My Current Projects

Ok, so I was working on my knitting tonight and noticed that

A: I have a TON of projects that I haven't shared progress on with my blog readers....

and

B: None of the things I took pics of are things that I was working on before and need to update, lmao. It's all new stuff that you all haven't even seen before.


I promise to get more pics of the items you all have already seen and let you see some progress...and I will just be totally honest here and let you all know that I haven't picked up my halter top I'm working on since I moved it to take pics in the blog entry I put in here about a month ago. I dont know what the problem is but I guess I just lost interest there for awhile. I'm going to start working on it more asap! I really want to wear it this summer!

So here are the projects that I am currently working on that will be the"halter tops" of tomorrow (hehe):

These are baby socks for my friend Brianne. She's pregnant right now with her second child...a boy and she already has a girl so she is very excited. I am happy for her too and I intend to get sock 2 done tomorrow or the next day so I can get these in the mail.





This is a sock for MEEEEEEEEEE! I'm excited. Mostly I just want to get these hammered out so I can start a pair using the yummy yarn from my SP10 pal! You all know you drooled on your keyboards when I posted the pic of that yarn, LMAO! They are made of KnitPicks Simple Stripes in the Tropical Colorway and that yarn has sadly been discontinued :(






Ok, so I need to go and get to work on the second baby sock...I have it cast on and the first round done so I really cant even call myself a slacker! WooHoo! Bri might just get these baby socks soon!







Talk to you all soon!



Kelly

Look What I Want!

So, thanks to my SP10 pal, I'm addicted to the yarn harlot books, lmao.

She apparently has a new book out called Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off. I want it terribly, lmao. Hopefully I can get it around the end of this month. Until then this knitter is BROKE!

Yes, that means no new yarn, no notions, no nothing :( *cries*

Wish my luck and send the money fairy my way. Till later all.........

SP10

Yesterday I went to my door to go check my mail and was SO excited to see my first package from my secret pal in my door. YAY!

I took it right inside...forget the rest of the mail, that can wait, lol! My son was yelling "open it mommy" so...I had to do what he said ;)

Inside I found this:




WooHoo! Presents! LOL. My son decided that it was my birthday after seeing the presents and started singing Happy Birthday and asked me where my birthday cake was, lol.

After opening my presents this is what I came across:

1 skein of Anne Schaefer yarn in the Hot Shot colorway (YUMMY!), a bottle of lavender bath salts, Clover knitting needle holders, and Knitting Rules! by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.

Do you think I'm excited? Hello?! Yes! Thanks SO much secret pal, you rock! Now off to find a pattern for this lovely yarn. I've been looking for patterns since I opened the package looking for the PERFECT one. If you have any suggestions please feel free to post!

Robin's SP10 Contest

Well hrm...I think my favorite yarn has to be Knit Picks Panache. I really like the feel of it while it works up and it's very pretty as well. The bulky weight makes things work up quickly and easily also.

As for my least favorite yarn...probably red heart yarn of any kind. For some reason I seem to always get blisters and/or sore fingers when I knit or crochet with it. I think the acrylic is just to harsh for my skin since there are no other natural fibers mixed with it.

I am currently making a sweater from the Knit Picks Panache in the cinnamon colorway. I hope that it turns out well. I really like all the colors so I may order more in the near future!

Thanks Secret Pal!

Today my secret pal 10 pal sent me the cutest e-card. I just wanted to say thanks and let my pal know that I appriciated the card very much :)

I think this is going to be a very fun swap. I cant wait to see what happens next!

Another Update

So, I finally got my digital camera up and running so I decided to get my pics of my projects up here.

This pic is what I have done so far for the curtain that I'm making for my kitchen. I'm going to stitch them together so the form and arrow like this ^ . Hopefully they turn out to look as good as I think they are going to, lol.



This is the pic of what I have done on the halter top I said I was doing. I haven't really gotten to it much lately or it probably would be done by now. Since it's starting to get really warm now I'm going to have to get knitting or else I will be waiting ANOTHER year to wear it and Im not all that patient, lol.

Diet

Ok, here it is...I'm overweight. Not hugely overweight but overweight none the less. I am currently about 150 which is too much for my 5'4 frame AND I'm a type 1 diabetic so ANY extra weight is a no-no so.....



It's time for that diet! Oh yes, I said the worst four letter word. Call the cops and lock the doors. I'm a girl on a mission. I want to lose 30lbs by the end of the summer. I know, I could lose it all in 2 months but I want to do it right and not have to worry about it all coming back.



