NANNERS!

I've got a new favorite sock yarn - Dream in Color STARRY!
OMG - this is heaven to knit with. Beefy (NO string), pretty and it does NOT split! The pattern I'm using is by Wendy Johnson (Wendy Knits) and it's her Nanners Socks - too cute and easy enough for my tiny little pea brain.
Here they are in progress:



Grab yourself some Dream in Color, your fav needles and c'mon and join the rest of us Nanners!

UNCLE, UNCLE

OK - I've said it. I'm done screwing up socks. While I was able to complete my first pair just fine, the second has messed me up big time. When I went to start knitting in the round again - the front and back didn't match up. WTF!



SO - I started knitting a lace shawl. Girasole by Jared Flood. An absolutely GORGEOUS shawl that I hope I can finish. So far, so good. Sheri at the Loopy Ewe was kind enough to offer a 20% discount to anyone purchasing yarn for the KAL. I LOVE THE LOOPY EWE! Not only phenominal promotions, but uber fast servicee.
Anyway, here is the start of my shawl:



I read on one of the Ravelry forums that you should NOT use dark colors when knitting lace shawls. I don't know about you, but I LOVE the look of this dark color. This is Malibrigo Sock yarn in the color "Persia" and I love the subtle varigation and the darkness of the color itself. I'm tired of listening to other people. I'm going to knit what makes my heart SING.

HAPPY KNITTING to all!

I am NOT a total failure!

I DID IT!



I finished my first ever toe up socks!
See - I'm not a complete failure!

And Salem approves - which is what its all about anyway...

Giving Birth

OMG!! I did it!
I knit a toe up sock!
After starting and frogging FIVE (yes, 5) times, I have finally produced my very first toe up sock.



I feel like I've just given birth.

BUT alas, now I need to go and knit another one...

Brand New Day

I thought I would try once more to get a grip of toe up socks. I belong to Ravelry and I'm part of an amazing and supportive group of socknitters working their way through Wendy Johnson's awesome book "Socks from the Toe Up". I have a sock in progress and I'm loving it!



I love this yarn!! Yep, I'm a pink girl and this is Koigu KPPM. I love the "beef" of the yarn (no thread knitting for this girl) and it's actually behaving itself. I dropped a stitch last night and was able to retrieve it and fix the pattern back (sort of, but it looks OK).

YAY!

Now if only I can turn that heel...

The Frogs - They are a' Croakin!

Have you ever felt SO stupid about something?

I am there, right now!

For the life of me, I have yet to get a toe up sock to work.

First attempt: Nanners Sock



The pattern was gorgeous and was working - but the YARN was a PAIN!! It split, it un-twisted, it was NASTY! I know some folks love this yarn (and I LURVE the worsted version of this yarn) but I won't ever buy the sock yarn again.

Second attempt: Plain Vanilla Sock



Looks good, huh?
You didn't see the heel.
Yes, I have a high instep. My feet felt like a size 20 body that had been stuffed in a size 10 girdle. UGH! I tried to rip it out to just the mid-point, but ended up ripping it all the way back.

So, here I sit.

I THINK I know what I did wrong and how to fix it, but I'm catatonic right now. I may work up the courage to try again. Tomorrow...

Playing in the Dyepot...

Even though my rotator cuff is torn (from the fall - long story), I'm trying to do enough creative things that I don't go crazy.
One thing that I can still manage quite nicely is knitting. Lately, I've been obsessed with SOCKS!
For months, I have been drooling over Wollmeise yarn. Unfortunately, it is an elusive as a unicorn. So, I've given up. NO, no - not knitting socks, just finding Wollmeise.
So, what's a gal to do?
Why, dye her own!
With the help of Sheila over at Wool2Dye4, I got some soft, yummy yarn bases. I got out my acid dyes and proceeded to create.

First attempt - Caribbean!



Loved it! Sorry about the picture - I don't know why it's so dark.

Next, my knock off of Baristo:




I can't wait to knit this up!

Lastly, what I call a Study in Scarlet:



This yarn gave me fits! It's supposed to have pumpkin orange in it, but the fire red kept bleeding and bleeding and covered up most of the orange. I still love it - the reds go from bright, to rich, to deep. I have 2 of these skeins so they will be destined to become a shawl.

Not bad for an old broad!

I'm going to have to try this again. Stay tuned...

A Meme...

Never done one, but there's always a first time! Yes, I'm a MEME VIRGIN!
This was nabbed from my fav knitting blog, Wendy Knits.

Use the first letter of your name to find a word for each of the following:

Your Name - Denise
Four letter word - Damn
Boy name - David
Girl name - Delilah
Occupation - Dentist
Color - Dusk
Beverage - Dr. Pepper
Something found in a bathroom - Dryer (as in "hair")
A Place - Detroit
Reason for being late - Death
Food - Donuts
Something you shout - DANG!

Life is slowly getting back to normal. Hope Old Man Winter stays away!

The Ice Storm Cometh

I thought I would try and resurrect my poor blog. I thought that Hurricane Ike was going to be the extent of our severe weather for awhile - WRONG!! This ice storm was EVIL. Nothing like being without power for three days when temperatures are in the teens. By the time the power came back on, I couldn't feel the end of my nose or my toes! At least you can knit by candlelight.

The front yard:



The back view:



The sun is shining today and things are starting to melt. Let the clean up begin!!

WIP

Yes, I know I'm not the best blogger out there.

