Once upon a time I had a brain...

Well, I'm back. My recent discovery of Ravelry (yeah, I'm behind) has prompted me to remember that I have a blog. Speaking of Ravelry, I am already obsessed. Facebook, GoodReads, Ravelry - think of all the things I could accomplish if I never went to these sites.

Anyway, so what have I done since the last posts? Got pregnant, became a stay-at-home-Mom to son #1, had another son, slogged through seven months of intense babyhood, and then realized oh god, I'm pregnant again.

"Fake It 'Till You Make It"

At least I *look* happy, right?

All this "Mommy" stuff has turned my brain to mush. I looked through my old posts on PinkPurls and realized I used to be a coherent and literate being. Hell, I even knew HTML. Now I just sit in a corner and drool.

So, even though my projects may get soaked with saliva I am determined to do something with my mind. I figure if I only knit intermediate to difficult projects I am hoping it will make a dent in my lobotomized state. And if keep up with the blog and Ravelry it might just keep me motivated.

So, current projects anyone? You may notice that some of these are the SAME as I was working on in March 2007. Not much knitting was done around here in the last year - I made some socks, padded the stash, and *thought* about knitting. But that was the extent of it all... Here are the projects that have made it through the interim:

Unfinished and Unblocked Sarcelle
This is the Sarcelle Shawl which I have been knitting since early 2007. I've done about ten pattern repeats since picking this up threee days ago, so not too shabby for a totally neglected project.










Close Up of Sarcelle Stitch Pattern
Unblocked, but still pretty, huh?

This is a baby blanket I started in December 2007. I was inspired by a vintage baby blanket that my Grandmother was asked to repair by a family member. I loved it so much I tried to repeat the pattern exactly. The finished blanket has a scalloped crocheted border. Any attempt at me crocheting will surely ruin this project so I will try to knit some attractive border instead.

Close-up of stitch pattern. Once blocked, the purl columns will be more visible.

Mock Cable Socks
I need to block this to show off the pattern. Sadly, I think the first sock is too small. :(

And a FO! Hedera from Knitty. With Koigu. Mmmmmm.

Alright, well husband and I are fighting over whose turn it is to hold the baby...

My Swap Parner is a TOTAL Sweetheart

I got the box from my Lime N Violet Yarn Pr0n Swap partner!!!!!!!!!! Sarah totally rocks and sent me some really awesome stuff AND my box had a pink theme! Not to worry Sarah - I REALLY do love pink. Here is a sample of things from my purse:

See? I loooooove pink.

Anyway, on to the contents of the box... There was some really nice Rowan cotton in pink, of course, and a nice Cider Moon pattern for wristwarmers to make with the yarn. There also was some silky bamboo tape yarn and a lovely pattern to make a simple shawl with this yarn. I am really excited to try some of the bamboo stuff after all the buzz about it lately. (Sorry - yarn is at home and I'm at work so I don't know the yarn's names exactly!)

Also, Sarah MADE these stitch markers:

Teeney-tiny animals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A seal, a sheep, a turtle, a pig, a duck, a polar bear, a killer whale, and a penguin.

I was completely blown away by the detail of these stitch markers - the sheep has texture to its coat, the turtle has little scales, the penguin is all dressed up for the cold, etc. Simply amazing and I just adore them!

Sarah also sent me a ton of other goodies from her locality (Wales). There was an uber-cute dragon which I thought was appropriate because the name of her blog is "Dragons Do Knit!" I also got some Addi DPNs and teddy bear needle huggers which I NEED because I am always pulling knitting out of my purse and finding all the stitches have fallen off the needles.

Addis and Needle Huggers

Anyway, I throughly enjoyed my box's contents and the thoughtfulness of Sarah. Everything was just perfect and so sweet! Thanks again Sarah!!!!!!!!!!

I also sent my box off to my other swapee, Kathy. Check out her blog - she is a crazy prolific sock knitter! I sent her some Interlacements sock yarn and some Lisa Souza BFL fiber. I myself don't spin but did enjoy squeezing the fiber - so soft!

