Pictures

Ok it's 4:38 I should be at work. We have a big ice storm here, but I usually don't let weather bother me. Well after 10 minutes I only chipped out a hole the size of my hand in the ice on my car. Not to mention I had to walk on the grass as the crunchiness gave it some traction. I was actually bracing my foot on the tire while chipping, and as I park on a slight hill, I'm not sure how to avoid sliding away from the car on that side. And there's the issue of my street is a serious hill, my driveway is a serious uphill. and there are 2 hard turns on downhills between me and I-80. At 3:30 I can hear the cars on the highway and that sounds clear- but I have to get there first. So I decided f this and called and told them I'd come in between 9:30 and 10 and stay until 3. Never was late for snow, but screw this ice.

Now the pics. This is actually a glass pendant bead I'm using for the button on my tony bag.



And here's the finished bag:



I also finished weaving in the ends off my stole and doing the single crochet border. Now it just needs blocking.



It came out a bit wider than I anticipated, so I'm a little nervous about it turning into a blanket when blocked.

Knitting updates

Ok, the squatty bag is drying and still needs a button. I like the way the V came out not totally in love with the black on the handle.



Here's the dumpling bag- just has to dry so I can put the white in and it'll be good to go, and hopefully by that time I'll take a better picture!



And I'm on the last skein of Noro Taiyo for my wrap.



I really love how it's coming out.

Felting updates

I needed a new bag in red - since Tony went from orange to red. So using the trusty Amanda's squatty bag from knitting daily I added in the black V.



I was going to use a black and white button, but when I was in Michael's today I saw some really beautiful red/black/white glass pendant beads. So I guess it depends on how big the loop felts up.


I also redid the dumpling bag from Fall 2008 Interweave knits. I didn't have the yarn called for, but I went with 2 stands of cascade 220 and one strand of lion wool. I also went up one needle size to 15. I used some thick shell rings that I really hope survive the felting process. To echo the 49er colors, I made the viney thing in goldenrod.



I was also going to through some white on as well, but while having coffee and dessert at Mara's with Grace this afternoon, I had expressed my concern that it would turn pink. She suggested I try the yarns in hot water together before felting. So I took the little snips of red and black out of the garbage and nuked them for 1 minute with some hot water and a piece of the white yarn




As you can see it did turn pink. A pretty shade of pink, but pink none the less. Pink - while appropriate on a Dallas Cowboy inspired bag, is not appropriate on a 49er bag. So I pulled out all the white, and will come back and make white french knots after the felting has dried.


Yes, I went to Mara's and had the most wonderful hazelnut mousse cake you can imagine. With what has quickly evolved into my favorite Mara's drink a large Cafe Dulce.. Yum. As usual I was late, and forgot to bring actual knitting. Grace was working on what I assumed would be a shawl in Noro sock. The way the colors were working together with 2 strands together was wonderful. i especially liked when the purple started lining up with the gold, gorgeous. I just love Noro's colorways, and Grace can make a gorgeous shawl out of twine I think.

Curt went out bowling, and Angel had been out with her fencing friends. I think after 7 days together ( ok Angie has been in and out with practice and a tournament and hanging with her friends) we just needed an afternoon away from each other! currently Angie is putting everything away in her room after "THE PAINT JOB" Before and after pictures will be posted probably this weekend.

Off to Shop Rite for ingredients for New Year's Eve. I'm looking at it as I survived 2008 yay! 2009 has just got to be better... right? ....... right?

noro shawl

Ok, maybe if I had swatched I wouldn't have frogged 5 times - different needles, different number of stitches. Maybe if i had actually read the directions I wouldn't have had to frog it the 6th time.



So when I got to around here I realized there is no way in heck I have enough yarn for this. This was all that was left at this point of the first skein



So that's when i read the label and realized there was only about 200yds to a skein,. I don't know why I thought it was 400ish. Of course I then also realized I didn't think it would be enough to do the shawl even if it was 400. So I had to pm grace (needles54) who is the most amazing shawl knitter, and ask. She says it is going to get bigger when wet blocking and I only need 2 more skeins, 3 if i want to do a crocheted border. I'm not sure yet. not that I don't trust her really, I'm waiting to get to the end of the skein. I figure since the 2 ends meet I'll use the same lot on the 2 ends and the 3 or 4 new ones in the middle. I really like how it seems to work out that every color change has it's own pattern repeat



Then - yes this is seriously masochistic of me, I was considering trying to line up the color breaks on the new skeins so the center part has wider stripes - like to end up 3 patterns per color, by knitting 3 skeins at once. (I'm trying to picture it in my head - boththe finished project and the difficulty in bringing 2 yarns up the side )

So my plan is to finish with the skein I'm on and then bring it in to Mara's with me on Friday so Grace can give me an in person opinion ( see it's not grace I don't trust it's my photo abilities)

Ria