Pixlkitten

Same Sheep, Different Day

2011-02-08T13:34:00.001-08:00

I have some new bags up in my Etsy shop. I love how startled these sheep look. Go and check them out! Buy some! Valentines day is coming soon!

Work on my sewing room has stalled a bit. I got some new drawer sets to store my sewing and crafting supplies. For right now I have more drawer space than I need. That should change soon. I haven’t gotten to the yarn yet. I ‘m not sure what’s holding me back on that.

The Solstice Slip pattern just did not work for me with the Garden Daze yarn. It seemed just a bit too busy. I tried a couple of other patterns before settling on the Lava Flow Socks by Sockbug. I am knitting them on 0’s (2mm). The fabric is very dense.

For my Fellow Americans Experiencing Winter

2011-02-01T12:55:00.001-08:00

I give you, Garden Daze:

This is the yarn I just finished winding into a cake. It will become Solstice Slip Socks by JC Briar.

While most of the rest of the country is wrapped in a blanket of white snow, we are having unseasonal sunshine. We are NOT complaining. In fact, we are being quietly joyful about our golden bounty. I just couldn’t resist some brightness to knit while I soak up some much-needed vitamin D.

Little Minx and Simple SKYP

2011-01-31T13:16:00.001-08:00

Little Minx Socks by Karen Scott

Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Lightweight in Spinel

Needles: Knit Picks Options US 2 (2.75mm)

Impressions: I used a cable needles on these socks and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Lately it seems that if you do not cable without a cable needle then you belong in the retard class. I used a cable needle and I am proud of it. I get more even tension with a cable needle. I am sure that I will not drop any stitches with a cable needle. I am sure that I am twisting the stitches correctly with a cable needle. Cable needles are fine tools.

Simple SKYP Socks by Adrienne Ku

Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Lightweight in Love in Idleness.

Needles: Knit Picks Options US 2 (2.75mm)

Impressions: The SKYP has nothing to do with Skype. It stands for the stitch pattern. For the interest of copyright, I will not repeat it here. Go check out the pattern for yourself. It is simple and easy. I think these are fairly unisex socks. It was from the first year of the Rockin’ Sock Club. Worked in this pattern, it pools and flashes. I really don’t mind. To me, these socks are very “denim friendly” and will go with most of the clothes that I own.

While I Was Interrupted

2011-01-28T09:29:00.001-08:00

Progress on the Great Sewing Room Clean Out has been slow over the past week. I did get some things done.

The drawers full of DMC floss (and assorted crap) are cleaned out. I threw away any floss without a label. I put all the rest of the floss in with my collection in the closet. I will sort through that later. The drawers now stand empty waiting their new assignment.

I sorted through my sock yarn. I listed some to sell on Ravelry and have already sold one skein. I made sure that my Ravelry stash was accurate with what I had in the bins. I trashed some odd skeins. I still have two bins of sock yarn. Neither bin is full. I‘m fine with that. My goal for the year is to add only the yarn from the 2011 Socks That Rock Club.

I used to have two bins of fabric scraps. I weeded out all the scraps that were smaller than my hand or just fabrics I know I would never use again. I am down to one almost-full bin of scraps. That might be a problem unless I work on using up scraps. I am thinking of selling small zippered notions pouches on my Etsy shop. That would use up some of the scraps.

You cannot really see it, but I have put all my 8X11 scrapbook paper in the filing box on the bottom shelf. I used to have some there and some in the cabinet. Now it is all together. Sorted by color.

Just for comparison, here is the before and after.

Now onto the rest of the yarn storage, business taxes and making more GothSacks.

Clean Out Interrupted

2011-01-17T10:58:00.001-08:00

I’ve had a to take a day off from the Great Sewing Room Clean Out to do some…sewing!

Some wonderful person ordered two GothSacks over the weekend. I make them up once the order is placed. I like to think about where the ‘Sacks are going while I am sewing them.

The next target for the GSRCO is:

The Under-Desk. My sock yarn and my fabric scrap bins. I’ll probably fill the vacuum cleaner bag with all the fabric and thread that's on the floor.

Day One of The Great Sewing Room Clean Out

2011-01-14T10:07:00.001-08:00

Progress has been made. How could it not? Yesterday the bookshelf looked like this:

I had already started on the first shelf before I got the idea to blog about it.

Today the bookshelf looks like this:

Pluses: The bottom two shelves are craft books and quilting books. I now have a station for my Pixlkitten mailing supplies. The kitties have a half shelf from which they can sit and supervise.

Minuses: I have about a shelf’s worth of old sewing and quilting books to sell to the book store. I have a large outdoor trash bag full of old magazines to recycle. I have a chicken and two pigs to take to the charity drop off.

The next step:

My MIL’s embroidery floss. These are two organizing units that have been sitting under my crafting desk for 1.5 years. I just realized while typing this that I have another small plastic bin full of her floss as well. The organizing units are nice. I think I can re-purpose them.

The Great Sewing Room Clean Out of 2011

2011-01-13T09:07:00.001-08:00

The time has come, my friends, to make some sense out of my sewing room. Things have gotten out of hand since I began incorporating my Mother-in-Law’s sewing supplies into my own. My sewing room is starting to look like a junk room. I have very little space to work. It is becoming less and less fun to be in there.

The Before Photos:

From the doorway:

The East Wall:

The South Wall:

The West Wall:

I cannot show the north wall because it has proprietary Pixlkitten stuff on it.

I have to be careful where I begin. This is still my workspace for my business as well as my crafting. I need to be able to continue to craft while I am cleaning out. You know how things always get messier while you are organizing them. So I decided to start with the least used areas first.

My first victim:

You can see that I have already begun on the first shelf. It was full of notebooks of patterns printed from the internet. I have recycled all those pieces of paper. I now have only 2 notebooks of patterns that were purchased.

I am thinking the giant chicken will have to go too. It’s legs are broken. It was made by my mother-in-law and is therefore hard to part with. However, chicken chic went out with the 80’s. Even she did not want it anymore. The pigs are going to charity. The Goth bunny is staying as is the fabric basket. Bookends are like gold to me. They will be used in the new room.

Back to work!

Caught Between the Scylla and Charybdis Socks

2011-01-12T09:23:00.001-08:00

Name: Scylla Socks (pattern by Fiona Lucas)

Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Lightweight in the Space Dust color way.

Needles: Knitpicks Options US 2.5 – 3.0mm

Impressions: I don’t knit toe up socks very often as I prefer the fit of cuff down socks. However, I loved what this pattern did with the crazy self-striping nature of this STR yarn. The texture is unique with its tight pattern areas and its vertical floats of slipped stitches. The pattern gives links for directions for Judy’s Magic Cast On and Jeny Staiman’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off. I used both of these techniques in this sock. It was my first time to try the bind off. It is stretchy, but he technique is not as simple as EZ’s sewn bind off.

Name: Charybdis Socks (pattern by Fiona Lucas)

Yarn: Three Irish Girls Westerly Seasock in the Campbell color way.

Needles: Knitpicks Options US 1.5 – 2.5mm

Impressions: I enjoyed knitting with the seasock yarn. Actually, this was my first venture into knitting with seacell. It flowed smoothly through my fingers. I love the precision of the striping. The pattern has charts for both the right and left sock. Hopefully, as I get dressed in the semi-dark (so that I do not wake Hisself) I will be able to get them on the correct foot.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T19:59:00.001-08:00

I’m trying out Windows Live Writer for blog editing and publishing. I am kind of miffed about how difficult it is to manipulate photos on Blogger. Hopefully this will work well and I will be more motivated to blog.

Buggin' Out Socks for Hisself

2010-11-22T11:38:00.000-08:00

These socks are my most recent finished object. They are the Buggin' Out Socks (Ravelry Link)by Stephen Houghton. The pattern was distributed to Rocking Sock Club Members in our most recent club kit. The pattern should be available to the general public next year.
The yarn is also from Blue Moon Fiber Arts and came in their most recent kit. It is a really lovely shade of dark olive green. Hisself liked the color right away and wanted socks made from this yarn. Hisself has long feet. One skein of STR does not fit for him. I added some STR in Black Onyx for the toes.

I went up to a size 3.0mm needle to get the size and gauge Hisself needed. He loves the fit of the socks. This is the first time he has tried a hemmed cuff. He really likes the change from the standard 2x2 rib that I usually use for his socks. With the ribbing on the back and the sole as well as the cable-made spiders, the socks fit snugly on his legs which is something he really likes.

It's a well-written pattern. The socks are reversible and show a nice, sedate cable on the inside with a reverse-stockinette toe. He likes these because they are a bit of flash, but subtle. The green color matches 1/3 of his entire wardrobe.

Look for this pattern when it becomes available. In a world where fun socks for men are either too ridiculous or too impossible to find, these socks offer a bit of flash with a nice fit.

Fume Kitty

2010-11-11T18:26:00.001-08:00

I am usually awakened at least once a night with an anal trumpet blast from the other side of the bed. I thought that while Hisself is out of town on business, that I would have, ahem, a full night's sleep.

