secret pal package!

I got a package from my secret pal today! I don't have a lot of time to elaborate so I'll cut to the chase:

The goods:
3 balls of Grey Rowan Kidsilk haze (70% Super Kid Mohair, 30% Silk) 229 yards each; 3 balls Red Phildar Licorne (100% cotton) 131 yards each; 2 balls of Blue Phildar Detente (100% cotton) 153 yards each; 3 skeins Beige Rowan Summer Tweed (70% silk, 30% cotton) 118 yards each.

And the close ups:





The astute observer might notice that (especially in the close up on the Red Licorne) that the yarns look dull or even whiteish... this is not from the camera or the lighting... it's from the fact that my package took quite a beating between France and Canada and so a package of bath bubble stuff sort of exploded all over the place. Luckily it was dry bath bubbles, so it didn't ruin everything but the cottons do still have some stuck in them. I figure that once I knit something up and wash it there will be some brightening of the colours. Miraculously it came out very easily from the kidsilk. Also not pictured: 2 jars of french jam, papaya body scrub and a small pot with mini sunflower seeds to plant!

Thanks secret pal!

new pictures, old projects

I'm staying with my dad and sister this week while the OSCBF and my mom are both out of town (just to clarify, they went on separate trips!). In any case, I'm using my old laptop to check email and the like. I didn't want to be moving tons and tons of stuff for just two days, so I left my Mac at the apartment.

So I found some new knitting photos to share. Ok, they're not actually *new*... they're photos of things I knit as gifts last Christmas, but since I forgot my camera, I never took pictures of people wearing them. Apparently my mom did, but never sent them to me. In any case, they're new to most of you and it distracts from the fact that I haven't done much new knitting lately...


Drop stitch scarf from Stitch n' Bitch Nation. Handpainted ribbon from Stitches East '06. Gift for Nana, Modelled by Mom.


Berroco Touche "Cashmere" Cowl... not so cashmere but still soft and warm! From LMKG. Gift for and modelled by Mom.


Back of the "nightie"... I did it to specifications but it was (obviously) quite short. But she wore it as a tank top Saturday night and it looked awesome!


And a shot of the front...


And a better shot of the "edible undies", on the lingerie line at the bachelorette party Sat. night.

Blogger and internet explorer have teamed up to annoy me tonight (I heart my Mac) and so this is the second time I've written this post... cross your fingers that it works this time!

naughty knitting

I don't know how many of you might have seen the naughty issue of Knitty from Summer '04, but it's kind of funny, and fun, and not really that naughty. Anywho, tonight if a friends bachellorette party and we're supposed to bring underwear that symbolizes us and she's supposed to guess who's is whose. So I thought... I should really knit some underwear. I know, I know, I've said before that I draw the line at knitted underwear, but I couldn't resist, and I figured I'd just use up some of my stash and it would be a fun joke. So I thought I'd search around for a quick pattern and came up with this: 302 calories. Edible, knitted underwear: finally, someone has brought together two loves: food and knitting. Licorice thong string, not so much... in fact, it's sort of really totally icky when you think about it. But it took about 20 mins (well, not if you count the two days of driving around the city attempting to actually find licorice shoe strings...) and it's going to be hilarious. So, I give you my version of 302 calories:


(Sorry about the crappyness of the picture... I had to find somewhere that I could hang it and the lighting is really really bad in the bedroom... I'll try to get better ones tonight.)

Also in related naughty crafting news, I was recruited by the sister of the bride to be to make a very special item... keep in mind that this is a cowboy themed bachellorette:



Yes, that's what you think it is... and yes, I made it myself. It will go great with the cowboy hats we ordered!!

After the Wash

Well, I can check #5 off my summer knitting list! (No one said they had to be done in order did they?!)

Here are the Baby Denim Drawstring Pants post-wash & dry:



They're still a bit damp so they're now hanging with the rest of "do not tumble dry" laundry. But they definitely shrank (which is good... everyone kept saying they looked odd... the legs were ridiculously long pre-wash) and all ends have been woven in and the drawstring is firmly where it is supposed to be. One problem with my modification (4 st i-cord instead of 2) is that it was harder to get into the slot for the drawstring... I didn't take that into consideration ahead of time. It still works, but it doesn't tie into the best bow ever... still, I think overall a thicker i-cord is needed to hold up baby pants. If I were to make them again I might try 3 sts. The baby shower is next weekend, so there is lots of time for them to dry out! Unfortunately I already had plans to be away that weekend, so I won't make the actual shower, but I wanted to do something for her anyway... hopefully these fit the little guy on the way!