The "plan" is pilates...but Im not sure how long that will last because...well, it's hard, lmao. I might just dump that when the weather is nicer and replace it with chasing my 3 yo son thru the yard...we all KNOW that's a workout better than pilates right?!



So wish me luck all...I'm going to do this thing!

KnitPicks Is Great

Today I had to call KnitPicks because I placed an order for some sock yarn and some beautiful ShineSport and a size 2 16" circular needle.

When I got my package I realized that one needle was bent. Tried to straighten it myself but you all know that it's impossible and Im sure that the nickel plating would eventually chip off in that spot and then probably rust.

I called KnitPicks customer service tonight and got the sweetest woman on the phone. She said she couldn't believe that I got a bent needle and I told her it was a size 2. She was like "Oh, a little one, that explains it" lol. She had me give her my customer number and looked up the order and told me that they are going to send out a replacement needle, no questions asked.

KnitPicks is now on the top of my list. Not only has all the yarn that I have ordered from them been high quality AND beautiful but they stand behind their products 100%.

If you want to order great yarn that you KNOW is going to be backed by the company I would suggest them. I am more happy with them then I have ever been before. The only other company that has made me this happy is Brittany because they also replace broken needles in the same fashion. This is great. Has to keep people knitting when they know that their stuff is going to be replaced when the quality isn't up to par instead of just losing money on their orders!

SP10 and My Newest Project

So I got my email yesterday from an SP10 hostess telling me that we should have partners by the weekend hopefully. I'm SO excited! I cant wait to start. If my partner reads this...I did post my questionaire...it's listed as such in the title of the post.



Now I want to let you all in on what I'm working on now! I am so excited to finally be working on this. I bought this kit when I had just started knitting. I saw it and fell in love. But then I started it and realized that I was lacking in skills at the time. Now, a year later, I am ready and I'm about 5in. into the pattern. Here is a pic of what I'm making :

Isn't that the cutest halter top? I cant wait to get it done so I can wear it this summer. This is the first thing (besides socks) that I have made that I will be able to wear. I'm hoping that it turns out as well as I think it will. Wish me luck all. Now I'm off to work on it some more. I will post pics soon but as of right now my digital camera is out of batteries. I will get more asap!

2 Hours Until My Birthday!

Since it's so close to my birthday...and being pathetic as I am and having no plans...I made buttons (see right sidebar) for the sock hop swap '07 and the Secret Pal 10. Just click and presto, you are there. So get signing up everyone! HAHA!

I've Gone Crazy!

So, it's official. I'm insane. I decided that since cuff down socks weren't keeping me as entertained as they once were that I would mix it up a bit and try a toe-up sock.

I managed to get the toe started after about 5 tries and provisional cast on is nothing to laugh about...I think I need someone that REALLY knows what they are doing to teach me a thing or two!

Then a started my increases and all that and I'm finally making the foot. Im not sure that it's going to fit because it might be to big where my foot goes in on the arch so Im going to look around online and see if there are some pattern on there that adapt for this. I don't want to try it on my own...but, again, Im making this sock with only instructions on how to cast on and how to make a short row heel so...maybe Im being daring enough there, HA!

Wish me luck...I will be posting pics as soon as I can. Maybe tomorrow if I can get enough done that it doesn't just look like a teddy bear hat (as the little girl that lives here calls it) and if the whole short row heel thing works out.

If anyone has any comments that might help me out PLEASE feel free to post! I am totally open to all new suggestions!

Till next time,
Kelly

Holy Potatos! Secret Pal 10! (and questionaire)

So I just remembered that I bookmarked the site for secret pal 10 waiting for the signups (actually put "check back in JANUARY" in the bookmark title, lmao) so I went there a few minutes ago and it's time to sign up! For all of you that need to sign up here is the link-e-do:

http://secretpal10.blogspot.com/

I signed up and here is my questionaire for my partner-to-be. I will probably repost this sooner to the start date at the risk of being repetitive but bare with me here...I don't want to forget to get it on here SOMEWHERE!

