 sts/inch in stockinette

here is a close-up of the stitch

i already had a pattern in mind when judy mentioned that she wanted to start a luxury sock club. i said, "pick me! pick me! i wanna play!" it was fun to help select the colors for the yarn. i really love how the pattern and colors compliment each other. this is my favorite kind of pattern - cables, lace, and a lovely yarn. what more can one ask for? i did run out of yarn byjusthismuch so ended up with a slightly too short sock. not to worry though. i adjusted the pattern so the clubbers should be ok. and i have made arrangements to get justalittlebitmore yarn so i can redo the foot to fit ME! ME!! ME!!! yes, i want this sock for me! i still have the mate to knit.

i can't wait to see what judy has in store for next year. "PICK ME! PICK ME!!!!"

busy month

2007-11-28T07:42:00.000-08:00

well, it's been a busy month here in the bellybutton. but i don't seem to have much to show you...yet. i got the yarn for theknitter's november luxury sock club kit around the time i went missing. it wasn't judy's fault that the yarn was late. i already had a design in mind for the yarn and everything came together very well. the colors and design compliment each other perfectly (if i do say so myself). judy and i selected some colors and let the indie dyer do her thing. it was kind of scary because the dyer does not do a prototype colorway so what you see is what you get. i also made the leg on my sample a bit too long so i ran out of yarn byjustthismuch (so my sock does not quite fit me). not to worry. the pattern has taken my shortage into account. the kits are arriving now so i should be able to post a picture next week.

i also designed theknitter's december sotm club kit. i hope that you don't get "bellybutton" overload this month! i designed the sock last year but judy and i couldn't find colors that worked. i had the pattern written up so i should have been able to just knit the sock for the photo but no! i had to tweak the pattern some more which then entailed a major rewrite. i added a larger size so that required more head-scratching, math, and more rewrite. i finally got that pattern off to judy for test knitting last week. can't show you this one.

then, i did a rewrite for blue moon fiber arts. nope, can't show you that one either.

here is one i can show you. it's a unisex design written in 4 sizes for crystal palace yarns. i sent it to susan a couple of weeks ago. it's hard to see the pattern stitch in the dark yarn but it's there. i was undecided about naming the pattern. i thought that the stitch looked like hershey kisses so was leaning towards "panda kisses" but susan wanted something hawaiian. well, hershey kisses and volcanoes look a lot alike to me! (besides, what kinda guy is going to appreciate wearing a pair of "panda kisses"?!) so, may i present....

"kilauea"

panda wool "nightshades" now with more yardage! (186 yds/50 gm)
us size 1.5 (2.5mm) needles
gauge: 8.5 sts/inch

i swatched it up in a lighter color so you can see the stitch better. it has enough going not to be a boring knit but not so much as to distract from the yarn. i will let you know when the pattern is available.

and i have a secret but i can't tell yet. my lips are sealed. oh, i am so excited!!!!!!!!

i hope that all of you here in the us of a had a wonderful thanksgiving holiday!

wayback machine

2007-11-08T15:20:00.000-08:00

kitkatknit is having a "wayback machine" contest.

i didn't have a blog a year ago but i do believe that i was working on a pair of regia socks for my co-worker/manager. it was a surprise so i was just guessing as to size. i kitchenered the toes but left a length of yarn in case i needed to lengthen the socks. i put a BIG note that he was to return the socks so i could "finish" them; ie weave in the ends if they fit OR shorten/lengthen them if need be.

well, i didn't hear anything from him. i finally asked him about the socks. "oh, they fit but i didn't know what to do with the ends so ... i cut them OFF!" DUH!!!! READ THE NOTE!!!! sometimes, he scares me.

free lotus yarn!

2007-11-07T15:52:00.000-08:00

actually, not on my blog!! but over here at lotus knits. she wants to know if you swatch and what you do with your swatch. i admit that i don't usually swatch and if i do, i usually don't wash and dry it. but then, i have been knitting mostly socks and lace shawls so i guess those would be my swatches!!??!

let her know i sent you over. she is doing bonus entries. hurry, her contest ends on friday, nov. 9th, i think. it's a friday drawing but she didn't actually post the deadline time.

"serenity"

2007-11-05T14:55:00.000-08:00

...is now available! i just got the latest newsletter from swtc in my email this morning and discovered that my pattern for "serenity" is featured. you can get it from your local yarn store when you buy TOFUtsies or it can be downloaded here.

it's fun and exciting to see something you created appear in"print." my plan is to knit myself a pair one of these days...and yes, i will use my us size 0 (2 mm) needles to get that 10 sts/inch. small needles, humongous number of stitches, but i love the fabric...sigh.

drooling....

