NerdWars Dissertation

Wish me luck!  I haven't done that well with my summertime dissertations in NerdWars.  This summer, I'm going for three pairs of socks.  Two are toe up, one is top down.  One is on standard DPNs, one is on a 9in sock circular, one is on 2 circ's.  Three different heels are being done - including an afterthought heel that I've never done before.  Since NerdWars requires a swatch for your dissertation proposal - here's the pictures.

More knitting

My evil sockies are done - in time for flip flop weather :)



Red checker square for my next VJGC afghan



My new lunchtime at work project- socks with Kaffe Fassett Regia yarn.



I'm trying to adapt dragon's breathe socks to anklets with my new Castle Fibers Undead " Deep Bruise" yarn. I'm calling them Dragon's bruise. I figure you mess with a dragon it's going to leave a mark!!

Knitting Updates

Started balling my hank of deep bruise yesterday. I'm going to have fresh bruises by the time I'm done. I really need to get a swift, ASAP. Curt has been my human swift since I discovered yummier yarns that come in hanks. He told me I was pulling from the wrong end so I switched. He was apparently wrong. It keeps getting horrible tangled. Horribly. Curt spent a good couple hours last night, we then wound some more this morning. I'll be too arthritic to knit before this thing gets wound. Don't have a picture.

Here's my completed (except for weaving the ends) right sock



Here's where I'm at on the left sock



Here's the red/white/blue tea cozy base. working on the blingy part.



And I've sorta started fooling with a concept for a new afghan




I'm less cranky and grouchy than yesterday. Much more depressed. Don't know why. Don't know how to fix it, just hate life - mostly mine, hate being me (never really hated being me before- usually like me, hate everyone else) Then I hate feeling like this - so it makes me feel even worse.

cozy's done!!

Ok, I finished my cozy, finally! I couldn't find any pattern I liked for the flowers on top. Could not find the two books I thought could help me in any bookstores or libraries in the county. SO since I decided this must be finished today, we went with a giant yellow mum. I know mum's are a fall colorm but it was big enough and the right color and I like it so there!!



You can see the cable in this picture, but the color is off.



Here the cable disappears but the color is good.



The other side - no cable

I also finished one of my evil sockies and started the second. I'll post pictures of the sockie next week. I am debating what to do for my next afghan for VJGC. Tony is in second place right now.

Knitting Updates

Sorry, I haven't updated my projects for a while. I finished seaming and bordering and weaving the afghan for VJGC. Good thing I got a kick in the ass... I had forgotten there are bonus points for 'ghans postmarked by tomorrow. But as the Taco Bell chihuahua said "I'm gonna need a bigger box!" I REALLY SHOULD HAVE MEASURED BEFORE I DID THE BORDER! It measures out at 36x50. Th acceptable measurements are 35-40x45-50. If I realized how close the length would be I'd have single crocheted the 2 short ends. But fortunately it does meet the specs.



I have also been working on the spring tea cozy - I am determined to finish by next weekend so I can start pondering a red/white/blue themed one for memorial day- july 4th. One side is done- I have started the second side. The first side is on stitch holders because once I seam the 2 pieces together I am going to crochet a circle to finish the top. I am then going to crochet some little yellow flowers for the top. Because I dropped a sharpie and there is a black spot right under where the stitch marker is, and unlike the blingy shamrocks I don't think I have any yellow bling for this cozy.



Now that the afghan is done, (yes time to start something else!) I've had some more time to work on my evil stepmom socks on lunch so here is where I'm at now:





Today's Sunday and NASCAR is at 'dega- so we all know where I'll be this asfternoon -GO SMOKE!! I forgot all about a NFL draft party yesterday, so to make ammends and since I'm grilling for a bunch anyway, I invited a Jeffie fan to come watch. ugh.

Knitting updates

I have been hinting at Grace (blog) from Mara's knitting group (needles54 on Ravelry check her projects out) that her January tea cozy should be a snowman. She has designed a Halloween. and Christmas tree cozy as well. So when we got together on Thursday she had not only designed the cozy- she gave it to me as well!!! Is it not the cutest?? She also took my Noro stole to ask her husband Tom to block. Knitting group was great this week. All 4 of us were there. Sandy and Jacqui brought some knitting books and magazines to check out and just a lot of cathartic talking.

So here is the afghan square I worked up the 14 for Tony's new car number



And the checkered flag square



Today I have been working on the pink anklets I started before Christmas. Curt picked up some size 2 bamboo clovers from ac moore for me. I slammed one needle in the car door and stepped on one, so I needed enough for 2 socks. I use 4 plus the working needle so I need 10- I only had 8. I want to start on a pair of breeze cable anklets from knitty this week.

I hope everyone has a great week!