Pretty yarn and Squishy fiber

I also sent off some candies and a nice smelly candle:

Yum!

As far as knitting goes, I've been working on Sarcelle. The pattern is very unique and I have it memorized now but that Merino Oro is so thin that I have to pay attention to every stitch or else I'd have a billionty mistakes. So basically, this really limits the amount of time I have to work on the project.

Flicca is coming along nicely though - it is a simple rib with HUGE yarn so I can knit on it in the dark even. It will *hopefully* be done soon.

And the Jaywalkers? I haven't picked them up in several weeks.

The good news is that I am quitting my job so I will soon have more time to knit! :)

I went to WEBS (a.k.a. hitting the crack pipe)

So last Saturday night I was sitting around and asked my husband, "Babe, do you want to go out to Northampton tomorrow?" And, after I said it was to go to a yarn store, he amazingly said yes! He is a fabulous prize indeed. Both him and I KNOW I don't need more yarn but he understands that I *want* more yarn.

Oh man, I can't beleive I have been knitting for 7 years and have only lived an hour from Webs and have never gone! The place is just HUGE. The main store is very nicely organized and I was really pleasantly suprised that the staff was friedly, helpful, and knowledgable. (Did you know that if you spend $60 you get a 20% discount and if you spend $120 you get a 25% discount???? But even without the discount their prices are reasonable.) And then there is the warehouse... it is prolly twice the size of the main store and contains all the specials and markdowns (most of which are not eligible for the above-mentioned discount but who cares they are already on sale). We are talking marked down Noro, Debbie Bliss, Rowan, patterned sock yarns, etc. Freaking amazing!

I could have done some major major damage at this place but, like I said, the man agreed to go too was there and forced me to put back many items. (NOTE TO SELF: Leave him at home next time.) Anyway here is the minor damage photographed with the help of my two canine assistants:

RYC Soft Tweed in Blanket for $3.99 a ball! To make Flicca. I already am about 8 inches into the back. This yarn is very nice and soft and I worried about it pilling but I tortured my gauge swatch and it didn't show wear at all. Yay! It is sooo pretty with all of its flecky awsome colors.

Sock yarn. Regia in a 50/50 wool silk blend combined with some ArtYarns merino for the cuff, heel, and toe. Did you know that the Artyarns feels exactly the same as Lorna's Laces? I am making Jaywalkers...






A bunch of Jawool to make more socks. I am thinking stripes a la Vesper and Yarntini. I would love to get my hands on some of this yarn but it is near impossible. Thanks alot Lime n Violet for always showing yarn I will NEVER get my hands on. :) The sad part is that I spent ALOT of time stalking this yarn online to no avail. What is a crafty girl to do? Improvise. I'm sure I'll love my own creation...







YOU MUST GO FEEL THIS YARN. It is Malbrigio laceweight. (It was next to some Jade Sapphire Mongolian Cashmere laceweight. The store had a scarf made out of this manohmanohman - I picked up 4 skeins at like $34 a pop and thought it was a rocking idea. BUT it was one of the first yarns to leave the cart when the husband started to mentally total up my items.) Anyway, this Malabrigio laceweight - it feels as soft as cashmere but has the price tag of merino. Go buy this yarn now. I want to sleep with this yarn as my blanket and pillow.

After we left Webs we went downtown to walk around and, oh what is that???? Another yarn store. Northampton Wools. So I go in not expecting to find anything but of course they have some Colinette Jitterbug and Claudia Handpaints. I couldn't find any two skeins of CH that matched so I left with the Jitterbug. Jitterbug seems very similar to Cherry Tree Hill Supersock which I *love* so I think we'll get along fabulously.