Stay tuned later today (or possibly tomorrow) for some content considerably more "adult"!

Baby Jeans (or Why I Love LMKG So Much!)

I know I've said it before, but LMKG is a great knitting book.

I give you Exhibit A: (actually it's more like Exhibit M, considering all the things I've made from this book)



A pair of (almost) finished Baby Jeans. I just have to wash and dry them tomorrow (along with all my other laundry I've been neglecting lately), weave in the ends & drawstring, and voila! Baby Jeans. That are machine washable and dry-able. That shrink, fade and soften like real jeans. (At least, that's what it says they'll do!)

Specs:
Pattern: LMKG Baby Denim Drawstring Pants
Yarn: 2.5 skeins Rowan Denim, Memphis colour
Needles: US 6 / 4mm
Modifications: Only to the drawstring; I did a 4 stitch i-cord instead of 2... I didn't think the 2 looked robust enough.

I'll post an "after the wash" picture tomorrow.

Log Cabin

This morning I finally finished cutting all the ends off the back of the log cabin baby blanket for the OSCBF's newest family member. He left this morning for a conference in Saskatchewan (how did I actually spell that right on the first try?!) and afterwards he will be traveling farther west to visit various family members, including the cousins who just had a baby a few weeks ago. We were running more than a little behind this morning, though, so these are the best pics I got of it before it got thrown into a suitcase:






One with flash and two without. Try to imagine it flat and without the mess of our breakfast dishes in the background...

Specs:

Yarn: Berroco Touché (It must seem like I hoard this stuff or something, but all I can say is hoorah for machine washable!)
Needles: Size 8 / 5 mm circs & crochet hook (for the pink border you probably can't even see in these pics)
Pattern: None - just a straight up log cabin as explained in this tutorial by Mason-Dixon Knitting.

I can check #1 off my summer knits list!

meme

I got tagged by the PhD knitter to participate in the following meme:

The Rules: Each person tagged gives seven random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs seven facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and need to read your blog.


Before I start I just want to say that I have been up and working since 5:45 this morning, so I'm really tired and these will probably be whatever randomness pops into my head at the moment...

1. I have never eaten a grilled cheese sandwich. Ever. Nor am I really very interested in doing so. I've had grilled cheese + something else, but never just a straight grilled cheese.

2. I learned to knit when I was quite young, but left it alone for many many years. I've picked it back up from time to time but always left it again. I started knitting again most recently last September... I joined a group when I moved to the states to get to know more people. This time I think I'm going to stick with it though.

3. I just completed my first year of a PhD. I'm really glad I had 2 years of a Master's beforehand or I would have felt COMPLETELY out of place.

4. I am back in Canada for the summer, living with the OSCBF and working at a factory. I've worked in factories before, but this is probably the most manual labour I've ever done in my life. It always reminds me why I want to go back to school in the fall, even after a particularly hard year. Other than knitting, I'm not really cut out for hard manual labour.

5. I played piano for 8 (maybe even 9?) years, but I never finished my grade 8 Royal Conservatory exam, which I regret.

6. I really only speak Spanish fluently (aside from English, of course), but I find that I can follow conversations in French and Italian, and read most Portuguese, but listening to Portuguese is almost impossible. I haven't studied French since high school and my spoken French is broken and smattered with Spanish now, but I will be taking an Italian course next year.

7. The OSCBF and I met during a Summer Shakespeare production of Much Ado About Nothing. It was my first (and to date only) acting experience (outside of a few shows we did in the Spanish department) and I would definitely do it again... maybe next time they'd even let me have lines! (I was the only person without lines, yet, because of my freakish memory I had almost the whole play memorized...). I tried out on a whim... I was finishing my last year of the BA, had just gotten accepted to the MA and was feeling very "brave new world" about the whole thing. I was in a place where I wanted to try new things and push my limits... so I did and I had one of the most interesting summers of my life.

I haven't decided who I'll tag yet... I might not tag anyone... so if you feel like letting me know 7 things about you, leave a comment and I'll come check it out.

acquisitions

So, after posting on Friday that I had yarn stores on the brain, I proceeded to look up yarn stores. The smallish but well stocked one was advertising a "big, honkin' sale", which just happened to start that very same day. It was fate, I'm sure! So, I hopped in the car and drove over. Their stuff seems expensive, but I guess I've become accustomed to US prices... which, by the by, has anyone noticed how good the loonies has been doing?! But I digress...