No sheet rippers. No nether zephyrs.

No such luck.

Our dainty little she-kitten can cut the cheese with the best of them.

I'm thinking that she expects that noise in the middle of the night. If Hisself is not here to provide the soundtrack for our nights, then it's up to her.

And yes, I did write a blog post about farting.

Yarn Stash

2010-11-10T11:59:00.000-08:00

How do you feel about your yarn stash?

Are you proud? Ashamed? Guilt-ridden? Overwhelmed? Thrilled?

I've been thinking about my yarn stash lately. Currently I have 2 large plastic bins of sock yarns and 3 large plastic bins of other yarns. I have one more plastic bin of leftover yarn (both sock and other). At this point, the bins are full, but not overflowing. Oh yeah, I have 1 large and 1 small basket of yarn in my bedroom.

This year I have been cutting back on yarn purchases. I belong to the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rocking Sock Club -- and have since the first year and I think I always will. So I get a skein of sock yarn from them every two months. I purchased yarn to make the Babette Blanket back in the spring. That's it for this year. I am rather proud of myself for using restraint.

Ravelry says I have 137 yarns in my stash. It says I have used another 78 yarns. I put some of them up for trade or sale on Ravelry. How do I feel about all those yarns. In some cases, I am very pleased with my collection. I love the BMFA, the Rowan, the Bugga!, and some of the others. In other cases I am perplexed -- why did I buy that particular skein of Numma Numma Toasty? Some I bought because it was on sale. I did not have a plan for it and so it lingers in my stash awaiting inspiration.

The decluttering gurus say I should get rid of any yarn that does not bring me joy. That is actually easier said than done. I have put stuff up for sale on Ravelry, but only sold one lot of 4 skeins. I could give it to charity, but which one and do they really want my yarns? I could just throw it away. I could sell it on craigslist, but I've never done that before. What is your experience with Craigslist?

I plan to knit the sock yarns. I have more yarn than I will ever need. My plan is to knit socks for family and friends predominately. I have about two or three month's worth of handmade socks. I wear shoes and socks most of the time. I rarely wear holes in my socks. So once I knit a pair, it is there to stay. I have to be willing to give away the socks I knit. That will be the hard part. There are some yarns I love because I know they will make gorgeous socks and I will get to wear them for years.

I am a middle child. It is hard for me to let go of my possessions.

Party Preparations Continued

2010-11-04T19:48:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of the LEGO cake I made for Spartacus' party tomorrow night. I got the idea from this website. Basically, you take a 9X13 inch cake and divide it into thirds. One of the thirds gets cut in half. You use canned frosting to crumb coat the cakes and then refrigerate them for about 30 minutes. Then you slather on the frosting to make them as square as possible. You use large marshmallows cut in half to make the pips on the LEGOs. If you are VERY handy with the piping tube, you can pipe the word "LEGO" on each of the marshmallows. I am not handy with the piping tube. The recipe says the cake serves 12, but I think that would be very generous for little boys. I'm thinking one slice with a marshmallow on it and a dollop of ice cream is just fine.

We'll have the left overs for breakfast.

Under Protest

2010-11-03T19:51:00.000-07:00

Hisself is forcing me to blog tonight. I am exhausted from my day of errands and preparing for Spartacus' 9th birthday party. I also have not been sleeping very well. Pity me in my pity pot.

Spartacus' birthday party has a LEGO theme. I spent the day working on sorting all his LEGOs. I had to separate some of them for a few of the games the boys will play. I had to separate all the Bionicle pieces from the regular pieces. I sorted out all the mini-figures. He has enough for an army. (Imagine that in a Twilight Zone episode.)

Spartacus has more LEGOs than everyone we know. I shopped garage sales when he was just a tike. I scored several large lots from kids who had finally outgrown their LEGOs. He also inherited Hisself's LEGO collection. We are up to our kneecaps in LEGOs.

Tomorrow I plan to finalize all the preparations for the games. I am also going to make a LEGO-shaped cake. The party is Friday evening. I hope we are ready.

I hope I survive until then.

New Kitties

2010-11-02T19:49:00.000-07:00

In July our 18 year old cat, Chainsaw, passed away. He had been deteriorating over the past year. Mostly, we could not watch him in pain from his decaying teeth. It hurt him to eat and even to move. We had him euthanized. He is buried in our back yard beneath a red cedar tree near where he used to like to sit and sun himself.

Our house did not feel the same without his feline presence. We lasted about a month without a cat. The Humane Society had a cat adoption event. We found these two in the South County CATS booth. They said that they were born in May. They were found together and have a strong bond. The gray/blue tuxedo cat is a girl. Her name is Grueby. We believe that she is actually 1 to 2 months older than the other cat. The orange and white kitten is a boy. His name is Teco. He is very gregarious. He is bold and eager to interact with people. He is not smart. He is not dumb, but he is not particularly smart.

Grueby is smart. She learns quickly and is eager to please. Grueby has a unique habit. She brings her favorite soft stuffed toy up to our bed each night. She brings it back downstairs in the morning. I wish I knew what she was thinking about this. Is this her baby and does she want to make sure it is safe at night? She growls when Teco tries to take it from her.

I'm sure you will be hearing more about these two in future posts. I just wanted to introduce you to them.

Breaking Radio Silence

2010-11-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been over six months since I have blogged. I don't even think anyone is reading this thing anymore. I have thought many times of just shutting this thing down for good. And then I think about maybe expanding the scope. I have a new hobby to share with you.

I am now a letterboxer. Actually, I have been a letterboxer for over a year and half. I just never shared about it here. I will tell you more about this in another post.

I still knit. I knit regularly. I have been sticking mostly to socks. I keep a simple sock going in my purse and a more complicated pattern for television viewing. I am working on knitting up all my sock yarn. I have purchased no yarn this year for socks. I do have a membership to the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rocking Sock Club. So I get yarn once every 2 months. I have been a member since the very first year. I cannot give it up. Other than the RDC, I have been yarn-purchase free.

This is my most current sock in progress. It is the Buggin' Out pattern by Stephen Houghton. Both the yarn and pattern should be available next year for purchase. The socks are being knit for Hisself. He loved the yarn color as soon as he saw it. I had to start them about 4 times to get the right gauge. I'll probably have to do the toes in a different color in order to have enough of the green for both socks.

Well, here's for another November of blogging.

Contemplating Crochet

2010-04-22T13:21:00.000-07:00

I think I might have solved my knitting ennui.

Crochet.

I still get to play with yarn. Just in a different modality. Crochet offers a different challenge for me. Crochet offers stimulation of brain cells currently deadened by the repetition of knit one...knit one...knit one.

Crochet and I have a long history. I learned to crochet a year before I learned to knit. I was cranking out granny squares long before my first sweater. I've made several crocheted afghans in my life. Only one of them was the dreaded "ripple" blanket. The others were crochet motifs. All but one of my blankets is still in use today.

I already have a project in mind. Babette by Kathy Merrick. I have been lurking as Melanie at Pink Lemon Twist works on her leftover sock yarn Babette. I have been studying finished Babettes on Ravelry. I have been auditioning colors. I have been researching layouts. I've been rehearsing the "magic circle".

I have been ordering yarn.

Spring is Bustin' Out All Over

2010-04-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

The yarn is from Miss Babs in the Rainbow colorway. I just love the happy spring colors.
I don't do many pastels in my life. I'm more for earthy colors. Once in a while it is nice to branch out a bit. And since this is the season for branching out....

SPROING!!!

Adrift

2010-03-18T09:32:00.001-07:00

I am adrift. Floating. Not landing. Not still. Not settled. Not anything. Too much of nothing. March has been an incredibly busy month. Scouts has taken much of my time and my thoughts. House guests (both expected and unexpected) have taken much of my time. House guests have also taken some of my settled-ness. Letterboxing has taken much of my time and energy and creativity.

I cannot seem to settle on a knitting project. I have been knitting these socks since the end of the Knitting Olympics. They were fun, but not fabulous. Socks That Rock Yarn in a Spirits colorway. The pattern is Wanida by Cookie A. from her book Sock Innovation.

I have no knitting projects that interest me right now. I need to knit. I have some unfinished projects I should knit. I have nothing I want to knit.

I am adrift.

Start the National Anthem

2010-02-28T14:51:00.000-08:00

It's done! I made it! I got the GOLD!

It's really been a challenge. I was sure I would not finish. I was planning what I would do when the Olympics was over and I still had shawl to knit. All those plans are unnecessary now.

Is it the best thing I have ever knit? I don't really know. It's not perfect. The mistakes are minor and I know enough tricks as an experienced knitter to hide the mistakes. Is that not what a premier athlete does?

I love the color. The yarn is so soft. It is so lightweight. I may need to buy a new outfit to wear with it.

This time the cat woke up when we were trying to lay the shawl on him. He was having nothing to do with what he thought was a net. He does love his owner's lap though. The lap makes anything bearable.

Stuff on my kid.

Stuff on my husband.

Stuff on me.

