Friday, October 27, 2006

Put Up Your Dukes!

Ok - blogger is playing nice again - so lets try this out... what I meant to say when I first sat down to write, is that I'm home from work today. Well, reverse that -- I'm working from home today. Its been great - mostly because I was home when the UPS guy brought me this:


I got it from my points program through my credit card. It's actually a portable alarm clock/stereo for my iPod! How cool is this? I can wake and sleep to my music or podcasts and it's portable. It also comes with a remote - so we can just use it as a stereo. It fits both my mini and Chris' Video iPod. So cool. I'm loving this!


Ok - knitting content. You'll be very proud of me because even though I am in the throws of trying to open a business, I have also been carving out time to knit. I told you in the last post that I'd show off some of the insanity of a late night shopping trip to the Knit Picks website:

I've made a few pairs of socks too - there are about four balls of yarn that are in sock form missing from this picture. I've got a good stash of sock yarn going here. I think I need some self striping...and I have to admit, though I know this is tired and everyone on god's green earth is talking about it, but I want some Socks That Rock. I'm so into getting my hands on some and I just don't know when this could happen and I'm not going to do anything nice when I get this yarn - I'm going to be totally selfish. I will pet the yarn, knit the yarn and wear the yarn all to myself. I know this. Someday - I will get my hands on some of that yarn so that I can know what all of the fuss is about.

Here us almost one whole ball from the above yarn group - another pair of socks for the Sock Hop!

After an hour of trying to get blogger to upload a fe more pictures, I am bowing out of the fight. Blogger wins. I will show you even more pictures of some finished socks (a complete pair!) at another time.

As for the rest of things...well, I'm working hard to launch the new company, finish school and keep our current company going. It's a busy time, but Chris is taking me to the theater tonight, so I'm looking forward to that and hoping very much to squeeze in a nap before having to leave! I hope your weekend will be wonderful!

PS - Does anyone else find it ironic that blogger's spell check always lists the word "blogger" as a misspelled word? Hmm.

TGIF

I've got a bunch of pictures - one finished sock and blogger isn't uploading pictures. Sad. I'll be back, with pictures. Promise.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Sock Hop/Branching Out/Haunted Pirate Ships


Ok fellow sock hoppers, I know I need to "hop to it" (sorry, I had too...) but I'm almost done with the first sock and hopefully I can finish it up this week so that I can cast on for my second sock. I'm really enjoying knitting these and do like the Knit Picks Pallet - though this color (called blush) seems to look a little dull - not sure why. I've got a slew of this yarn in a ton of colors (I went on a sock yarn bender one lonely night when it was just me, the lap top, some beer and apparently my credit card... ) it resulted in a very fun shipment from KP. These things happen. We just have to move on and knit some socks. I'll show you a picture of how many balls of this yarn I actually have stashed next time.

In the meantime - this has been stealing some of my sock knitting time:


"Branching Out" from a 2005 issue of Knitty. I love this pattern (click on the picture for a better view) and spent part of my weekend working out how I can make this into a fun blanket. I think the math is complete and after I finish the socks, this scarf and a hat - I'm going to cast on for that blanket. Fun! Fun! Not sure what yarn I'll use to make the blanket, but the scarf is knitted in Knit Picks Shine - color is grass. I love this yarn. It really does shine, the cotton is wonderful and silky. I've got 3/4 of the cardi "Sitcom Chic" knitted up in this stuff (I sadly got stuck on the pattern and haven't been able to figure out what to do. I'm totally stuck and think I'm in for a trip to the frog pond. In the mean time, I totally dipped into the stash for that sweater and liberated this neglected yarn.)



The hat is also from Knitty and I've had my eye on making it:

From the 2003 Knitty archives - Lacecap. I realize that this cap isn't exactly practical for an East Coast, New York City winter, but really, what about cute little hats is ever practical? Cute is cute, not practical. So hopefully, I'll be wearing a nice little set of hat and scarf before the really cold weather sets in.

In other news, Chris and I spent the day building a haunted pirate ship for Halloween in our dear friend Jen and Adam's front yard in New Haven. Assisted by half the neighborhood kids, I was too busy having a grand time to run inside and grab the camera. These things also happen.

In other news - The Steelers won today 45-7. Oh yeah baby. It's football season!