2007-10-30T11:19:00.000-07:00

carola and i are each other's enabler. she sends me wollmeise and i send her socks that rock. she has knit up the socks that rock that i sent her at the beginning of the year. i have been petting the skein of wollmeise that she sent me. (actually i have it wound in a ball and have swatched it. that is called "progress")

she still has not knit the tofutsies but then i have not knit the drachwoole.

in september, when she asked if i was ready for another swap; i, of course, promptly said YES!

so i sent her some more socks that rock and i got these beauties...

l to r: veilchen dark, rittersporn medium, drachenblut light, pfauenauge medium

i notice that i must like blue a lot. i actually sent her a list of 7 colors that i thought i wanted and these were the ones she was able to get. i love them all.

she also included a couple of ornaments for my christmas tree that she tatted. i don't tat. it looks too hard! thank you, carola!

check out this contest!

2007-10-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

go over to baabaablacksheep and guess how much gus weighs. you can win some very pretty sock yarn. you have until nov 2 at 10:15pm central time.

mystery kal's

2007-10-23T06:44:00.000-07:00

i am finally to clue 3 of mystery stole 3. i am, obviously, way behind; but there are advantages to this too. first, if there is a mistake in the pattern, someone else finds it. then there are always folks who tweak the pattern just a bit. i will be using beading banshee's clue 4 ending which wraps the lace border around the end before beginning the wing. i think it makes a beautiful transition between the two sections.

i signed up for secret of the stole (sos) and secret-of-chrysopolis shawl kals and am following the action closely. i have not started either one yet. i am not crazy enough to have more than one lace shawl/stole on the needles at one time. (socks, of course, are another knit! and please don't ask how many i have going right now. i am in denial and really don't want to know).

if i am counting correctly, that is 3 mystery kal's! but wait, there is one more... the mystic waters lace shawl kal. go there and read the description of the shawl. go ahead, i'll wait........ (cue in double jeopardy music ). doesn't it sound gorgeous? so, yes, i am signed up for that one too. and i may just have to cast on. a while back, carrie sent me some knit picks alpaca cloud in tide pool as a prize. doesn't this sound like destiny? sign-ups end tonight at midnight somewhere time. anybody wanna join me? now you can say i'm "crazy"!

eta: i actually signed up for 5 mystery shawl/stole kals. i missed one, spring shawl surprice. it doesn't start unil january 1, 2008 so does it really count?

someone needs help!

2007-10-20T07:55:00.001-07:00

and you get a chance to win some sock yarn!

knitting linguist needs hints on how to memorize stitch patterns. leave her a comment and you get entered into a drawing for a couple of skeins of gypsy girl creations. i have never tried that yarn either...so the catch is to tell her that i sent you over so i can get some extra brownie point entries.

a gal can never have too big of a "yarn collection." you have until oct 25th so go on over and help her out!

i am trying to limit my wanderings around ravelry. anyone else having problems too? i am a ravelry addict...sigh.

i'm on ravelry

2007-10-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

thank you so much for the suggestions. i am now on ravelry as "bellybuttonknits" . i was going to use "bellybuttonknitter" but i guess you are not allowed to use that many letters.

i've already spent an hour getting lost. there sure are a lot of groups. am wondering the purpose since many are duplicates of those in yahoo, etc. i don't think i will join too many because i will probably find myself spending too much time reading instead of knitting.

i will "friend" all of you. and you can look for me!

invite to ravelry

2007-10-12T19:48:00.000-07:00

i got my invite today but i won't have time to play until next week. meanwhile, i guess i had better come up with a user name that i like since there is that BIG warning that you can never, ever change your name once you pick one.

somebody help me with a name!

ravelry

2007-10-11T19:03:00.000-07:00

this morning, there were 903 people in front of me. here is where i am now.

Found you!

You signed up on August 21, 2007
You are #27426 on the list.
423 people are ahead of you in line.
15151 people are behind you in line.
60% of the list has been invited so far

maybe i'll get my invite tomorrow. i can't wait to see what's going on there. who else is on ravelry? i may need help!!!!!

my very first pair

2007-10-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

...of socks that rock socks for ME!!! are finished. i kitchenered the second toe just a bit ago. yippee!!!! they are all MINE!!! and to celebrate (what perfect timing), i drew winners for my contest. but first, i wanna show you my socks. i know how to prolong the agony; but i know you all are very happy that i finally have a pair for ME!