Knitting Olympics Closing Day

2010-02-28T07:14:00.000-08:00

Yes, it was that-time-of-the-month for the Fates yesterday.

The shawl still has to be soaked and blocked and photographed today.

I have been up since 4:30 binding off and sewing up the cast on edge.

Given that it is only 7:00 in the morning right now, soaking can wait until after breakfast.

Just So You Know...

2010-02-26T20:24:00.000-08:00

I have just finished row 6 of the 13 row edge. (The 13th row is the bind-off row.) The end is in sight and I may just finish it in time. I will totally have the knitting done tomorrow.

Unless the Fates go all PMS on me.

Then there's the soaking and the blocking. Which could happen Saturday night.

Unless I get a better offer.

Then there's pictures and the finish line on Sunday.

Unless the sun does not come up on Sunday.

But that's what the flash is for.

Could it be? A Gold Medal? Me?

Olympic Knitting - Day 8

2010-02-19T13:24:00.001-08:00

Here is the results of about two days of knitting on the Bee Fields Shawl. It has a lot of stitches. It has consumed most of my life for the last week. I have had to slow down a bit to clean up the house for out of town visitors this weekend. I have had to slow down a bit to sleep through a cold. For most of the past week I have been about two days ahead of schedule. I am no longer two days ahead. But I am not behind either.

This is the shawl as it looks today. I am more than half-way through the second chart. There are over 300 stitches in each row. When I took the first picture, the weight of the shawl was not enough to wake the cat. This time he woke up, raised his head, sighed, and went back to sleep.

It's funny. I was going to blog about this every day. I was going to make fun of it. I was going to comment about the things I am listening to on the television. (I cannot watch, I might lose my place on the chart.) I find that I do not have time. In order to get 13 rows done each day, I must put nose to the grindstone and crank out those stitches.

Am I having fun? Fun is not the right word. I am interested and challenged and so that is good. I am really not sure I will finish on time.

I may have to re-think what finished means

Knitting Olympics/Ravelympics Prelude

2010-02-11T14:10:00.000-08:00

I have been swatching and practising for the upcoming Olympics. I am on Team Blue Moon Fiber Arts and I am participating in the Lace Luge event. I plan to make one 200+ row shawl in the time it takes to complete the 2010 Winter Olympics. I think I have got the hang of the first two charts of the Bee Fields Shawl. I feel pretty comfortable with the size 5 needles as well. I tried some size 4, but I prefer the 5's. I've determined the best placement for the stitch markers and made notes on the charts in areas I have found difficult. I've got magnets, row counters, and a tilting table to make chart viewing a breeze. I have a stack of shows lined up on the DVR as well as several ancient BBC series on hold at the library (in addition to watching all the sporting events). In short, I am ready to hunker down and knit like a fool.

This is a picture of my swatch from just a few minutes ago. I don't want anyone thinking that I cheated and started early. I ripped it all out. Everything is on hold until tomorrow night.

Don't call me after 6:00 p.m. I'm busy.

Caterpillars and Lace

2010-02-02T13:52:00.000-08:00

Pattern: Caterpillar Socks by Anne Hanson of Knitspot

Yarn: Neighborhood Fiber Company Studio Sock

Needles: Knit Picks Options 2.5mm 24" circular needles

Modifications/Impressions: I lengthened the leg from seven repeats of the pattern to ten and still had yarn left over. I did the heel that the pattern suggested rather than my preferred slip stitch heel. I guess I was in a hurry to get these done. These represent the sixth Knitspot sock pattern I have completed since Sock Summit. The love I feel for her patterns has not wavered.

Ravelympics update:

Here is the yarn I am planning to use for the shawl I want to knit for the Olympics. The skein is larger than my ball winder. I had to hack it into three balls. 1700 yards of yarn (even if it is laceweight) is still a hugemongous amount of yarn. I have swatched the set up rows and the first repeat of the first chart. I screwed up the pattern twice.

I did some calculations of the work required to complete the project. To complete the 208 rows required for the pattern, I have to knit 13 rows each day for 16 days. I cannot start on the first day until 6:00 pm which is the official cast on time and start of the Olympics. 13 rows does not seem so bad until you add in the fact that this is a triangular shawl. Meaning that each row gets larger and larger. The last few rows have over 400 stitches! 13 times 400+ is too big for my brain.

However, this IS the Olympics. This is supposed to be a challenge. What if all those athletes only attempted what they were sure they could finish? What if none of us took on challenges? I am a better person for facing the challenges I have already faced in my life.

Pardon me, but this IS just knitting.

Fin, Fin Finished

2010-01-20T10:28:00.001-08:00

Pattern: Spot Check Socks by Beth Parrott from Knitting Socks With Handpainted Yarn.
Yarn: Berocco Comfort in black and Rainy Days Wooly Dogs GothSocks in Evil Laugh. The GothSocks is supposed to stripe in a solid black and then a stripe of yellow and green. I added the black to make a fair isle pattern from the stripes. I accentuated the black stripe by lengthening it with more black. The cuff, heel and toe is done with the Comfort yarn. I have enough GothSocks left over for another pair of socks.
Needles: KnitPicks Options 2.75mm 2 24" circulars
Impressions: I did not do the fair isle pattern in the black stripes. I simply alternated knitting one round with the Comfort and one round with the GothSocks.

Pattern: Baby Cable Rib Socks by Charlene Schurch from Sensational Knitted Socks
Yarn: Cascade 220 Wool in heathered brown and navy blue. This is leftover yarn from the Thuja socks I made for Hisself at Christmastime.
Needles: Addi Turbo 3.75mm
Impressions: I did not have enough of the brown to finish the last three repeats on the second sock. So I knit 10 rows in stockinette with the blue before starting the toe. I ripped out the toe and the last three repeats in the first sock then reknit them to match the second sock. The socks are tight on his leg which he likes and very warm.

An update on my Ravelympics entry. I am planning on doing the Bee Fields Shawl. I need to purchase some Addi Lace needles. Then I will start swatching so that I am familiar with all the different sections. February is a very busy month. I am giving myself permission not to finish on time.

Deliberating

2010-01-18T12:47:00.001-08:00

So I am actually "between knitting projects" at the moment. I finished the Spot Check Socks AND I finished a pair of socks from leftover yarn for Hisself (the socks are for Hisself, not the yarn). Pictures will follow.

I am contemplating a project for the Ravelympics. When I did the original Knitting Olympics as designed by the Yarnharlot, I only did a simple Moebius Scarf. I finished it in about four days. It was not the challenge I thought it would be. I was sort of disappointed in myself.

This time I want to truly challenge myself. I am thinking about a shawl. Can a lace shawl be knit in two weeks time? A real lace shawl, not some measley shawlette. I have the yarn.

It is Blue Moon Fiber Arts Laci in the Oregon Red Clover Honey colorway. I have two patterns from which to choose. The first is the Flight of the Honeybees Shawl which I already own. The second option is Anne Hanson's Bee Fields. I thought I would do a bee-themed shawl because of the name and color of the yarn. I have seen other Bee Fields Shawls on Ravelry knit with this same yarn.

It has been a while since I have knit with lace-weight yarn. The last time was for the Mystery Stole 3 back in the summer of 2007 (finished in 2008). I am not concerned about following charts or any of that mess. I have the right tools and lots of experience. I do not care for the fiddily sensation of tiny little string of yarn on too-large-for-it-needles. However, the yarn I used for MS3 was crap yarn. I am counting on the quality of Blue Moon Fiber Arts yarn to make this a heavenly experience for me.

But a shawl in two weeks? That may be a bit much. The Ravelympics begins on February 12th (the day after my birthday).

I've got some time to decide. What do you think?

Spot Checking

2010-01-06T13:03:00.000-08:00

This is my current work in progress. The pattern is called Spot Check Socks by Beth Parrott from the book Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn. Basically it is a simple fair-isle stitch. One stitch in the gren/yellow/black yarn and the other with the black yarn.

The green/yellow/black yarn is from my friend, Stephanie's shop. It is called GothSocks Yarn and I am using the "Evil Laugh" colorway. It is supposed to stripe in green and yellow for about half an inch and then a solid black stripe for about half an inch. Combined with the black yarn, it makes the black stripes longer and the green and yellow looks checked. The black yarn is your basic black sock yarn.

The knitting is going fairly quickly. I just have make sure not to get the skeins too tangled and I have to pay attention at the start of every row. So it is not mindless knitting, but almost mindless.

A good way to start the new year.

Monster Series #2

2009-12-29T11:22:00.001-08:00

Please allow me to introduce to you the newest member of our monster team: Albert the Absent-Minded Monster. Spartacus has already claimed him and taught him two martial arts moves: the Meteor and the Bottom-rub.

Albert was created using a pattern by Rebecca Danger. The yarn used was some Cascade 220 wool held together with some nubbly yarn inherited from my mother-in-law. It had no ball band so I can tell you nothing further about the yarn except that she usually bought her yarn at Joann's or Hobby Lobby. I used size 5 needles and held two strands together for a very firm fabric.

Holiday Vacation Knitting

2009-12-28T18:25:00.001-08:00

I sense a theme. Can you guess?