No they're not done

no, angie and curt are not done with the tree. ( curt is just brut muscle - hee hee - angie wanted to do the tree herself this year)

So what have I been doing?? Well first I was up at 4:30am - wide awake - it's a curse - i finished Angies pink cowl. Pics soon, have to find the cable for my camera. I made breakfast (grits, eggs, bacon, coffee) then I had to run down to Livingston to see Lauren. Who is Lauren you may ask?? She is the lady that does my nails. She is awesome! I have only broke a nail twice since she's been doing them. (Both times she was on maternity leave were nightmares for my poor fingers) Yes, I broke/sheared one off yesterday. How you wonder?? Well, while I absolutely love the guy that normally delivers my carpet, I really think he is the only non-moron, non-useless, non-annoying, non-creepyyweird driver tht works for that company. So things have been slow, so they only have been working 4 days a week for like 3 weeks a month. ( still is 45-50 hours) But they keep giving him Fridays off! ( Ok he's been there a while and gets a 3 day weekend out of it ) But Friday's one of MY delivery days and I get one of the above implied moron,useless, annoying, creepy weird driver instead. So one of the rolls on the truck is a 12 by 61/2 foot roll- maybe 25 pounds tops. but rolled 12 feet long. So I ask the guy if he can grab the other side and walk it over to the special order holding cage with me - seemed like a waste to use a cart. Now if he couldn't handle this he should have said so- instead we get halfway there (it's only like 50 feet) and he dropps it, but twists it at the same time, taking half my nail with it. The profanities I issued forth with are not printable here. So she fixed it.

then I Came home and wrapped my Christmas swap gift for my Nascar Knitters group on Ravelry. I had to hermetically (zip loc) seal the jimmie johnson ornament I bought so as not to infect my house - shutter!! I will post more details and a pic next weekend in case my partner reads this blog ( I dont think so - she's never commented if she does - but just to be safe.


I have then alternated between posting on ravelry , knitting a sock and thinking about cleaning the living room. Sigh. Then I picked up like 5 things and I'm posting here.

Well no Britcoms on tonight (although celtic woman is on pbs) so I'm picking up fatburgers and cleaning this evening!

For my yarnie friends

Here's the promised pic's from my trip to Bernardsville last week with Grace.



The Lobsterpot yarn for Angie's cowl.



Artyarns supermarino. For socks for me!

A Thank you out to Grace for making them cakes for me :)

So here are the two projects I could actually reach from my seat on the couch:



One completed sock and the second one started - pink for angie.



I cast on this morning for Angie's cowl, but I can't work on it right now because I don't want her to see it until Christmas.

So - this is the yarn I have decided to use to make the yarnarian's mystery sock. It is actually a solid color yarn - not one of the 2 I posted last week. i won the yarn with my second place entry in ceci9293 (ravelry) blog contest about solving computer issues. ( my answer was my IT Sugar Daddy) It's solid, it's pink. so as long as I figure out how to modify the pattern to be short ankle socks Angie will wear them.

So now I'm having flashbacks to college - cramming. I have 2 1/2 feet of seaming left to do on the red/white/blue afghan for VJGC (victory junction gang camp) then I have to do a single/double crochet border in three colors around it so the size will be correct. I hope to do that while I'm at the laundromat. I then also have to finish about 8 rows on my ripple 'ghan. All this has to be done so I can mail them out with tomorrow's postmark!! I can really picture myself mailing the ripple out tomorrow afternoon and knitting in line at the post office!!!

I can't wait for wednesday. I am so tired of all the polls about the election. I am so done with afghans. I will deal with whomever wins Tuesday, I want to knit something else!!! ( Yes I am behind because i spent a week doing cowls, but ggaaaaaahhhhh)

Thank you Scout!

Check it out! There is a KAL on the 49er fan Ravelry group for scarves, but I don't want another scarf . Scout designed this colorway with I believe Rockymoreno on that group in a bulkier yarn. So after a little difficulty with the e-mail, she said she could dye the same colors in a superwash sock yarn. Isn't it gorgeous? my toes can't wait until I knit these up! I'd cast on right now, but I need to wait for my husband so he can help me get this in a ball without it being a 400 yard tangle! 49er socks yay!

Knitting Updates

It's been crazy but here are my knitting updates and promised pictures. Above is the pair of flip flop "fittens" (foot mittens) I made up the pattern because my daughter likes to wear flip flops even when there is snow on the ground. I'm still not really happy with the bindoff on the big toe, but other than that I'm pretty satisfied with how they came out. I have discovered that it is hard to take a decent picture of a sock that is on your own foot, so you really don't see the split well.
This is the start of the lace anklet that I'm making with the yarn Sandy from Ravelry gave me. It is my first attempt at a toe up sock and it is going well so far. Of course the proof will be in the heel but I have a ways to go yet.
This is the promised picture of the yarn Sandy gave me ( one skein of the blue is not in the picture as it is already in use on the anklet) I'm going to use black sock yarn on the toes and ankles so I can make a pair of anklets out of the yellow/black skein. And I'm not quite sure what my daughter wants out of the purpley roll, but she loves the colors. (If you're reading this thanks again Sandy!)
I posted a picture of the package I sent Sherry M from my MSN knitting and crochet group. This is the package I got from her in the exchange. 2 bags, 2 hang over a knob towelish things, and a granny square. As well as a postcard and magnet from Chicago.

I am in another exchange on the Caffeine Addicts group on Ravelry. I need to stop by Mara's to get some coffee. I also need to pick up some yarn to send. My partner likes green and black, not my normal colors so it will be a bit challenging to find a yarn to send. We are also supposed to send stitch markers and a small knit/crocheted item. I am going to send a market bag ( not green and black I just can't work with those colors!) and I am trying to make stitch markers. I have a bunch of beading supplies from my brief foray into beading and it will put them to good use. If I can't make them come out good, while I am shopping for yarn I will have to pick some up at the yarn store.

Angel's anklets

After finally finishing angel's anklets (modified the toe to fit her feet, the second toe is really longer than the big toe - they look like elf socks until she puts them on. LOL) I finally got her to sit still long enough to put them on and take a picture. Made with the remains of Magic Stripe yarn left over from another project.