So, being one for a good bargain, I picked up the following:


The Summer Issue of Interweave Knits (not on sale, but I was going to buy it anyway), 3 skeins of Rowan Denim in Memphis, and 7 skeins of Baruffa Merinos Sei in colour 42000 (sort of a charcoal grey).... Otherwise known as just enough yardage to make the sweater on the cover of the summer IK!

Here's an upclose of the Merinos Sei (apparently made by the same company as Trendsetters).

And an closeup of the Rowan Denim. I've been wanting to try this to possibly make the skirt from Spring IK (which can be seen here on Eunny Jang's blog - she should really post something new, soon!) but these three skeins are going to be used for the denim baby pants in Last Minute Knitted Gifts for my friend who is having a baby in June. If I like the way it knits up, then I will possibly try out the skirt.

procrastination

I took today off (sort of... it's been dead at my new job and since my supervisor is also my cousin I told him that if he didn't really need me I have some major work I should be doing... so he told me I could stay home today) so that I could finish a paper... which was technically due yesterday. Eep. So, instead, I'm thinking about yarn shops. I mean, I never get to go to any here because A. they're far away (my LYS in Baltimore is about 4 blocks from my house), B. I work during the day and they're closed by the time I'm home and cleaned up sufficiently to fondle yarn and C. I'm tired all the time from this new job. There are many other reasons too, not the least being that I should be spending my "free" time writing papers... like, right now. But I'm thinking about yarn stores. There are quite a few in the city (I mean, this is Canada!) and I've really only ever been to two. The huge warehouse (which has decent prices but mostly novelty yarns) and one that I went to when I first got back a couple of weeks ago (tiny but decent selection... I didn't have much time to look around 'cause I was with the OSCBF and didn't want to bore him completely). There are at least 2 more that I haven't explored yet and I am jonesing for some yarn time. In Baltimore I would make it to the LYS at least once or twice a week (so close! on my way home from school!!) and here I've only been to one in the last 2 weeks, for about 5 mins tops. So I'm making myself a deal. If I get a decent chunk of this paper done in the next couple of hours I might go yarn store hopping. I'll update on how it works out later!

Summer knits contest

Wooooo... a contest! And a simple one at that! Skeins her way is hosting a "what ya gonna knit" contest for the summer and giving away her newest pattern and some gorgeous blue sky cotton. So now all I have to do is let you know what I plan on doing this summer.

1. Finish the log cabin blanket (super soon actually) for the OSCBF's newest family member.

2. Finish the vest for the OSCBF (which has sadly been languishing for months... and won't really be useful to him until November or December...)

3. Make BMP socks for my little bro

4. Figure out what I'm going to do with the lovely Schafer Anne yarn I bought with a Christmas Gift Certificate... I'm thinking either the Silk Cami from LMKG or a shawl I saw in Fall '06 interweave knits...

5. More baby stuff for a friend who is having a shower soonish... depending on how soon is soonish I will have to decide how big a project I can take on...

6. Something for my mom for her birthday... It's not until the end of June though, so I'm sure I'll think of something by then!

So, that's it... that's all I've got planned for the summer so far. That and 3 more term papers to write before Aug. 1. Eep!

P.S. I saw this first on the ADD Knitter's blog. Part of the contest is that you have to let people know how you found out about it.

blocks that rock!

OK, so I've settled in (mostly) back in Canada and I've started working. I've also been attempting to write papers in the evenings. I am so tired I've barely knit a stitch all week. I did, however, decide to weave in the ends loosely, wash and block the surprise for my friend's bridal shower tomorrow. Of course, I left it until this evening so now I'm panicking that it won't dry in time for tomorrow morning.

Remember the sneak peak picture? Well here's the full thing, being blocked:


It's the nightie from Interweave Knits Spring '07 (if you didn't already guess that...) and I really enjoyed knitting it.
Specs:
Pattern: Interweave Knits Spring 07 (available online in PDF format)
Needles: Size 4 circ
Yarn: Berroco Touché Pink (don't remember what #)
Time: a couple of weeks on and off?
Notes: This is the smallest size (my friend is both shorter and thinner than me, so I didn't think making the medium (which is what I would have made for me) would have been appropriate. Unfortunately it is REALLY short for a nightie and will probably make a better night-shirt and / or lacy top. I'll let her decide. I was going to get a pair of matching silky shorts or something but I just haven't had the time. :S


OSCBF and I went to an antique shop last night and I found these old wooden sock blockers... just about the right size for my little feet!