Season's Greetings

2009-12-25T20:28:00.000-08:00

May the peace of the season be with you for this day and for all your days. Thank you for stopping by and reading this little blog. Thank you for your kind comments. Thank you for inspiring me to do good things.

Not Knitting? Never

2009-12-15T13:02:00.000-08:00

I wanted to show you the needlepoint project that I unearthed from my craft closet. I've done a little bit of work on it since excavating it last Sunday. The reverse Byzantine stitch on the right side is new. I need to pick out the pink bit at the 9:00 position. It is not centered in its diamond.

This is a picture of the pattern cover. Just so you know where the work is headed.

I am still knitting. I haven't given it up. I couldn't. The needlepoint is not very portable. Socks are totally portable. I am working on two pairs of socks for Spartacus. One pair is nearly finished. I lack a few more rows on the instep before starting the toe decreases. On the other pair I am mid-instep on the first sock.

All this is going on in the middle of Christmas activities and back to back cub scout meetings this week. Our gingerbread house is complete. I have one more present to buy and several to ship to Texas.

It's all just a whirlwind.

Still Thinking (now with new Action added!)

2009-12-07T19:40:00.001-08:00

So I am still thinking about doing some needlework instead of/in addition to knitting.

Yesterday, as I was digging out my supply of Christmas cards, I started also looking through my old needlepoint and cross stitch patterns/supplies. It's not that far a stretch, they reside in the same closet. I have a lot of Christmas cross stitch. I also have lots of designs from the 90's. I have every cute Debbie Mumm cross stitch bow ever printed. I am embarrassed to say how much country cuteness I have. I'm thinking this crap is outdated and should no longer take up space in my house.

What I did find though, are some very interesting crewel work pieces from the Arts and Crafts movement. I have a couple of Frank Lloyd Wright inspired designs, some Mackintosh designs and some others. Crewel work is a challenge for me. So I am not sure that I am ready to tackle those projects.

The treasure that I did find was a half-finished needlepoint piece. It is inspired by a Frank L. Wright window. The canvas is still on stretcher bars. The floss was located in the bottom of the floss tub. All the directions are still with it as well. I think maybe it is a sign. I should probably finish this piece.

But then again, maybe I should just start a lace knitting project.

Ambivalence, thy name is Pixlkitten

So I've Been Thinking...

2009-12-05T20:13:00.001-08:00

...which is not always a good thing.

I think I would like to try some needlepoint or counted cross stich for a while instead of knitting. Or in addition to knitting. I used to do a lot of needlework (in the years that I was not knitting). Is it possible to do both a knitting project and a needle project at the same time? Can I give all my attention to both?

This is at a time when I don't feel I can give all my attention to anything I am doing. I feel so scattered.

In order to do some needlework I would have to get out all my supplies which are sort of buried in my closet. That would take most of an afternoon by itself. Then I would have to look through it all and decide on a project. I promise I will not go out and buy a new needlework project. I am not buying much of anything at all right now. I am trying to use up things I already have. I am not even buying Christmas cards this year. I am using up the old ones I have. This means no picture of the Family Pixlkitten this year. You might get a picture of a teddy bear. With a bow. From the 90's. I told you they were old cards.

But should I start with the needlework? Knitnurse's friend, Icehouse, has got me interested. She does some really gorgeous work. I have some old projects that should be finished. I have old projects that I bought, but never started.

I also have six tubs of yarn to use up.

Oh, the ambivalance.

Thirty Days of Knitting

2009-12-03T12:45:00.000-08:00

Here, as promised, are my finished socks for NaKniSockMo.

Pattern: Lacunae Socks by Anne Hanson of Knitspot
Yarn: Sanguine Gryphon Bugga! in the Oil Beetle colorway
Needles: Knit Picks Options 2.5mm/US 1.5 24 inch circular
Timeframe: Nov. 1 to Nov. 13
Impressions: I have written before about how much I enjoy the combination of Bugga! yarn with Knitspot patterns. These socks flew off the needles! Just a joy to knit and a good project to revel in after 2 months of garter stitch baby blankets.

Pattern: Kites Socks by Anne Hanson of Knitspot
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Lightweight in the Nyame colorway
Needles: Knit Picks Options 2.5mm/US 1.5 24" circular
Timeframe: Nov. 13 to Nov. 20
Impressions: While not my favorite project of the month to knit, these are the socks that I prefer to wear. This is the pair that I had to partially frog after I knit one more half repeat than necessary.

Pattern: Holidazed Socks by Anne Hanson of Knitspot
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Medium weight in a rare gem colorway
Needles: Knit Picks Options 2.5mm/US 1.5 24" circular
Timeframe: Nov. 20 to Nov. 29.
Impressions: I initially got this pattern as part of the STR sock club. This pattern is currently available at the Blue Moon website. I was not impressed with the pattern until the Yarn Harlot knit some in a medium-value colorway. The patterning is much more visible with lighter colors. The original has a darker yarn with more variegation. I prefer these. STR can have serious pooling especially around the gusset. I do see some pooling in these, but not as much as I normally see.

Done and Done

2009-11-30T19:16:00.000-08:00

30 blog posts in 30 days...check

50,000 knit stitches made in 30 days...check. Actually, more than check. Check plus, if you will. I finished sock #6 last night. I don't have the exact stitch count, but I am pretty sure I am way over 50,000.

Car battery replaced after stalling out at the school when I was picking up Spartacus...check.

GothSacks mailed to Saskatchewan (again, those Canadians love GothSacks) on one of the busiest postal days of the year...check.

Laundry washed, dried, folded and put away...check

Christmas tree decorations on the tree...not so check.

5 out of 6 ain't bad.

Pictures of all the finished socks will come tomorrow. Waiting at the auto shop took up most of my blogging time today.

We're Back!

2009-11-28T18:54:00.000-08:00

We started the morning here. Gathering new material for GothSacks.

We stopped by here to add to Hisself's collection of Nero Wolfe, Campion, and Ngaio Marsh stories.

We had lunch here before heading back home.

Just a warning. Do not mix Lebanese food with Tex-Mex.

Especially, do not mix Lebanese food and Tex-Mex and then take a long drive.

It's a good thing there was only family in the car.

I'm not here - I'm not there

2009-11-27T18:37:00.000-08:00

First I went here.
Then I went here.
Then we ate lunch here.
We spent the afternoon here.
We at dinner here.

Pictures when I get back.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T13:02:00.000-08:00

Here at Chez Pixlkitten, we have just finished our Turkey Day luncheon. Hisself is busy cleaning up the kitchen. I have a few minutes to say how thankful I am for you, dear reader. Some of you I know, but many come by who have not yet introduced themselves. Nevertheless, I thank you all for stopping by and sharing my life and words and pictures.

These are the rolls that Spartacus made. They were crusty on the outside and very tender on the inside. He did a great job!

Now it's time for Pumpkin Pie!

Preparations

2009-11-25T20:25:00.000-08:00

Have begun for the Thanksgiving Holiday tomorrow. The turkey has been sitting in its brine all day. It is now out of the brine to dry until tomorrow morning. This drying time helps to create a crispy skin.

I spent part of the day making day-before gravy. I roasted 2 turkey wings. Turkey wings are really, really cheap at the grocery store. Mine cost less than $2. I roasted them in my dutch oven so that when the roasting was done I could deglaze the pan and make stock without having to dirty another pot. After several hours of roasting, de-glazing, boiling, straining, roux-making, and thickening; the gravy is done. Hisself pronounced it GOOD. Now tomorrow I will not have the rush and nuisance of having to make gravy while the turkey rests. All I need to do is heat it and eat it.

Spartacus will be making the rolls tomorrow. He loves rolls. He loves them almost as much as my mother loves them. They have roll-eating contests that frequently end in a tie after double over-time. Spartacus has helped me make rolls for many years now. He considers it his contribution to the dinner. This year he will make the rolls by himself (mostly).

Hisself will make the rice and the spinach. I am in charge of the turkey and the pie. We are keeping dinner light this year and focusing more on making it a family event rather than focusing on the food.

I like this new plan so far. It's been a blast.

Random Wednesday

2009-11-24T20:47:00.000-08:00

It's so random it's on Tuesday!

1. To answer your questions about my foot, I do not know how I broke it. I have been having pain for about the last four months. I am not aware of doing anything specific to cause the bone to break. I could have twisted an ankle or stepped down on it wrong. Someone could have tried to hobble me in my sleep. Who knows?

2. The sock #5 in NaKniSockMo is complete. I am so close to 50,000 stitches I can taste it. It tastes like mutton. I started sock #6. I still love the happy new colorway.

3. I have never made mittens. I think I may try some mittens when this challenge is over. I have a good pattern from Anne Hanson that I'd like to try.

4. I am thinking of doing a lace stole for the Knitting Olympics. If they have the Knitting Olympics. I may do it even if they don't have the Knitting Olympics.