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Folks, It's Been Busy



This is what I'm playing with right now... but truth be told, I'm just working like a crazy person. This weekend - pictures of an almost finished sock for the sock hop and a new scarf that's been a lot of fun to work on.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Companies and Crafts

Big things have been afoot here at the circle K. About four months ago I had this little idea for a new business and I casually pitched the idea to my boss. He loves it, I've got financial backing...gulp. Yeah, in a matter of just the last few weeks I have found myself back in school, opening a business, working at my current job and trying to have a home life. Needless to say, it's a lot, but hey - I'm wonderwoman, so what the hell? I can do it (this is the lie I've been telling myself, if ya'll could just play along, we'd sure appreciate it.)

Soooo I'm not giving up crafts, hell no - not just for some new way to make money and support myself and some day husband, we've got priorities here at YarnalKnowledge so we went out and signed up for the Sock Hop Knit Along over at Romancing the Yarn. What am I crazy? Oh yeah, I just read a little fact that 80% of new businesses fail in the first year, so I am crazy - without a doubt, buyt very, very sensible to sign up for that knitalong. A girl needs to knit and sometimes a busy girl needs a deadline to help her perform.

So without further ado - my SockHop creation was started on Sunday night (per the rules):

This is the "Classy Slip-Up" sock from Betsy Lee McCarthy's book "Knit Socks!" I love the pattern repeat (very easy to remember) and this is sort of new to me, I'm usually knitting straight stockinette socks, so we'll see how I do when I get to the heel.



I'm using the new KnitPicks magnetic pattern holder thingermerbob to hold my pattern up for me. It's super-terrific, I can't figure out why none of us made this and sold it prior to this time - it's brilliant.




well, blogger is doing that thing where it promises it's uploading your photo and then not uploading your photo. I was going to show you a picture of my new sewing machine. I got a SINGER Simple - It's this one if you want to have a look. I have made something - a custom table cover for my coffee table (a need for protection made this project happen). I'll try and show you pictures of that later on.

In the mean time, I have to continue to ponder my price list for the new company, complete my vision and mission statements and write copy for the front page of the website. I am really crazy. Sigh.

Have a great night!

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Cozy-Posie


Cozy is done just in time for the fall weather to roll in. I used a little unknown stash-busting yarn in heather gray to knit this up. It is no where near the weight that this pattern called for, but what the hell? There are no real rules in shawl knitting. The darn thing fits and I had a great time knitting it. It's warm and big and I've worn it several times to work last week (it's something like Antartica in my office whenever the sunshines - the A/C is a little outta whack).

Final measurements basically match the pattern: 67.5 inches in length and 18.75 inches in width.




So what to knit now? Well, I've cast on today for a pair of "classy slip up socks" with some pretty pink Palette from Knit Picks (100% Peruvian Wool -official color name is blush).

I'm also using Knit Picks new double pointed needles for the first time (size 1) and I am happy to report that I really, really like them. I've been having trouble finding dpn's recently because for no good reason, I love my dpn's to be metal. I constantly read all over blog land that people have to use bamboo or other wooden needles to knit socks. Metal is too slippery, the needles fall off the stitches, etc. I've never had this problem. I've knit a bunch of socks on Boye needles, happily watching the paint peel off of the end of the needles which for me, was a mark of experience - of good use. My only complaint with the Boye needles: the only sell them in packs of 4 needles. I do not like to knit socks with 4 needles, but rather 5. I think things turn out so much better with 5 needles - less stress on the stitches mean less likelihood of ladders in your knitting as you work in the round. So for awhile, I bought two packs of the same size in the Boye. It wasn't so bad - I could get a bunch of things knitting on all of those needles. But now, I can't seem to track down those dpn's and now it sort of ticks me off to have to buy two packs.

In comes the package from Knit Picks with sets of five metal needles, they have nice sharp points on them, very comfortable and haven't dropped a stitch yet (knock wood). I love em. And at about $2.99 for the 5 pack - who could resist them? Fantastic - I only hope they continue to make them in all sizes 'cause I'd like to make some hats on size 8 this winter and I hope they'll have what I need.

Pictures of the sock and the new needles and the pattern holder (what!?!) that I'm using coming this week. I'm now going to go and clean the bathroom (every girls wish and want for a sunny Sunday afternoon), watch football and knit and smile as my dear sweetheart cooks me up his famous carrot and potato soup (oh good Lord, it is sooooo good). I'm one of those girls who got lucky and found me a man who can cook some serious noshes! He's taken ladies.