"socks that rock" lightweight
nodding violet as a skein

here is the skein open so you can enjoy all the pretty colors

and here are the bottoms of my new socks so you can appreciate how the colors knit up. just awesome!
i heart my new socks.

addi's 2.5mm for leg/knitpick's 2.5mm for foot
[has anyone else noticed that the knitpicks 2.5mm seem to be a bit smaller than the addi's 2.5mm]
gauge: 8 sts/inch stockinette using kp

i can't really show you how cute they really are yet. i knit these in the same pattern as the ones i did in "backstabber." i love this colorway. they will be so nice with my jeans.

drumroll, please. who will get to knit a pair of foofoo (i love that name) socks that rock socks?! i loved reading your reasons for wanting the yarn. and i enjoyed wandering around your blogs. of course, you all will have to let me know when you are hosting a contest so i can play. i love contests with yarn for prizes.

oh, you want to know the winner of the socks that rock lightweight in the foofoo colorway?! the winner is....

iris (risiko)

and thanks to those of you who posted about my contest on your blog. the winner of the tofutsies is...

knitting linguist

congrats to both of you! and i wanna see what you knit with the yarn. email me at ajmcfong at yahoo dot com with your snail mail addy and i will get your prizes out to you.

come back and visit. who knows when i will feel the need to "share the wealth" again!

sharing the wealth

2007-09-27T11:20:00.000-07:00

i won a couple of blog contests and just received my prizes. alisha had a drawing for some cute little bear stitch markers and for these beautiful earrings which she made. she claims her jewelry making skills are primitive, but i beg to differ. aren't they gorgeous?!

then christina had a "stalker" contest which i prefer to call "getting to know christina." "stalker" sounds horrible, doesn't it?
she sent me these:
a jar of sugar scrub to keep my hands soft and smooth for snag-free (too bad it's not for frog-free) knitting, some cute little stitch markers, and 82 yds of hand dyed hand spun merino art yarn (which christina spun).

here is a close-up of the yarn. isn't it pretty?

any suggestions for what to make with it?

i am excited about my three patterns for blue moon fiber arts. i am finally knitting myself a pair of socks that rock in one of these new patterns. i am a happy camper! so, i want to share some of that happiness.

would you like to win this?

it's a skein of socks that rock, light-weight in the semi-retired "foofoo" colorway

leave me a comment telling me why i should send this beautiful yarn to you. it doesn't have to be fancy. a just "because i want the yarn" comment will suffice!

and to make things more interesting, i will also be giving away this skein of tofutsies #787. you will get an entry for posting about my contest on your blog (leave me a comment that you did) and i will give you brownie points entries if someone tells me they came from your blog. brownie points entries will apply only for the tofutsies.

i will randomly select a name for each skein. deadline for entering is wednesday, october 3rd.

let the fun begin!!!

sos!

2007-09-12T09:44:00.001-07:00

"summer of socks" is almost over. i have two more pairs finished but cannot show you the entire socks as these are destined for blue moon fiber arts. but i can show you the colors this time.

pair #3 is socks that rock lightweight in the "24 karat" colorway. the colors are pretty true to life in the photo.

pair #4 is knit with "backstabber." the colors are lighter than the actual yarn. i had a hard time getting these to show in true color. there are beautiful variations of magenta that you really cannot see here. i loved the colors but my conservative son thought these socks were a bit "bright."

the only problem with this summer is that i finished 5 pairs of socks but will only end up with 2 pairs in my possession! i guess i didn't achieve my goal of knitting up socks for me! i still do not own a pair of socks that rock. i am sad.

i started playing with the panda wool that susan sent a few weeks ago. i am working on a uni-sex pattern because there is a major lack of interesting "guy" patterns. my men don't seem to get too excited with my lace socks. don't know why!

contest central

2007-09-10T06:37:00.000-07:00

gingerbread house is having a contest to celebrate her new drum carder. she is giving away some jojoland melody sock yarn, a cute bag, and some roving. i've never tried the jojoland yarn before; although i do keep looking at it. tell her i sent you so i get the brownie point entries, please!

sos design contest update: they have decided to continue with the contest even though they did not get the 15 entries that they wanted.

and a note to anne: thank you for the very nice compliment. i seem to be on judy's even month list this year. my next sock for theknitter's sotm club will be december. oops! i guess i need to make sure that i am shuffled more next year.