5. We had a Pack meeting tonight. That is a meeting during which all the dens get together. My den did a great job on the flag ceremony! It was really a great, great meeting! We talked about heroes and had a fire fighter and a police officer come and talk to the boys. It just worked out very well. My faith in the cubs and my ability to lead them is restored.

6. Have you seen The Pioneer Woman? I just started reading her blog and I bought her book last week. Her recipes are deadly good. Having been raised in Texas on "brown food", I miss it terribly. Folks up here just don't know what good country cooking is. Interestingly, people say "brown food" is unhealthy. However, I have gained more weight living up here away from the wholesomeness of country gravy. Hmmmm.

7. Brown food is any sort of simple, country cooking such as: fried chicken, mashed potatoes, meatloaf, chicken and dumplings, Texas sheet cake, etc.

Pain in the Ass < Pain in the Foot

2009-11-23T20:03:00.000-08:00

I went to the Podiatrist this morning and all I got was this GARGANTUAN boot. I have been having some serious pain in my right foot for the past couple of months. I tried ignoring the pain, but it would not go away. I tried new shoes, but the pain continued. I tried resting but the pain just seemed to be getting worse. The pain was getting to the point that I was starting to plan my trips upstairs so as to limit the pain I would feel.

So after talking for a while to the doctor and having some x-rays taken, we came to the conclusion that I have a stress fracture of the fifth metatarsal (the long foot bone that leads to my little pinkie toe). We actually could see the fracture on the x-ray which is not always possible. Treatment is simple. Boot. Six Weeks.

This is some serious plastic and Velcro contraption. It even has valves leading to air pockets that I have to inflate and deflate when I put it on or take it off. It comes with its own tiny little air pump! It is big and a nuisance. It is sort of hard to walk in because I cannot bend my ankle. However, I am feeling no pain! First time in months! For that I am willing to put up with anything. The boot is on driving foot. Makes for an interesting ride.

See my cute toes encased in fabulous hand knit socks and pounds of foam, plastic and Velcro?

2009-11-22T20:17:00.000-08:00

Preparations are beginning for the Thanksgiving holiday coming up on Thursday.

Spartacus has only half days at school on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Then he is out of school on Thursday and Friday. I have some play dates planned for him to help fill his daily quota of association with people his own age. I also have planned extra physical activities including more Tae Kwon Do classes and some swimming at the club. There is the matter of a bedroom that needs to be cleaned. The floor is missing and I am sure that if we look hard enough we might find it.

For Thanksgiving we are planning just a small meal. We are cooking a turkey, rice, spinach, rolls and a pie. We are thinking about heading down to Portland for a couple of days of shopping (tax-free), letterboxing, and dining here and here (among other places). We have not decided about this. We may just stay home and decorate for Christmas.

I have an appointment at the podiatrist tomorrow morning. Since mid-summer I have been having lots of pain on the right side of my right foot. It hurts each time I put pressure on it to the point that I am starting to limit how much I walk. The type of shoes I wear does not matter. Resting my foot does help some, but just enough to get me through the day with less pain. Resting has not been curative. We'll see what the doctor says tomorrow.

Work on sock #5 continues. I have just turned the heel and am now knitting on the gusset. I love the new yarn very much. I am not sure what I want to knit when this pair is complete. Perhaps I will try to make a fourth pair. Perhaps I'll just call an end to NaKniSockMo having finished the requisite 50,000 stitches. A lace wrap my be in my near future.

Un-Lucky

2009-11-21T20:13:00.000-08:00

This is the former color of my Holidazed socks (Rav link). I did about two repeats of the pattern and just couldn't begin to love them. I do not have time to knit socks I do not love. Had I not just completed a pair of lovely green socks with Bugga! yarn (20% cashmmmmere), I might have stuck with these. However, knitting with this yarn just made me think that it was a poor comparison to the other socks. These socks were not measuring up. I needed a change.

Now I like the pattern. It interests me and knits up quickly. So obviously I needed to change colorways, not the pattern. I had to dive once again into my Socks That Rock tub for an acceptable substitution. The pattern called for medium weight STR. I settled on this:

STR medium weight in a rare gems colorway. I think it is a take off from their Gibson colorway (which I also have), but I am not sure.

Anyway, I have completed one repeat of the pattern. I like the colors. They are cute and girly. The pattern does not show up that well, but the fabric that has been created looks good to me.

The moral of this story is:

You don't need to have Luck if you have Rare Gems.

Too Much #4

2009-11-20T19:49:00.000-08:00

It has happened yet again. Every year that I do this NaKniSweMo challenge I get kicked in the ass. Right now my butt aches.

I was feeling sort of cocky about how fast I was knitting socks #3 and #4. I was waaaayyyy ahead of schedule and feeling like I could knit 6 or 7 socks rather than "just"5 socks in one month.

I knew. I just knew that I knit 6 repeats of the pattern for sock #3. Sock #4 was going really fast because I did not have to keep trying on the sock to see how far I needed to go. The sock seemed a little long. I just really wanted to finish it last night. I completed the sixth repeat and started decreasing for the toe of the sock last night. The sock still seemed a little long. I finished the toe except for the grafting and put the sock aside until the morning.

This morning I looked at the sock and it still seemed a little long for my foot. I grafted the toe and wove in the ends. Then and only then did I hold it up to the first sock to measure.

D'oh!

Sock #3 was five and a half repeats - not six. #4 was a half a repeat too big. What to do?

I could just leave it. They were socks for me. They don't have to be perfect.

I could rip it back and do it right. It really wasn't that much knitting. I would prefer to have socks that were at least the same size. Why didn't I check it the first time I thought it looked a little long?

I ripped it back. It did not take long to fix. I am happy. The socks match.

I started on my Lucky Holidazed. I am almost finished with the first repeat on the first sock (sock #5). Since the yarn is bigger, I am assuming that one sock will not equal 10,000 stitches. I will consider myself done with NaKniSockMo when sock #6 is complete

Random Wedn...um...Thursday

2009-11-19T21:41:00.000-08:00

1. Just got back from Bunco. I didn't win anything. I have been playing Bunco with the same group of ladies since I was pregnant with Spartacus. We play once a month from September through June. I always feel so good and loved by the end of the evening. It is nice to be around a lot of people who care about you. Especially when family is so far away. Thank you, Bunco friends.

2. I have finished one of the kite socks and am about to start the toe on the second sock. This pattern is zooming along.

3. I was searching around for my next pair of socks. I was debating about doing Holidazed (Rav link), but with a different yarn. I thought they would look better with a semi-solid rather than the wildly varigated yarn that came with the pattern. Then I saw Yarn Harlot's new Holidazed socks (scroll down). I am sold. I will have Lucky green Holidazed socks next.

4. Spartacus has half days at school for the next four school days. Then he is off next Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving. This will put a crimp in my knitting time for the next week or so. It's a good thing that I am ahead of schedule for finishing my 5 socks (and that he has play dates planned).

5. What is it about Canadians buying up all the GothSacks? I think more than half of the 'Sacks I have sold have been shipped to Canada. Can someone explain that to me? I am not complaining. I just find it interesting, eh?

Board Breaking

2009-11-18T18:58:00.000-08:00

Friday night the troops here at Chez Pixlkitten trotted over to our local Martial Arts studio for a little board breaking seminar. Spartacus and I have been attending these as spectators only for the past year. This time Spartacus was going to be able to break a board. Hisself decided to come along and break some boards too.

After a ten minute lecture on how and how not to break wood, the students broke up into teams. I had instructed Spartacus to choose a site close to the audience so that I could get good pictures. His father had other ideas and they both went to the spot farthest from the audience. Hence, all the pictures you see on this post suck.

Spartacus was the first to break a board that night. They teach students to do a "stomp kick" to break their first board. His board broke right away. He kicked it and broke it even before his instructor was ready. Even Spartacus was surprised at how fast it broke! Of course, my camera did not get the shot because they were too far away. Bastards.

Hisself broke his board next. He has always had strong legs. When he played soccer he played fullback because he could boom the ball so far away from the goal he was defending. His board did not break in the middle and he scraped up his toes on the cinder blocks. I'm calling it karma.

Spartacus finally got another turn. The instructor took charge of this break and made Spartacus do it his way. I have only a photo of his foot recoiling and the broken board. Again, long distance, more delay, lose the shot. Penis wrinkle.

I did get a video of Hisself breaking a board using a "hammer fist punch". I am not very good at camera work, but you can see the board break at least.

Isn't he great?

One student used Spartacus and all the littlest students for his kick. They had to pile up together. The kicker ran at them, jumped over them and kicked and broke his board. It was awesome!

Hisself helped to hold boards for other students who were breaking. He said at the end of the night that he could have broken many more boards.

Yeah, well, I could have gotten many more pictures if you had sat closer to me.

Hiccups

2009-11-17T19:44:00.001-08:00

Sorry about the hiccup in my attitude yesterday. I was super-tired and frustrated. I've been doing a lot of thinking about the den meeting last night.

I made several errors while planning the meeting which probably did not help the situation. I spent too much time just talking to them rather than discussing or letting them experience what I was trying to teach. I did not plan enough activity for them.

