Round 1 projects - Nerdwars

So here are some of my submissions from NerdWars Tournament 8, round 1 -

Wow! I really am behind

A quick perusal shows I really haven't posted many knitting updates- so here are some other projects I've made this spring.

Flip flop sockies:





Ball Sack



Fraggle Squares



Cloth for wedding shower



Another owl



More hexiflats



Travel Mug cozy



A St Patrick



Tea bag carriers

Ok- the 'flat is better

original 'flat on left - modified one on right. 

The shape is better - but the next one will have to start the bee stitch in the row above the first purl row.  Not sure when I'll get to that.

Hexi-flat update.

I didn't do too many 'flats in January. Just 4:



I made 5 flats for a NerdWars challenge this month.  It was to do a project inspired by mnemonics.  So I did:

Red skies at night, sailors delight:



Red skies at dawn, sailors be warn'd.



And an owl with the scraps.



I did the 'flats in a slip stitch cable pattern that one of the other 'puffers in the Tiny Owl Knits group on Ravelry had designed and posted.  To give my finished quilt eventually some texture.

Three Irish Girl mini's

Last fall, Three Irish Girls (they make hand-dyed yarns) announced they were retiring some of their colorways, and there was a sale on those colors.  Now one of the knitters on the GoFastKnitLeft group on Ravelry - for NASCAR fans is seriously addicted to TIG yarn.  I tease her all the time about her yarn and button stash (seriously she buys buttons by the pound!)  Anyway since a lot of us are knitting hexipuffs/flats out of sock/fingering weight socks - she suggested that we get together and buy all the colors and split the hanks into mini-skeins.  She even volunteered to do the weighing and winding and mailing.  I've been wanting to try TIG yarn, I keep hearing great things about it, but I also hear great things about  Wollmeise and I really can't stand the feel of that yarn while knitting.  I am told it gets better after blocking and with subsequent washing/ blocking- but as I give away a lot of my knit items ( I am what's classified a process knitter - I like the process of knitting as opposed to a project knitter who has joy from finishing a project) really the fun part of the yarn is the knitting and I don't enjoy knitting with Wollmeise.  ) I anticipate knitters with torches and pitchforks at my door momentarily.

As anyone who has gone yarn shopping with me - I seriously touch - All. The . Yarn. The touch is almost as important as the color.  And  I will pass on the perfect color if I don't like the touch.  So I hesitated and ever bought TIG since there aren't any stores around here that have the yarn to pet.  This group purchase seemed to be the perfect solution.  For a reasonably low price - I would get a mini skein in adorn sock yarn in each of the discontinued colors.  I can make my flats (and some owls & ornaments too) and see how I like the yarn.  I figured, If I really hated it - I could always send it out as swap goodies.

I did realize up front that this yarn would take a while.  They dye the yarn to order - they would need to dye enough for all of us- send it to Jen, she would have to take the time to weigh, split and wind all of it- then ship it.  So I paypal'd her my share and went back about my business.  She did say something when she got the yarn, and then the occasional comment when she was working on it. I really wasn't worried about it- it's going to take me a long time to finish the blanket - and it's not like I don't have miles of yarn already in the house to play with.

Yesterday when I got home - I checked the mail.. yawn.. boring... I saw i had pm' (private msgs) on Ravelry but didn't open them until almost 5pm.  One of my messages was Jen with my tracking number!! Yay!! Happiness!!  I went to track my package to see where my goodies were and it said delivered at 3:07pm (I got home at 2:30) Put pants and shoes back on to o back to the mailbox, opened the door and there between my door & storm door was this:



I didn't even have to get dressed grrr.  It was already dark - so that is not the greatest picture light wise - but it is grey and raining this afternoon - so even less picture friendly.  I'll let you know how Ilike it when I cast on - but it pets really well!

puff enabling

We were discussing hexipuffs (or in my case hexiflats) in the Go Fast Knit Left group on ravelry.  One of the other members , Beth said she wasn't going to be assimilated - but she had a scrap sock yarn if anyone wanted.  I wasn't sure if she was serious or not - but she was .  Look at what she sent me:



The 2 flats in front are already knit up from her gift ( I know I took a picture- I must have deleted it off of my phone before I uploaded it to flickr. I can't believe how generous she is!  I am sending her a package of feltable yarn scraps as she makes felted slippers.  She also sent a whole bunch of Werther caramels... I may have one or two left... . 

Lunch with Grace

if you've been around the blog awhile, you know about my friend Grace.  I met her on Ravelry, on the Morris County Knitters group.  There were 3-4 of us who used to meet in the afternoons, but life, illness and moving to Florida kind of broke up the group. Grace and I still meet up when we can.  Summers seem to not approve as they throw illness, injury and Angie in the way of our lunches.  So it's unofficially fall and that meant we were able to meet at the Spa, a real friendly diner like place near her house.

We had a lot to catch up on - so I did show Grace my sister's shawl, but I forgot my puffs and we were talking so much I actually didn't knit.  I like to "blame" her for my new addiction to hexi-flats (the Beekeeper's Quilt) and told her she should make me a puff or mini skein.   Well she showed up with a cupcake box:


That was filled with mini-skeins in little cupcake paper cups!



Two layers! two dozen!