And speaking of feet, the OSCBF showed off his crafty side today and built us a shoe closet!

Sorry for the badness of the photos... I'm just too tired to keep trying to get a good shot.

movin' on up, movin' on out

Well, I'm headed back to the Great White North today. I'm just waiting for the van to pick me up to head to the airport... should be in the next 10 mins or so. So if I don't post for any new pics for a few days, please be forgiving! I'll be back asap... I mean, I have 2 papers due in the next two weeks, plus I'm starting a full time job on Tuesday... clearly I'll need to be knitting, just to keep my sanity! And the airplane knitting... oh, there will be airplane knitting...

So you want proof, eh?

Warning: Word and picture heavy post ahead!

My last few days have had a theme: proof. It started Friday with a knock on the door. I had a registered letter that I had to sign for, thus proving that I had received it. The letter was from the Universidad de Huelva, demanding proof that I had paid my tuition for the year. (Those of you who are new: I'm technically doing two PhDs right now... one in the States and one overseas... it's a long story.) The problem is that I didn't actually pay my tuition, someone else did it for me. Because in Spain you can't just give them a visa number or fill out a form online... you have to show up, pick up a letter from the University, take it to a certain bank and pay it in person. So I don't have the receipt. Long story short: sometimes my luck amazes me. The girl who paid my tuition because she was there on exchange last semester still had the receipt (despite the fact that all this happened back in Sept and she's moved back to Canada since then) and emailed me a scanned copy. I've emailed it on to them in the hopes that it is enough proof to satisfy them.

And now, I present to you, the proof that I do still knit! In no particular order we have:


The beginnings of a log cabin baby blanket for a new baby in the OSCBF's family in Berroco Touché;


A kerchief scarf based on the one in Last Minute Knitted Gifts in the linen/cotton (unsure, but most think it is linen) from my first SP10 package;





Two views of an anklet sock (and my extremely white leg): toe-up, short row heel, lace pattern adapted from Vogue Stitchonary in the KnitPicks Merino from Kniterations (only one is done... I figure I'll cast on the second next Saturday while waiting for planes trains and automobiles...);


A detail of a secret present for a friend's wedding shower (no out-loud guesses if you know what it is!)... this project is finished except for blocking and weaving in of ends;


And finally, a detail of the scarf that I'm currently blocking for a friend's birthday.

No progress has been made in FOREVER on the Hourglass sweater, the Graknitti Strip, or the Red-Cross Army vest. Here's the deal though: I'm moving, for the summer. I'm going back to Canada so that I can get a job in which I will actually make money. I didn't get any summer teaching at school and I love helping out at the yarn store and teaching classes there, but technically I can't work there. I can "volunteer" (in exchange for the occasional skein of free yarn) but (no matter how much we might want to) a girl can't live on yarn alone. Plus, I'll be with the OSCBF for 4 whole months. I'm pretty sure we haven't actually lived in the same country for that much time (consecutively I mean) in almost 2 years. So, the plan is to take the vest and some stash with me, and try to use some of it up over the next 4 months. I'm sure I'll eventually have to break down and buy some yarn there, but not without some guilt... I feel very loyal to my wonderful, friendly LYS here. I love going every Saturday to knit with the regulars, and I'm going to miss them, and Sue a LOT. But I'll be back!!

P.S. To my secret pal coordinator - I wasn't sure that whether I would be moving at all, or for part of the summer when I signed up for SP10. But my secret spoiler has already agreed to send my packages to my new address in Canada and I will continue to spoil my pal from abroad.

grand opening!

If anyone is in the Bmore area and wants to check out the new and improved Lovelyarns today would be a great day! Not only is it gorgeous and sunny out, but today is her grand re-opening!

P.S. I promise, photo proof that I do still knit later today or tomorrow at the latest!

a bounty of buttons!

Sorry if you've seen this before, but it's so well done and so cute! I think by the writing that it was done in Russia, but I could be wrong. I think my favorite button is the old soviet symbol that gets knocked down and has to be carried away on a stretcher. Enjoy!