Additionally, I have some new boys who are not used to den meetings. I now have ten boys instead of eight which really makes a difference too. I need to spend some time at the next den meeting talking about what a den meeting is. The new boys need to know how to be in a den meeting. The more experienced boys need a refresher. A den meeting is not the same as a play group.

The boys are older now they have some experience as scouts and can do more than last year. Perhaps they feel safe enough to test the limits. It's what boys do.

Don't get me wrong. I still adore these boys. We just have some group dynamics going on that I need to address. Conflict is not my favorite thing. Asserting myself is not so easy for me. However, if I do not, then things could get worse.

So, lessons learned:
1) Go over a "code of conduct" with the boys. Teach them how to act in a den meeting. Teach them the purpose of a den meeting.

2) Don't spend too much time talking to them. They need action and movement. They can learn while moving. Have something for their hands to do while we talk.

3) Assert myself. When someone is acting in a way that does not help the den, then I need to step up and teach that person how to help the den.

4) Have more fun. It is supposed to be fun. It's not school. It's not recess either. I didn't laugh much last night.

I did hear from the parents that they boys had a good time last night. At least one boy really enjoyed the meeting and learned a new skill that mattered to him. My heart was touched watching him truly enjoy something that I had taught him.

I adore these boys.

I'm Done In

2009-11-16T20:56:00.000-08:00

I got only two hours of sleep last night. I think it was a combination of my mind spinning from the den leader's meeting earlier that evening and an early afternoon instant cappuccino.

I spent the day getting ready for tonight's den meeting. I now know more about the state flag of Washington than most fifth graders. I'm an expert on U.S. flag etiquette. And now my cubs are experts too.

Anyway, I am a bit brain dead. I'm not really in a good mood. It probably is better for me not to blog too much tonight. I will probably say something that I will regret later.

So. Sorry. That's it for today.

"I Got Up One Morning and Couldn't Find My Socks,"

2009-11-15T21:02:00.000-08:00

so I called Information. She said, "Hello, Information." I said, "I can't find my socks." She said, "They're behind the couch." And they were!" (Stephen Wright, actor and writer, b. 1955)

These are all my hand knit socks from my sock drawer. This was taken last July (before Sock Summit). I might have added 2 or 3 more pairs.

I actually have two sock drawers. This one is for my wool hand knit socks.

My other drawer (not pictured) is for cotton hand knit socks and my store-bought socks.

I think if I wanted to I could go more than one month without having to wash socks.

If I wanted to.

But...ewww.

Cub Scouts R' Us

2009-11-14T20:14:00.000-08:00

Spartacus and I were the smart ones today. We got the hell out of Dodge while everyone was still in good spirits. We went out for breakfast at Ruby's Diner. After enjoying a plateful of silver dollar pancakes, we went to the club for some swimming. It was actually more like playing in the water rather than swimming, but we did do some swimming.

Hisself spent the day knee deep in Cub Scout miscellany. He started the day by picking up cases and cases of Cub Scout Popcorn for our scouts to deliver to those friends, relatives and neighbors who ordered popcorn from the little dears back in October. Hopefully, those friends, relatives and neighbors remember that they ordered the popcorn and that they still need to Pay for the popcorn that they ordered.

He spent the afternoon up to his elbows in re-chartering paperwork. This is the annual accounting, dues-paying, census-taking rigmarole that all packs must endure in order to exist in the world of Boy Scouts. Forms must be completed, cheques written, T's dotted and eyes crossed before it is all over.

We've had visits to our home today from no less than five different scout families. Of course the house was in no condition for visitors, but visit they did. Hisself made more phone calls today than he has made for the entire length of our marriage.

My goal for the day was to stay out of all of this. I'm in deep enough what with being a den leader and all. I subjected myself horrendous and terrible acts in order to avoid any and all aspects of cub scouting today. First, I helped my eight year old son write Thank You notes for his birthday presents. (Yuck.) Second, I helped him work on his report on Sally Ride. (Actually, not so yucky.) Third, (and yuckiest of all) I helped him make his bed with fresh, flannel linen.

It's a good thing I love these boys. It's just the rest of the stuff we have to put up with that I can't stand.

NaKniSockMo #2 and #3 of 5

2009-11-13T16:06:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note tonight to say that I finished sock #2 and started on sock #3. I am using Socks That Rock Lightweight in the Nyame colorway (light blue) to make Knitspot's "Kites" pattern. I have already finished two repeats on the leg. Twenty-four more rows and I will start the heel. The pattern called for a short-row heel, but I think I will do a gusset instead as that fits my foot better.

Tonight Spartacus will be at a board-breaking seminar. He is very excited as this is the first time he gets to try breaking a board. Hisself is going as well and may or may not break anything. Me, I will be taking photographic evidence -- either for the scrapbook or for the lawyers.

NaKnitSockMo 1 of 5

2009-11-12T18:37:00.000-08:00

This is my first Lacunae Sock. I have only 1 more 16 row repeat and the toe of the second before I am finished with the pair. If I can finish before the 14th, I should be on track to finish 4 to 5 socks by the deadline. You guys know how much I love deadline knitting. NOT! Especially when I am behind. Why do I put myself through this every year? Well, because my stressed out posts are usually my funniest and because I usually make my deadline and then I get to feel all smug and Goddess-like.

Again.

Random Wednesday

2009-11-11T19:06:00.000-08:00

I've got nothing of any importance to impart to you all tonight. So here's some randomness for you.

1. I have completed 1 1/2 Lacunae socks. I still like them very much although the Oil Beetle colorway of Bugga! does not seem as soft as the katydid colorway. Just sayin'.

2. I want to express my gratitude to all the veterans out there in this world and in the next. Especially my father, who is in the next world, and my father-in-law who is very much in this world. My family sleeps safely because of your service and dedication to our country. Thank you.

3. Astro Boy is a might good flick if you are an eight year old (or the mother of an eight year old).

4. I'm thinking about another Knitspot sock pattern for my next project. I may switch it up a little and use Socks That Rock instead of Bugga! Because now I only have 5 skeins left of Bugga! and I have a freakin' tub load of STR.

5. I'm working on planning our next den meeting for the Cub Scouts. All about flags. Folding flags, making flags, respecting flags, flag ceremonies. I'll send it all up the flagpole and see what shakes out. My energy is flagging. Better flag this entry for later.

6. Yeah, five is about all I'm up for tonight. Good night.

New Bags at the Shop

2009-11-10T11:24:00.001-08:00

This is GeekyGoth. It pays tribute to those who have achieved the delicate balance between "geekdom" and "gothdom". The word "sock" is prominently featured in the code. This is my new favorite fabric.

This is "Ghostly Goth". The skulls just seem to be disappearing like an apparition.

This is MonkeyGoth. Who can resist sock monkeys?

I call this one "Straights" for the straight knitting needles on the fabric.

These and over twenty other bags are available for sale on my Etsy shop. Come on by!

Baby Linens

2009-11-09T12:07:00.000-08:00

I finished blocking the Moderne Baby Blanket for Jennifer's baby. The baby is due on Thanksgiving. They do not know the gender of the baby. They are a rather nontraditional couple so I opted for a rather nontraditional colorway for the blanket.

Pattern: Moderne Baby Blanket by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne from Mason-Dixon Knitting.
Yarn: Knit Picks Swish Worsted in colors: gold, allspice, Dublin and truffle.
Needles: US 6/4mm circular -- actually, I did the first 3 blocks on my Signature straight needles
Impressions: This is the second of two of these blankets I made in a row. I was pretty sick of the whole thing way before I finished. If I had not had a deadline and a recipient for this project, I probably would have put it in hibernation. I did like working with the yarn. It is super wash to make the busy mother's life a little easier.

I also sewed a few burp cloths for the baby out of some old Sesame Street flannel that I had left over from a quilt that I made for Spartacus. (He still uses the quilt.) When he saw me with these fabrics he asked if I was going to make another quilt for him. Hmmmm.

I had enough of some larger leftover pieces to make 2 blankets. A larger one...

...and a smaller one. I figure Sesame Street is pretty gender neutral even though the fabric is mostly blue, it does have some pinks and flowers on it.

If this Chicago baby ever gets cold, it is not my fault.

A Pile of Puppies

2009-11-08T19:40:00.000-08:00

That's how they looked. Ten little boys ages 4 to 8 piled on top of each other in the pool, at the table, playing games. They looked like puppies -- all legs and tummies (and in Spartacus' case -- ears).

They were just bodies and glee and fun and joy and boy. It was darling to watch. I got such a thrill about putting this party together. I wanted Spartacus to have the time of his life with his friends.

It was hard to get them to sit still long enough to eat. Most did not finish their pizza or their cake. But look at the big smiles!

After a game of "Pin the explosion on the space ship" and "light saber training" the boys were ready to sit down and do some crafting. We made light sabers from pipe cleaners and glued Darth Vader back together again.

The cake was garishly frosted in blue and red. The name was not even quite right. But the boys loved it and ate most of it.

They left sated. I hoped they all slept well last night. If they didn't it was because they had not yet come down from their cake-induced high.