-The Questionaire-

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I really do not have a favorite kind of yarn, brandwise. I do like natural fibers though and am not really all that fond of acrylics...I only crochet blankets from acrylics, knitting is almost always natural fiber since it takes me so long to do and I want it to be something I am SUPER proud of :)

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I put my knitting needles in a mason jar so that people can see them because it gets a lot of conversation started and people see them and ask me about knitting and if I can teach them often...but mostly because Im to lazy to just go get a needle roll or other holder. My crochet hooks are stored in a plastic toothbrush holder...the ones that you take on vacation to keep the brush clean. I also keep my DPN's in with the hooks as well.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I have been knitting for over a year. I learned from my Aunt Sue who taught me the knit stitch and I liked it so well that I got online and taught myself to purl and then other, more complex things, such as cables and lace patterns, ect.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Not at this time. I may look into it though.

5. What's your favorite scent?
I really like vanilla and I like anything that is feminine and pretty...lilacs also.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Well, I'm diabetic so I cant have TOO much candy...but when I splurge I LOVE reisen chocolate candy...YUM

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I would really LOVE to learn to spin. I was looking into getting a drop spindle and some roving to spin...but just didn't do it. I feel guilty buying myself things so I used the money to buy my son a toy truck, HAHA!

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like pop/top40 kind of music.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I saw a pair of socks on a blog once that were self striping and they were hot pink and hot orange and probabaly a few other colors. Those colors look really good together and I would LOVE to get my needles into that color mix, lol. But really Im not at all picky. I love all yarn, yarn is our friend!

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I am living with my son, Andrew, who just turned 3 and then it's just me!

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I haven't worn them but I would be happy to recieve them. I make a lot of mittens, just never can find a reason to wear them and I just give them all away as gifts, lol. Hats make my hair go crazy so my son gets them...but it's COLD in Ohio so I can sacrifice beauty for comfort at this point ;)

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I love to knit Teddy Bear sweaters and clothes for my friends daughters bear...I am also a sock ADDICT, lol. Once I got my first pair of DPN's I was hooked.

13. What are you knitting right now?
Knitting a bear sweater for a friend that wanted one and a pair of socks, Mittens, and a scarf.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Sure! It's great to know that someone is thinking enough about me to make me something nice!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Right now I only have 1 circular needle and only 2-3-4 in DPN's while I have a complete set of straights so I would have to say circular and DPN's...I love bamboo, metal, anything really. Doesn't matter!

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Nope, Im lacking in the knitting world huh?

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
Not old...maybe 6 months?

18. What is your favorite holiday?
I like them all really

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Right now I want to collect an entire set of DPN's...does that count? LOL

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
Not really dying for too much...I really would like to get a stitch N' bitch book at some point because there are a lot of great patterns and ideas and tricks in there. I borrowed one from the library once and wish I could have kept it for myself, haha. As for needles, as I said, DPN's are great. I need them to make the hats that I want and some of the clothes that I would like to try need them as well for sleeves and such...and of course...I cant make a sock without them yet so for that as well.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I would love to learn how to make socks on 2 circular needles...and I would like to learn how to spin myself.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
YES! YES! Double yes, haha! I wear a US 7 in shoes...not totally sure what the measurements are.

23. When is your birthday?
Feb. 11th, 1984...It's COMING, lol.

Long Time No See!

Hey guys...Sorry that I haven't been posting much lately! I actually moved! and now Im about to move again, HAHA!

That's right, I got my own apartment lined up and Im set to move in within the next 2-3 weeks. Hoorah!

Now all I get to do is sit here and wait...while KNITTING of course, hello!

I was looking around at my knitting pictures today and came across this oldie but goodie...I don't think that I posted it but lately I haven't had the best memory so it's totally possible that I did...I'm just to lazy to look. This is my first attempt at crocheting something that actually could keep a person warm nd wasn't shaped like a bonbon! I mean, if you know how to crochet you know how easy it is to miss the last stitch in a row...and I was just starting out...so instant bonbon shaped pieces of work, lol. Glad this one worked out and the colors even looked good together!


I also found this awesome teddy bear sweater pattern on a website...not quite sure what site it was now though...I think it is supposed to be made from sugar and cream yarn so that's probably where to find it...more on the site later..

But here it is start to finish...and then once my friend saw it he went and bought the exact same teddy bear on Ebay and mailed it to me from Kansas telling me to return him in a warm sweater, HAHA! I started his in brown last night! I will post more on that later as well.

What a Pair

Here they are! They are finally a pair.




I have decided that I love the pooling too. They look good and the fact that they are similar enough to be a pair but not totally perfect appeals to me. Let me know what you think :)

Sock Swap

I just recieved my socks from my sock swap buddy today. Didn't she do a great job?! They are warm and cozy and I love the colorway. My swap partner says this yarn is a Socks That Rock yarn and the color is called Fairgrounds.


