ContestContestContest~

Happy Blogiversary to me! Ok technically speaking.. I'm a day early~ meh~ So here it is... Leave me a comment... regarding your favorite needles and why... can be any kinda needles... knitting...acupuncture...erm~ actually just those two categories... because that is the extent of my interest! and if your not a Knitter... if you could give me a suggestion about what you would like to read about on my blog or havehand knit for you... that works too!

the Prize... I have 2 skeins of Malabrigo Worsted!! OoOOOoOooh~ in Azul bolita and Buscando Azul (1 of each)...+ some left-overs (after finishing the Juliet- which I will post soon)... + some extras~~ of course if your a non-knitter... your prize will be... a hand knit item from me! (yay!... please note... this mite take me a while~ patience please!)... I will plug the comments into a random # generator... and that person wins!!

off to study... for those dreaded board exams and finals!!... Last day to enter is... April 8th! and don't forget... I have to have a way to find you!
... sometime before i go to bed~

Awesome~

the things that amuse me...

contemplating a contest?

hello all~... so I've just realized that the end of this month... the 31st to be exact... will be my Blogiversary..... and I'm thinking I might want to have a contest... you know the usual sort... leave a comment and a random # generator will pick a number and that person will win a prize?~ I'm just not sure what I want to put up as a prize yet (if you have any special requests... you can leave it in the comments... I'm really thinking that I might want to give away yarn from my stash~ or a hand knit prize if your a non-knitter?)... till then~ I will be thinking about it~~... just a heads up~

What I've been working on...


Pattern: technically speaking... I think its my own~ its just the gull lace pattern knit as a tube with a thumb thrown in for good measure~
Yarn: Morehouse Merino 3 ply
Needles: Empress DPN's size 7
Notes:
no really, its just the gull lace pattern (same lace as the February lady sweater) knit in a tube... with garter at each end... and a thumb picked up along the way~
It took me 10 days to knit... not literally... just... i started it... and i knit a little bit on it every other day or so~


Pattern: February Lady Sweater by Pamela Wynne
Yarn: Morehouse Merino 3 ply (none of the yarn I bought- like 8 skeins- was labeled with a color... but I think its Rosebud?)
Needles: Knit Picks Harmony Options Size 8,9,10, Empress DPN's size 7
Notes:
I knit the body with Size 8- Cast off with size 10; knit the arms with Size 7, cast off with size 9. The pattern is a modification of an Elizabeth Zimmerman February baby sweater- its really easy to knit... top down, seamless raglan~ but the sizing on the pattern does run large (as everyone who has knit this before me... have come to realize) so I knit the Medium size and it fits just fine~
the Yarn is really soft and nice to work with- it is like roving so it pulls apart quite easily- but this wasn't a problem while knitting... the knitted fabric seems just fine (noodles and I had many a tug-o-war sessions with the sweater!... and it survived)... it also has a good amount of vegetable matter- but again... not a big deal~ just pick them out as you work~ I bought the yarn at Brooklyn general- in January during their sale (I paid like less than $8 a skein)... so it was definitely a good value~ I would use their yarn again~


Pattern: Pocketbook Slippers by Lisa Vienneau & Allison Barrett modifications by: Miss Twiss
Yarn: Malabrigo Chunky- Verdes
Needles: Knit Picks Options Size 6
Notes: I knit the slippers basically as per Miss Twiss's modifications~
because I used a chunky gauge yarn I went down a needle size... CO 2sts... increased to 4~ and the strap was also knit across 4sts. I increased to a total of 36 as opposed to the 44 called for... it did produce a smaller size... which works well for my grandmother and my e-moh's feet (they wear like a size 5 women's.) These slippers are very cute, and a quick knit~ I'm fairly certain I will have to knit these until they come out of my ears this year~

and here is some Yarn 'pron'... I'm trying to cut back on my yarn buying and just knit from stash... I KNOW~~ me... yarn DIET? only because I want to go to Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival and my stash has expanded quite a bit this past year... Yarn Diet is HARD!! It helps that I'm in quite a few (will not state exactly how many at the moment)... yarn clubs... here is the kit I received most recently... from Woolgirl ... it is the February Kit from the Sock Club

see the shiny black pen in the photo? it says... Queen of Knitting... yes, yes it does~

and others...

It snowed!

IT snowed!!! the most its snowed this winter I think~~ it was quite a bit~ luckily I didn't have to shovel... thats what Cousins who get driven about are for!! (poor SAM!)

Noodles... loves snow... like LOOOVES snow... she bounced out the front door at her 1st opportunity~ and didn't want to come back in... we had to bribe her with treats~ (when don't we bribe her!! its a good thing I don't have to worry about her growing up and living on her own and such~ she wouldn't be very successful- the way we are raising her!)

She came back in... her legs and her belly were snow encrusted... she was dripping mini-snowballs all over the house... so we cornered her in the bathroom and defrosted her with the blow dryer... it took...forever!!


On the knitting front... I got me a new knitting bag...YAY!
it is the Namaste- Zuma in the Peacock colorway... everyone wants to know why I'm carrying a bowling bag... but its ok... it fits in sooo much STUFF~ its amazing~



WIP...

I had wanted to finish my February Lady Sweater in February... but it didn't happen~ I'm working on the 2nd sleeve now~

FO~
I did officially finish my Om Shanti Socks... which are the 1st socks of the Socktopus Sock CLub for this year~ very fun fast knit~

Pattern: Om Shanti bed socks by Alice Yu
Yarn: Chameleon Colorworks- Evolution in Peppermint Cheer
Needles: Knit Picks Nickle DPN's in Size 2 and 3.
Notes: really fast fun knit... the socks are soooo soft and cozy~
These are my 1st toe up socks... 1st provisional crochet cast on...my 1st cool braid-y thing~ and 1st sew cast-off~ The yarn is really interesting... its 100% merino... that has been pulled/thinned to the same microns as cashmere~ it shiny and feels amazing~ The pattern is well written and easy to memorize and follow~ oooh and I should mention... they did GROW quite a bit after washing... so much that they did begin to scare me... but all is well.. they still fit just fine~~

Other shopping news... I signed up for the Woolgirl Oz Sock Club... as if I need another sock club! but this is what sold me on it... the Glinda Sock Kit

in a word... its... amazing~