God, I love little boys. They are wonderful.

Especially mine.

The Aftermath

2009-11-07T20:18:00.001-08:00

Pardon the lateness of this post. We are recovering from Spartacus' birthday party. We invited nine little boys to our club for swimming, pizza, cake, games and crafts - all in a two hour time span.

I'm so tired I can barely stand. Spartacus was up at 4 am this morning. He wanted to build the LEGO set that his grandfather had bought him. We sent him back to bed, but he did not go back to sleep. Which means he kept sneaking around to see if I was awake so that he could go downstairs. Which means he kept me awake with all his sneaking around. I finally gave in at 5:30.

I'll tell you more about the party tomorrow. Right now I am getting into my 'jammies and going to bed.

Maybe I can convince Hisself to bring me a piece of leftover birthday cake.

Spartacus is Eight

2009-11-06T20:05:00.000-08:00

My sweet bundle of baby is eight years old today. I cannot even describe how much love I feel for him. He is actually, truly a great kid. And that's not just his mother talking. Other folks tell me the same thing.

He has this enthusiasm for life that you rarely see in people anymore. Each new experience is an adventure full of possibilities. He has this great positive attitude. He believes that he can do anything he tries. He can get frustrated at times when his young body can't do the things his brain thinks he can. Then we see some tears. However, I know this is part of his process. The tears come, he gets a pep talk, and then he tries again and again until he gets it. Everything is possible according to Spartacus.

Have I ever told you why I call him "Spartacus" on this blog? Before he was born, we kept his name a secret. We did not want to hear why we shouldn't use the name we had chosen. We called him "Spartacus" when we talked about him to our family. My grandmother was worried that Spartacus was actually going to be his name. We don't call him Spartacus at home. I use the name only on this blog and on facebook. It is a name with strength and integrity - just like my son.

You know how you have to be careful what you name some one because they can take on those characteristics? Like the family that named their son "Chase" and spent their lives running after him, for instance. Spartacus was big and strong from birth. My Spartacus doesn't fight wars or save people from oppression. He has always wanted people to be treated fairly. He will befriend and stand up for those who are younger, or shyer, or different. He's had his own struggles. But he has overcome much.

So, Happy Birthday sweet man. Your mama loves you.

What's Up With the Shop

2009-11-05T19:44:00.000-08:00

Not a whole lot, really. I have about 5 new fabrics for GothSacks that I need to post. I was waiting until after Halloween for life to slow down just a tad.

There is a group on Ravelry for Stephanie's yarns. It is called GothSock Groupies (Ravelry link). You should go join, they have lots of fun. Anyway, they held a Halloween KAL and I offered up 2 GothSacks and 2 accessory bags as prizes. The prizes were doled out on November 1st. It was exciting for me to see who one. One winner was very pleased that she got the prize she wanted. The other seems a little trepidatious. Either way, I am pleased as punch for both and happy to send off the prizes.

I already signed up to donate prizes for the next KAL starting in the New Year. If you want a chance at a free GothSack, go sign up and knit. Maybe you will be the winner.

So my dirty little secret about the prizes is that I had not really settled on a design for the accessory bags. The GothSacks were ready to go, but I needed to get in there and design a simple, zippered notions bag. Finally today I got the chance to put something together. I used leftover fabrics from the bags and a smaller zipper to make a nifty little bag big enough to hold scissors, a Chibi, and measuring tape. -- a GothPocket. Piece of cake.

I like the design so much I think I will put some up in the shop and see how they do. I thought that I could do a set -- a GothSack and a matching GothPocket.

I have more new fabrics to make up into GothSacks. Now that things are slowing a bit, I can focus more on some sewing.

*************************************************************************************
BTW, the gusset is done on the first Lacunae sock. I am about half way down the foot. Speeding along. I did some rudimentary calculations this morning. I figured that each sock is about 10,000 stitches. I would need to make 5 socks during the month of November to qualify for the NaKniSweMo.

5 socks. Hmmm.

It Doesn't Take Much

2009-11-04T19:52:00.000-08:00

I finished weaving in the ends on the baby blanket last night. It soaked this morning and is now blocking/drying in the official blocking/drying area of my dining room here at Chez Pixlkitten. The weather is supposed to return to our usual fall sogginess tomorrow so the blanket could take a couple of days to dry. I got time.

I have turned the heel on the first Lacunae sock and I am currently working on the gussets.

I have a small quirk about knitting socks and Ravelry. I like to use the progress bars on my project page. I like them rather much too much. When I start a sock I put the progress at 5%. When I turn the first heel I put it at 25%. Finished the first sock? 50%. Second heel done results in 75%. You should see how giddy I feel when the socks are finished and I can close out the project page completely! It's just silly of me, I know. But I like it. It makes me happy. It doesn't take much does it?

Figuring out the progress on other projects is not as easy for me. I have to estimate how much I have completed. I usually underestimate how much I have progressed. Sweaters are easier if knit in pieces. Then each part (back, front, sleeves, finishing) is 25%. But if sweaters are knit in the round or are short sleeved, then my progress formula does not really work. What about a vest? No sleeves. It throws my whole damn system to pieces.

Then there are hats.

And toys.

And scarves.

And shawls.

My mind reels. I need to go lie down.

With chocolate.

And knitting. I'm stressed. I need my knitting.

It doesn't take much, does it?

NaBloPoMo #3

2009-11-03T19:51:00.001-08:00

I finished the applied I-cord for the baby blanket. Applied I-cord is really not that hard. As long as you can make I-cord and do a slip-slip-knit, you can do applied I-cord. I watched a video on YouTube that explained the whole procedure. The video is of Kelly Petkun from KnitPicks working applied I-cord on a Moderne Log Cabin Baby Blanket (which was the same as my project).

Many folks have objections to Kelly Petkun. She has a podcast that can be accessed from the KnitPicks website. She does tend to read from a script. While doing this does keep her focused on one topic, you don't get the emotion and spontaneity of regular speech. I enjoy when she interviews guests for her podcasts. She seems to be a gracious hostess and very friendly.

Something about her voice is very soothing to me. I sometimes listen to her podcast when I cannot sleep. She puts me right out. That could be taken the wrong way. It is meant as a compliment. Not only is she educational about knitting, she is sedative as well.

Anyway, I am working on weaving in the ends. I take care not to snip the tails until after I have blocked the piece. I learned the hard way that the extra inches of yarn may be needed to address any issues related to the quality of the fabric.

The Lacunae socks continue to grow. I am half way down the leg of the first sock. I have already memorized the pattern. Now all I have is just the joy of feeling the cashmmmmere between my fingers and watching the stunning colors blend.

NaBloPoMo #2

2009-11-02T14:02:00.000-08:00

I started the socks yesterday as planned. I have already finished the cuff and one 16 row repeat. It takes 3 repeats for the leg. It is going well so far. I get to do twisted stitches every 8 rows. Otherwise, it is k2,p2 ribbing. Too easy.

In other news, I am still working on finishing the second of two baby blankets for upcoming babies. The one I am finishing up now is for my neighbor's grandbaby. The baby is due on Thanksgiving. I have 2 more edges to finish. I am using applied I-cord for the edging. It was a bit tight at first in spite of moving up to what I thought were size 7 needles. The rest of the blanket it knit with size 6 needles. I decided to check the DPNs I was working with. Even though the package said size 7, the needles were actually a size 6. I had put them in the wrong container. Fudge.

So, I looked around for size 7 DPNs. I do not have any. I do have 2 9" circulars. I am using one of them as if it were a DPN. It is a bit tedious and fidgety having to slide the stitches over the longer length, but it works for now.

After the edging comes the weaving in and the blocking. I plan to finish up this monster by the end of the week.

I would like to be done with it so that I can really enjoy my sock knitting.

November 1, 2009

2009-11-01T10:42:00.000-08:00

Here we are at the beginning of another NaBloPoMo. I have yet again taken on the challenge of blogging daily for one month. This may be more difficult this year than in past years. With the addition of becoming a cub scout den leader, I have my shop on etsy.com to tend. I keep very busy. But I believe I can spend a small part of each day with you all. Sharing my thoughts and daily knitting progress.

For this year's NaKniSweMo I am shying away from knitting a sweater. Having nearly completed two baby blankets in one month, I am a bit tired of big projects right now. I plan to put my 50,000 stitches into socks.

Because I have been knitting for others in yarns I thought they would like and patterns I thought they would like, I wanted this first sock project to be a simple pleasure for me and me alone. I turned first to my favorite yarn: Bugga! I just simply adore how the 20% of cashmere feels sliding through my fingers as I knit. My color choice is "Oil Beetle". It is a greenish-blueish-blackish mix.

For the pattern I turned back to my new favorite sock designer, Anne Hanson. I found her patterns while shopping at Sock Summit last summer. Her stitch patterns are very simple, yet look terribly complex. I adore them.

I've got everything ready to wind the cake and cast on which I will do during the second half of the Cowboys vs. Seahawks football game.