It was strange though - I said to the woman at the small LYS, "Oh, I just came from Webs and I didn't think that I would find something in here but OMG you have this awesome sock yarn!" I meant it as a compliment but she got kinda snarky and said, "Well, we have different clientelle. We meet different needs." To which I wanted to say - nooooo, you have about 90% of the same stuff. And I went to Webs and here too. I don't know if she was making a reference to big business or if she is just sick of hearing about Webs. Webs did start out small though and has been in the same area for ages so I don't know. My husband was there for the exchange and when we got out said, "That woman was NOT happy when you brought up Webs." I would think that having a place like Webs would BRING her business. How many people are going to drive to Western Mass to go to a small LYS? (Okay, I might, but I am crazy.) I think many more people are drawn out that way by Webs but figure hey I'll check out this other store while I'm there. And, because knitters are hopelessly addicted to fiber, probably make another purchase at the small place.

Also, I have some knitter's crack from Laughing Rat Studio (on Etsy). I liked it because te color reminded me of hydrangeas. I think I am going jump on another bandwagon and make those rad Pomatomus socks from Knitty. But instead of reminding me of fish scales I hope they remind me of hydrangea flower petals.
I also got this cape for my superhero from Etsy. You are able to pick the fabric colors and the letter too.

Alrighy, enough for today. Stay tuned for an update on FOs from the past winter (all 3 of them or something equally as sad), WIPs (the Sarcelle shawl is too rad for words -I'll put a close-up below) and the fiber and yarn I bought for my Lime n Violet Yarn Pron Swap....

I love you Sarcelle.

I think its been a long, long time...

SO, yeah, I totally slacked on the blogging. But I just signed up for the Lime and Violet Yarn Pr0n Exhange and gave out my blog addy so I figured I might as well get back on the ball.

So what I have I accomplished in the knitting department since Socktober? Well, I did finish the Snowflake Socks from MagKnits and they totally rock. I did them in Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in solid black. This was my first pair of socks done in a solid color and I really love them! I tend to wear alot of black so they really do go with everything. I think my first sock came out kinda wonky but the second one looks pretty good. Because I am lazy I am just leaving the first sock as is - I doubt a non-knitter could figure out my errors...

I also made the Hedera socks from Knitty. These are out of Koigu. This was my first project with Koigu. I washed and dryed the socks in the machine and I have to say, they have made the journey VERY well. Even less fuzziness than the CTH Supersock.

Both of these patterns were written very well - I would reccomend them to anyone who likes lacy socks. I think the Snowflake pattern in particular is very feminine and I am thinking about trying to make some knee-highs in this pattern. The lace is stretchy and I have fairly skinny calves so I think I could just make the leg longer without messing around with the stitch count.

What am I working on now?

The Sarcelle shawl. So pretty but rather intense because there are no "rest rows", that is, there is lace on both the knit and purl side. I am using the Merino Oro that is reccomended in the pattern. It came in a hank of like 1,350 yards. OMG. I spent AT LEAST and hour and a half winding that ball by hand.

Also, some socks in Sweet Georgia's Fondant colorway. I like the yarn in the ball but not so much in the stockinette stitch socks. They look like tie-dye, and yeah, I don't *do* tie-dye. But by the time I realized this, yeah, it was too late for my lazy-self to start over. I just want to blow through these puppies and maybe I will give them away.

Anyway, no pics for now - the camera is broken.

Anyway, I am off to my very FIRST knitting group tonight - yay!

Part two..

Hmmm. Something happened to Blogger (not me mind you - I know I am totally new to blogging but it couldn' possibly be MY fault) and I couldn't get it to post anymore pictures. So this is a continuation of the last post...

Anyway, this is the first project I did in CTH Supersock:

I made it for this guy:
Obviously, he was much smaller when he wore it! :) This one was made from either River Run or the Tropical Storm colorway. I can't remember. It made an excellent baby sweater - it is soft, warm, and machine washable. Here he is when he actually fit into it:

Too cute, huh? Funny, almost three years have gone by since that picture was taken, yet I feel I have aged at least ten years since having a child. Worth it, of course, but wow, parenthood can take alot out of you.