I am a lucky, lucky girl!

I am super lucky... last night a friend said that he needed a place to stay, so he's taking my apartment for most of the summer. It's a huge load off my mind 'cause I know I'll have the majority of the money I need to pay for the apt. for the summer and I know that he'll treat my stuff and my roommate with respect. Phew!

Then, I came home today to find a small padded envelope with my name on it! Another package from my pal! This one was a special extra package in honour of my birthday (which, if anyone cares to know, is actually this coming Monday) with the following contents:


A very cute postcard of Paris (my pal is from France) and a little crochet bag and earrings, all of which were handmade by my pal! Thanks pal! You're the awesomest!

And now, a close up on the earrings:

Hanging from the bottom are little charms, including a heart with a lock and a key, a little Eiffel Tower, a butterfly, a star and a silver ball, along with some bits of what look like shell. They are so cute and I'm going to wear them to my bday party tomorrow night.


And since I get to post about birthday gifts, here are some pictures of bday goodies I bought myself with the money my grandmother gave me for my birthday and made me promise I would spend on myself and not on bills or groceries!

A luggage tag in the shape of an icecream cone... I know it's dorky but I travel a lot and it's cute and fun and it will help me identify my luggage quickly, so really, it serves a functional purpose... uh, yeah!


And a new purse! 'Cause really, what I really need is another purse... I have a slight addiction problem, but it's only with shoes and purses, so I figure it could be a lot worse...


Sorry about the crookedness of the last picture... I'm still getting used to the "take a self portrait in the mirror" concept. And I couldn't figure out how to turn it on my mac... If I could wish for one more thing for my birthday (other than the obvious wish that the OSCBF could be here too) it would be that google would make Picasa for Macs!

subletting

Sorry I haven't posted much lately... I haven't had much time for knitting. I'm trying to sublet my room for the summer and it has become a full time job. I wouldn't worry about it, except that it's going to save me so much money and, being that I'm a poor grad student, I can definitely use the extra $$...

So, hopefully some knitting will get done over the weekend... I'm helping out at the LYS 'cause she's moving and she needs someone to man the old shop while she paints and replaces the floors in the new one. Of course, the whole time I'm there, knitting away, I'll probably be freaking out about the apartment. Hopefully the girl who's coming to see it on Friday will take it and I can relax about it a bit...

2 packages in 1 week!

MMMM! I've been spoiled! I got home late last night to find my SP10 package waiting for me outside the door! And what a great little package it was! Let's check out the contents...


2 skeins of PINK! I <3 me some pink. On the left we have a pink cotton (I'm guessing... the tags seem to have gone missing but my pal says in her letter that it is from a shop called la droguerie) (I think the link is right) and the other is a thick and thin variegated pinks and oranges and I think that it is wool. About this one she only said that it is from a shop in Paris.


The black is 100% wool, quite thick, so I'll have to think of something to do with that... hmmm... ideas are forming!


And the "goodies": 2 shower gels, one vanilla and one raspberry (yum!), as well as a vanilla body lotion, a lindt bunny (double yum!), some incense and a pretty blue bag, perfect for carrying a couple of skeins or some travel bath stuff!

And, since I seem to be improving at my picture taking skills, here are some close ups on the pink skeins:

Ooooooh! A prize!

I got an honourable mention over at Kniterations in her contest regarding how many movies she's seen... I guessed low and I guess that endeared me to her! So yesterday in the mail I found this:


A skein of Knitpicks Memories (100% Merino) in Redwood Forest and a little Winnie the Pooh in a bumblebee outfit! I've never actually ordered any Knit Picks Yarn before (I like to feel it and see the *true* colours ahead of time... I'm picky like that) but this is so soft and the colours are really pretty. The skein is 220 yards, more than enough for a small pair of socks or perhaps these? Or maybe these<? I got really sick of making fingerless gloves after Christmas when I made a total of 9 (or was it 10??) pairs... but not in either of these patterns. Plus I find them really useful here. We'll see... I'm going to search a bit for the perfect pattern to use for this... it could be totally different tomorrow!

And now, for the extreme close-ups! (Apologies in advance, the weather here today is ick and my camera doesn't seem to like taking yarn pr0n pics... but these were the best I got.)



As you can see, it has all the colours of an autumn forest... my fav season, btw. Red, Green, Orange and a bit of brown... I think I'm in yarn lust!