However, I'd like to share my WIP.

While vacationing in North Carolina last month, we found the neatest yarn shop in downtown Asheville - Purl's Yarn Emporium. Lesley, the owner, is a talented knitwear designer as well as a very sweet person. She graciously gave me a copy of her Shawl Collared Wrap Cardigan, which I am knitting up in Nashua's Sitar in the Sunshine Spruce Colorway.

Here is the back:

And here is a close up of the stitches:


It's a lovely thick/thin yarn and the colorway is phenominal! Can't wait to finish.

And of course, Hogwarts Week is fast approaching at Indiana University. DD already had a Gryffindor scarf, so I'm now busy working on this Ravenclaw version:

I'm using Unger's Utopia in Dark Navy and Soft Grey. Love it!

Yesterday was the Southern Indiana Fiber Fest. As much as I SWORE I wouldn't buy anything - there were 3 (yes, I know) fleeces that were just BLEATING to come home with me. Look for pictures soon.
Now, get out there and enjoy this GORGEOUS fall day!

Finally

No, I didn't get my cord yet. BUT my daughter in law sent me some pictures - which I'm happy to share with you.
Dawn (DIL) is as cat-crazy as I am. So when a visit home brought her up close and personal with an orphaned kitten - well, he just had to come home with her.
Lest he bring unwanted stowaways home with him in his fur, he (now named Ozzie) had to have a bath.
Here is Ozzie at the Kitty Day Spa:



Now, here is said kitten visiting his Grandma for Christmas:



Say it with me - AAAAAWWWWWWWW!
Yes, that's me spinning away on some BFL I got for an Aran cardigan. All THREE pounds of it.
I think everyone needs a kitty to help them spin, don't you?

Still Cordless...

BUT I did break down and buy one online. Now I just have to be patient until it gets here.
Daughter came home from college and was saying how disappointed she was that she couldn't participate in Hogwarts Week at school. HOGWARTS WEEK? Cool.
However, now I'm committed to producing a Weasley sweater, a Gryffindor scarf (from SS) and a Ravenclaw scarf (from PoA). I better get knitting!
Anyway, saw this neat survey - and it was right on.

Your Birthdate: September 22

You tend to be understated and under appreciated.You have a hidden force to do amazing things, doing them your own way.People may see you as strange and shy, but they know little.Your unconventional ways have more power than they (and even you) know. Your strength: Standing up for what you know is true Your weakness: You tend to be picky and rigid Your power color: Silver Your power symbol: Square Your power month: April

What'>http://www.blogthings.com/whatdoesyourbirthdatemeanquiz/">What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Give it try, won't you?

Lame Excuses

It's not that I don't want to post - but I still cannot find the freakin' cord to the camera!
AAARRRGGGHH!
Been knitting on my Noni bag and my daughter's Weasley sweater. Who would have thought that a college freshman would want a Weasley sweater? Evidently, IU Bloomington has Hogwarts Week and poor Danielle felt left out. I've got strict instructions to make a Weasley sweater, a Gryffindor scarf AND a cape. WHEW!
Actually, I would love a cape. I bought a Kinsale Cloak pattern last year and never found the right fabric for it. Guess I better double my efforts.
The baby bunnies are turning into BIG bunnies! But they are still so gosh darn cute.
I need to find that cord!
Stay tuned.

Noni Bag

I had hoped to add pics to this post - but couldn't find the cord that runs from the camera to the USB port. Maybe tomorrow.
Over the New Year's weekend (between trips to work and phone calls) I knit one of the new Noni bags - the Evening Adventure bag. As I got to looking at the design, I realized that this bag was going to be supported by two 4-stitch tabs on either side of the bag (now I REALLY wish I had pictures). If you are like me, you carry everything but the kitchen sink in your purse. I'm not sure that this bag will hold up to my lifestyle.
I went back and wove some extra strands of yarn through the tabs for reinforcement. I'm going to *try* and felt it tonight. I'll let you know how it turns out.
I love the design, but I think that the bag will take longer to finish than it did to knit. I'm really into mindless knitting now so these felted bags are perfect knitting.
Feeling VERY depressed lately. My daughter will be returning to school on Sunday and it will just be me and the hubby at home again. Not that it's a bad thing, but after having been a Mom for almost 31 years, it's hard to get into couple mode again.
I'm really looking forward to spring.

New Year

I've GOT to do a better job this year of chronicling my fiber fetish activities.
Although I tend to go overboard with things. I purchased and/or was given eight adult angora rabbits. *Manageable*
I put two rabbits together for a conjugal visit.
Female rabbit then presents me with THIRTEEN babies. Sadly, 3 of them did not make it - but now I've gone from EIGHT rabbits to EIGHTEEN rabbits.
Overboard.
At least they are adorable!
Here they are at three weeks of age:

















These are the children of my German cross buck - Albus Dumbledore. In the back, the lilac-y one is Nymphadora Tonks. The one behind her is Sevarus. You get the picture.
They are sweet. BUT now I need more cages.
Resolutions:
1) Post more in this online journal.
2) Eat healthier. If I lose weight, AWESOME!
3) STOP the SPENDING! I need more yarn/fabric/fiber like I need a hole in the head.
4) Do a better job of keeping in touch with my friends. I've been in a deep blue funk since hubby moved us to the middle of nowhere. I just have to suck it up and get used to it.
That's it. I'm not going to go overboard with resolutions.
I hope this year is a good one. I have faith.