FO (Finally!) and then a little more Cherry Tree Hill

Sooooooo, I was totally going to finish those Broadripple socks on like WEDNESDAY but life got in the way again. (Note to the City of Boston: I love you, I really do. In fact, I cry myself to sleep every night since I moved outside of your limits. However, the roads around you? You know, 128 and the Pike, and 9, etc? They all SUCK. And they make it difficult for me to continue my long-distance relationship with you. It took me 2 hours and 8 minutes to get home after our rendevous on Friday and this is simply not acceptable.) I have been doing some training at a sister institution to my hospital and the new place - very strict and VERY LIMITED internet. Seriously - they block you from going to even Hotmail. What is that about?

But, yesterday I did finish the socks!!!!
Pattern: Broadripple from Knitty
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Northern Lights

Also, I posted on a couple of message boards about how I really like Cherry Tree Hill Supersock and some people asked to hear more about it. Well, obviously I like it, and Clara from Knitter's Review has written a review here which I'm sure is much more informative than me going, "I just love it! Love it! It is squishy and soft!", so you should go there and read her review. What I do want to add is that most of the colors are REALLY bright. I wear mostly black and brown so I reserve use of this yarn for socks or items not for myself. Anyway, here are some pics of things I have made with it...

These are made in the Fall Foliage colorway and the free pattern is here. I made these last summer and they have been washed (in hot water!) and machine dried. They did "bloom" with time and have lost a tiny bit of stitich definition, but otherwise they have held up very nicely.

Life gets in the way of knitting

So I had planned to finish by Broadripple socks last night but a *minor* car accident issue got in the way of my knitting so I really only worked maybe 20 rows or so on them last night. So annoyed, but I WILL finish them today. (At work, if I am lucky).

Anyway, with the Broadripples so close to completion I am contemplating my next project. I joined Socktoberfest yesterday and am thinking of making these next:

They are the Snowflake socks from MagKnits and the link can be found here. I think I will make them knee socks (since they are oh so popular this season) and will probably do them in a solid brown or black color (I like the idea of white socks buuuuut... I have two dogs and a three year-old) to peek out from under my knee-high boots. The pattern calls for Lorna's Laces but I was thinking Koigu. Anyone have any suggestions for an online shop that sells Koigu and ships fast (I'm into immediate gratification)????

I found the coolest thing last night while surfing the net: Yarn Safaris. They pick you up and take to to either pre-arranged or custon yarn shop tours around New England. So it would be like a stitch n bitch on the bus ride combined with going to multiple shops and getting to buy lots of stuff and getting to oogle other knitter's purchases too! I would hate to think about how much money I would drop. If they organize a trip to Patterworks I'm definately going - I think it only like two hours or so from me but I don't know that many local knitters and my husband and non-knitting friends are certainly not going to drive up to New Hampshire for what they see as simply "string". :)

On a side note: do any bloggers out there know how to move my sidebar info up to the top of the page? It currently appears half-way down the page. Odd.

OMG, I'm going to swoon

So, after I left a standard mediocre day at work last night I checked my mail on the way up the driveway. Expecting the usual - bills, and more bills, and those stupid flyers that jam up your box. Instead there was this LOVELY skein Merino Sock! in Marsquake from Lisa Souza. And seriously, I was all like WTF because I just ordered it over the weekend! Anyway, the yarn is sooooo soft and the colors are even more lovely than in this picture. AND, it was only $16 for over 500 yards! The yarn might be a teeney bit more fine than the other sock yarns I am used to working with but maybe it is just my imagination. It took all my control to not immediately wind this into a ball and start a new pair of socks right away. (But this is what has made me the queen of UFOs and I am determined to change my ways sooooo...) Here is another shot of it out of the skein band:

Instead of immedately playing my new yarn, I was a good girl and instead went full speed on my Broadripple socks (sorry for the crappy color of this pic) so that I can move onto the next project. No second sock syndrome this time... I WILL finish these puppies tonight!