Thanks again Knitty K8!

new post and a new technique!

Well, I survived a weekend with my parents... but barely! (I kid, it was great, even if I still didn't get to D.C.) I've decided to post the pictures of my notions bag, plus the no-seams technique that I used to make it. Most of you have probably done it before, but hey, I took pictures of it, so I'll post them and perhaps, someday it will be useful to someone... or not...

So, here are the before and after photos of the notions bag (remember, this was my first try at felting and it was totally by hand... I don't think there's any difference...)

So, without further ado: Before:



And after:



I stupidly forgot to put in a quarter for sizing purposes, I now realize why people do that (not that I didn't really get it before, but now I will forever remember to do so...). In any case, it looks exactly the same to me, except that the dye ran a little and the colours are now softer... and possibly the edges and the triangle lie down more smoothly from having been semi-blocked during the drying process. Any suggestions on how to re-felt???

OK, and now for technique. I believe that it's called double knitting, and what you do is cast on double the amount of stitches that you would want for one side of your bag (thus it must be an even amount of stitches). Every row is the same: *K1, Sl1 pwise*. Once you have worked this row enough that your bag is the depth that you want (leaving room for shrinkage if you are going to felt) take 2 dpns and hold them together opposite the needle with all the stitches on it. Slip (pwise) the first stitch onto the front needle and the 2nd stitch to the back needle. Continue to alternate stitches from front to back needle like this: (apologies ahead of time for the blurriness of the picture)



I lucked out - because this was a variegated yarn the red stitches were all going to the back of the bag and the purple to the front in this row. when you have all the stitches on the two dpns your bag will magically open up and you can flip it inside out so that you see the right side of a stockinette stitch (up until now you would have only seen the inside of the bag, which would look like reverse stockinette or garter stitch). Now you can cast off the front of your bag and continue to make a flap on the back!

As I always ask at the end of class: Any questions??

2 bits of sp good news

I got two emails today with SP news. The first, that my secret pal spoiler has sent my package and expects it to get here in a week... I can't wait to see what goodies I'll get from France! The second, that my spoilee received her package today and that she really likes her stuff and already has project plans for it. She also said she would post soon about it... I can't wait to see what she's going to do with it! I wish I could give more details but this is supposed to remain as secret as possible, right?!

In non-knitting related news, my family is coming to visit and should be landing within the next hour or so... they'll be here until Monday afternoon, so I'm doubting that I'll find a whole lot of time for knitting between now and then. So, if I don't post for a few days, don't worry, I'll be back!

P.S. I just realized that I've probably been boring you all with picture-less posts since flash your stash on Monday so I promise some knitting related pictures when I get back into things next week!

hmmmm....

Well, I just tried my first foray into felting, but I don't think it really worked. First of all, we live in an apt. complex so I don't have access to a machine that would be very good for felting. So I tried boiling the wool on my stove (which, by the way, makes your house smell lovely... I'd totally try it if you like the sent of wet dog but can't find the right scented candle!) and I don't think I was agitating hard enough... of course, I didn't really want to splash boiling water all over myself either. I took a before picture... we'll see what it it looks like after it dries, hopefully by tomorrow... but seriously, it looks the same size to me as it did beforehand.

sp package

No, I haven't received one yet, but I did send one today! I can't wait to see if my pal enjoys her goodies... the only thing I'm worried about is that I didn't put a return address... I'm paranoid, you know? And the woman at the counter told me I had to and I was resigned to it, but then she put the postage on and threw it in the outgoing bin anyway... I was a bit confused but since I don't want to give too much info away about myself, I figure, what the heck?! If I don't see my pal post about it in a few days I'll start to worry though... I did pay for 2 day priority post.

In my own knitting news, I cast on the mystery present in the pink berroco touché for my friend. I'm really excited to see how it turns out... I might just want one for myself! (Geez I'm a greedy knitter...)

Flash Your Stash

OK, here it is... I'm going to flash like it's mardi gras!

First up, the "serious potential" stash:


Four balls of Lily Chin superwash merino. Destined to become the Space Invader Socks from Knitty Spring '07 for my little bro. (Whom I'm like 99% sure doesn't read this but if you do, try to act surprised....)