I like that I can wear them folded in half, scrunched down, or up my leg for really cold days :) They were made toe up and she used the Icelandic bindoff method.

My son loves them too and decided to include himself in this pic by hugging mommys feet :) It's because they are so cozy and soft of course!

Thanks Linda, for the great socks! They fit my personality...and my feet...very well :) I'm sure Linda thinks that I am a slacker but her socks are coming along nicely...an acrylic and wool blend that feel lovely to knit with. I cant wait to see if she like them as well as I like hers!

Cotton Candy Socks

Well, yesterday I decided that I needed to start the socks that I wanted to make from the yarn that I got from ebay so I did. Not sure if I like the pooling or not but they really seem to look good on so.....hrm.

I think it's just that the pics don't do them justice :) You all can decide!!


The skein, right out of the package from shipping!!

Seemed like it was SOOOO repetitive that I wanted to kill myself BUT....I finished this first sock in JUST over 24 hours....yup, lots and LOTS of time on my hands....

Here is my first, pretty sock on my foot :) I'm calling it my cotton candy socks because I cant read the label. If anyone even knows what language it's written in so I might be about to see what it says let me know, LOL!!

Well I finally did it!

Ok so here they are...I finally finished a pair of socks that fit ME! WOOHOO! They got me so inspired, infact, that I went straight to knitpicks and ordered 4 balls of simple stripes so I can make some socks that aren't made of crappy acrylic yarn, but of awesome wool....and not just any wool but super wash which means I dont even have to be careful with them, they aren't going to felt because I'm an idiot or because gma doesn't ask before throwing things into the dryer!

These were a pattern that I found online and loved so I hope you all enjoy them too! Hopefully I will be able to make them out of something nice soon!

My New Undies!

So...I finally finished my cute thong that I decided to knit. I think it came out rather well so here it is:

FRONT

BACK

LACE DETAIL

CRAPPY, OVERLY BRIGHT PIC
So I guess it's time to finish another project when all I want to do is start another to keep mt short attention span from going haywire.

Kelly

New Scarf and Sock Update

So here it is....the sock that I posted earlier that was merely a cuff. Now it is about 4 inches away from being an entire sock, HAHA! Anyway, there's the update.....

Here is my current project. I bought this bernat baby lash because it was SO soft and fuzzy and I just couldn't make myself put it down....it took me forever to decide what it was hoing to be but I finally decided and made it a scarf. If you purchase this yarn I highly recommend that you rewind it into a ball of sorts before using it...as with Bernat tradition, there are knots that form in the middle if you dont because bernat winds both ends into the middle and they wrap eachother as you work...just a warning! Isn't it pretty?!

My Yarn Stash, Second Item Syndrome, and Dishcloths :)

So, if you are anything like me then you have a TON of things on your needles at any given moment...non-knitters do NOT understand this but it is by far a huge part of a knitters life to have partially finished items laying EVERYWHERE! Here are a FEW of mine...yeah, I have about 9 on the needles, LMAO!

Boo-tiful Scarf for my mommy...Hope she likes it :) I think it's pretty and
it's partially fishtail lace :)

A sock for me!

Sweater. What kind of mom would I be if I didnt force a sweater on the boy?!

Now we are on to the more productive days where I actually FINISH things! Yeah, this is a small step of the knitting kind but they are done so dont mess with me!

Was SUPPOSED to have a rooster knitted into it for moms rooster kitchen...note to self, no patterned clothes from verigated yarn, HAHA!

Yeah, corrected rooster cloth on REGULAR cotton....it looks a LOT more clear in person though. Hard to catch it on camera....

THUMBS UP dude! This is actually a partial lie....this is the only mitten I have done....other one is in a ball in my bag with half the ribbing cast on, LMAO! But one is done so....it's in the done section darn it!

Now this is where it gets insane....this is my knitting stash coming up....books, yarn in boxes, EVERYTHING....it's the knitting corner, lmao. I know it's bad cause I dont want to use it just because that depleats the stash and because all I want is more yarn....yeah, that's right, I have 2 hanks of 100% pure tussah silk on their way here in mint and winter white and Im already drooling...so HA!

So that's it....I'm a bit OCD maybe but it's my stash and that's why I love it :) Now I'm off to give it a nice hug....and maybe figure out what Im going to do with that skein of Bernat Baby Lash....it looks and feels heavenly :)

Till Next time!

Kelly