Schafer Yarns "Anne", wound with a single strand of bamboo in the same teal colour I made my lace capin. I've had this since just before christmas (I bought it with a gift certificate my lovely roommate got me) and I really want to make it into the Last Minute Knitted Gifts Tank top. (the only picture I could find is here) I'm worried about the weight of the yarn though, I think it might still be too thin, so I may have to double strand the bamboo. I should really get around to at least trying a gauge swatch on this someday! Also, the picture really doesn't do justice to the variegations in the schafer anne yarn.


Finally in the "serious potential" category is 5 skeins of pink Berroco Touché. This project will probably be on the needles soon, because it is a gift for a friend that needs to be done before mid-May. But the potential that she reads this blog is proportionally higher than my brother, so I can't say too much about it right now!

In the "full (or practically full) skeins with little to no current potential" category we have:


Oh dear... 1400 yards of Rayon. Yep, you read that right. Bought at stitches, I had plans to make Viveka from knitty fall 06... but it just sort of never happened and I've lost interest. I'm sure at some point I'll figure out what to do with 1400 yards of hot pink rayon...


2 skeins of bamboo... the pink is triple stranded (also from my roomie for christmas) and the left overs of the teal from the lace cap... at least 3/4 of a single stranded 50g skein. I might have to use the teal to gauge swatch for the LMKG tank, just to see... but other than that I have no plans for these right now... but I'm thinking, 'cause I did like working with the bamboo a lot.


3 skeins of christmas-y coloured cascade 220. I used these to make a stocking for the OSCBF for Christmas... sadly I don't have a picture of any of the things I made him this year. I keep bugging him, maybe I'll finally get some when I go home for the summer! (Same with my family, actually... I forgot my camera at Christmas time, so I didn't get any pictures of people wearing their knitted gifts...)

Now for the "leftovers":


I pictured all the little bits of leftovers from projects past together, so I'll do my best to explain what is what.
Top row (left to right): Some icky acrylic something (I can't even decide what pukey colour it is...) that I've had for ages and somehow moved across the ocean and then again down the coast with me; Sprinkles left over from the blue baby booties; Some variegated wool/metallic I found at home at Xmas time; blue Berroco Touché left over from my mom's Xmas present; black acrylic; Malabrigo Aquarella left over from the ribbed scarf; a 1/4 skein of brown sport weight superwash merino and a tiny bit of brown wool/sari silk used in the OSCBF's Xmas gifts; a tiny bit of purple Berroco Pure Merino left over from the sample scarf for Lovelyarns; about 1/2 a skein of Trendsetter's Dune, used for the skinny scarf

Bottom Row: 2 tiny bits of Cascade Fixation left over from socks made for christmas (1 black, 1 variegated blues); a bit of berroco touché in black; some handpainted ribbon yarn purchased at stitches and made into the drop stitch scarf from SnB 2 for my Nana; Berroco Ultra Alpaca wound with Blue Heron's Metallic Rayon in Blueberry, used for the cindy lou who mittens; the rest of the blue heron metallic; Berroco Ultra Alpaca in Grey wound with Crystal Palace Kid Merino (note to self: do NOT wind together anything with a mohair again... use two separate balls held together while knitting) used for leg warmers; Berroco Ultra Alpaca use for the brim/top of the birthday hat for my dad as well as some wrist warmers; a teeny tiny bit of Ice Yarn leftover from another pair of baby booties.

And finally(!) the "stash on needles" category:


2 skeins of Red Heart + a bit of some fun fur, donated to the owner of the LYS, who then gave it to me to participate in the Graknitti experience(last time touched: approx 1.5 weeks ago); a skein of Irish Aran Wool, being used for the LMKG Hourglass sweater (last time touched: approx. 1 month ago... I don't think my gauge is right :S); 3 skeins of Cascade pima silk being used for a toe-up sock (last time touched: couple months ago, maybe? I don't think I'll have enough and I'm not sure I really like the colours); grey Lett Lopi for the OSCBF's vest (last time touched: technically yesterday, but it was only one row and I don't think I'm going to have enough to finish... I'll need another skein but it can wait until May); 1 skein Classic Elite Inca Print being used to make a felted notions purse (so I stop losing tapestry needles and measuring tapes) (last time touched: about 2 minutes ago while waiting for the pictures to load... it's 100% Alpaca and I can't stop touching it... yum!) I wish I could afford enough of this to wrap myself in... it's so soft and the colours are gorgeous!


WHEW! That was a lot of work. Now, I've shown you mine... it's only fair that you show me yours!