NaBloWhateverOh

2009-10-13T20:21:00.000-07:00

I am thinking about doing this again this year. I am really super busy with the shop, scouts, family, etc. Which means I would have plenty to blog about.

I am not doing a sweater in November. I simply am too worn out by 2 garter stitch baby blankets to even think about a sweater. Actually, that is wrong. I think about a sweater and then I think, "No". I want a small project in November. Do you think 2 pairs of socks would equal 50,000 stitches? This is the number of stitches required to qualify for the challenge.

Size 1 needles mind you. I'll have none of that size 0000 crap.

Now What Have I Been Up To?

2009-09-29T13:43:00.001-07:00

Knitting! Sewing! Mothering! Wife-ing! Scouting! Letterboxing! Not Blogging! Selling!

The beginning of the school year is always so hectic around here. Even though on paper I have more hours to myself, it seems that I spend more time doing for others.

Anyway, the store has had a good start. I am a little discouraged. Last week was the first week without a single sale. Usually I had been getting at least 2 sales a week. I love that my bags are going all over the country and now all over the world. I am getting ready to put out some bags with new fabrics. Remember Uglydolls?

I have three projects to show off to you.

Project, the first is:

Pattern: Shifty Socks by Anne Hanson of Knitspot. I am still in lust with her patterns. They are now all at the top of my Ravelry Queue. The simplicity of the stitches that make such complicated patterns. They knit up like a dream.

Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Lightweight in the Sock Gate colorway. I bought this at Sock Summit. The colors come from the Sock Summit Logo. All I know is that I like them and they are "Denim Friendly" which are my two main requirements.

Needles: Does any one really care about this. I used 2.75mm circulars. I think I used needles a wee bit larger than called for in the pattern.

Impressions: You pretty much know what to expect from Socks That Rock. I got a little better than I was expecting. I like that the stitch pattern does not detract from the coloration or vice versa. Any socks knitted after knitting with Bugga! were going to be a let down (20% cashmmmmere).

Project, the second:

Pattern: Martha Stewart Knitted Neck Scarf

Yarn: RainyDaysWoolyDogs Yuubi (10% Cashmmmmere). Sport weight

Needles: Again, do you really care? Us 5. I used double points even when I made the loop part. That way I did not have to fiddle with stitch holders and double points.

Impressions: For a year or two my mother-in-law kept asking me how to make the edges of garter stitch knitting tidier. I (and others) told her to slip the first stitch. This does not help with garter stitch. Now, from this pattern I know that you should slip the last stitch (with yarn in front) to make a smooth edge. It is too bad that I learned this after my mother-in-law passed away. It would have been fun to share that with her. Now, however, I can use this technique to make...

Project, the third:

This is not yet finished. I have another side of 18 rows of garter stitch to finish. This is a baby gift for my niece who is expecting her first child in January. It is the Moderne Baby Blanket from Mason Dixon Knitting. It is knitting up very quickly. With the tidy edges from the slipping the last stitch technique, picking up stitches to attach a new color is really easy.

I get to make another one right after this for a baby due in November.

I am locked in Garter Stitch Prison. Solitary confinement. Bread and Water.

In Knitting Knews

2009-09-10T13:39:00.000-07:00

I have some knitting content to share with you guys today. Who knew?

The first project is my version of the Clapotis. I call it "I Drove to Texas and All I Got Was the Clap".

Pattern: Clapotis by Kate Gilbert
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM in the colorway P20449 purchased at Weaving Works in Seattle on Mother's Day. I used 6 skeins
Needles: Addi Turbo US size 6 (4.0mm)
Impressions: Six skeins are too much for this pattern. My clap is a little too big. I still like it though. It wraps around me in many directions. I made it to brighten up a dull navy blue winter coat. This was my knitting while we travelled by car to Texas from Washington for our summer vacation. Thanks to the stitch markers it was mindless knitting which helped pass the hours we spent on the highways. Then when we were in the hospital waiting for news about my mother-in-law it was comforting to keep my hands occupied while my heart grieved.

Knitting Project II:

Pattern: Tesserae by Anne Hanson for Knitspot

Yarn: The Sanguine Gryphon Bugga! This yarn is sublime! It is 20% cashmmmmere, merino and nylon. Most cashmere blends are only 10% cashmere. The cashmere gives such a depth of color that the yarn practically glows. The colorway is Katydid. All the Bugga! yarns are named after insects. I bought this at Sock Summit. Fortunately, our booth was close to the S.G. booth. I was able to have my pick of the Bugga! just before the market opened. This is one of seven skeins I purchased.

Needles: Knit Picks Options size 2.25 mm

Impressions: This pattern is amazing as well. It is so simple with blocks of knits and purls in just the right combinations to make it look like a much more complicated pattern. I started this pattern on Friday night and was finished with the first sock on Monday afternoon. I knit on this during my classes and during the Luminary Panel at Sock Summit.

These socks have been in great company.

Big Announcement!

2009-09-08T13:54:00.000-07:00

I don't think I have enough exclamation points to describe how excited I am about my new endeavor!!

I have opened my own shop on Etsy.com. It can be found at Pixlkitten.Etsy.com. I am selling GothSacks and GothTotes on my own now.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Stephanie for helping me to get started. She gave me the initial inspiration last Spring when she asked me to make her a sock project bag. From there, I took off with her Goth influence. Stephanie helped me to sell my bags in her shop for a while. She also was so generous to let me sell my bags in her stall at the Sock Summit. She has been so very kind and forthcoming with her business knowledge. No wonder she is doing so well in her shop. It's all the good karma she brings to the world.

Back to the shop. It is called "Pixlkitten". I specialize in knitting project bags. But not just any old girly knitting bags. These bags feature fabrics with an edge. They have Goth themes, Steam Punk, and some Punk themes. I use images of bondage and skulls with a few hearts and cherries thrown into the mix.

I am working now on getting at least one bag in each of the fabrics I offer displayed in the shop. My future plans are to offer a "Design Your Own bag". You send me 2 fat quarters of fabric and I will make your bag and an accessory bag to match.

I am working on advertising and getting the word out about the shop. Come by and visit. Let me know what you think. Buy a bag! Or two - they're small.

Sock Summit Recap

2009-08-18T16:25:00.000-07:00

So, do you like the new banner? Hisself made it. He's very proud. So am I!

I have been trying to write this blog post for a week now. Yes, it has been a week since we got back. I cannot find a way to do it justice and not bore you all to tears with details. I could break it down day by day or I could break it down by activity. I'm gonna choose activity because my memory is starting to get cloudy.

The market place was not as huge as the International Quilt Show in Houston, but it was pretty big given that the focus was on sock knitting. Of course Blue Moon had a huge booth and so did Carolina Homespun. I searched out indie dyers and respected favorites. I snared 4 or 5 Socks That Rock (2 are rare gems, not available on the website). I am now ashamed to say that I stalked The Sanguine Gryphon booth each morning (it was just down the row from us) for Bugga! yarn which is a 70% merino, 20% cashmmmmere, and 10% nylon. The colors are so saturated from the cashmmmere. The feeling of knitting it is just sumptuous. I found the perfect Knitspot pattern to show off the colors and have already finished one pair of socks. I picked up some other treasured yarns and some fiber and...a spindle!

Stephanie's booth was in a great location. We had a little snag in setting it up, but after a trip to Target, we were back in business. Her self-striping GothSocks are so unique that folks were snapping them up. It did not take long for them to sell out. My GothSacks sold well too. I sold over thirty of the sacks and one of the totes. I have some requests for more sacks. It has inspired me to get my own Etsy shop opened (more on that later).

The classes were pretty good. I took a crocheting socks class that taught me some new skills. I am not sure now that I will ever crochet socks, but I know how. I took a class on making socks for men. The teacher kept us busy knitting gauge swatches while he lectured. His point being that men like firmer sock fabric. Get out your 0's (2mm) needles and use yarns that are solid colors or semi-solids. He says don't do lace for men. Change the yo's to m1 and see what happens. I took a class with Clara Parkes (Knitter's Review). She is brilliant about yarn in a scary scientific sort of way. She has a new book coming out in the fall called The Knitter's Book of Wool. She is also very, very funny with great, subtle humor. The class I had on fixing problems taught me that I can cut my socks and repair serious problems such as holes, or too tight cuffs. I learned to spin on a spindle. I found that a bit frustrating. I actually cried in class. The teacher was getting way ahead of me and I did not understand what to do. She came to me and comforted me and then taught me to spin. I have not picked it up since I got home. Hmmm. I took a class with Lucy Neatby. She admired my knitting and taught me a new toe closure. I took a class with Judy Becker of Judy's Magic Cast On. It is nice to know I have been doing it right. I took a class on podcasting from the creator of Craftlit. Not that I am going to podcast. I just wanted some suggestions for good podcasts. I got a few, but got pissed off that she kept extolling the virtues of iPods and iTunes. I have a Zune and love it very, very much.

The large gatherings were fun too. The opening ceremony with a speech by Stephanie and Tina was hilarious and touching. Barbara Walker got a standing ovation -- as she should. Can you imagine getting a standing ovation from 500 people? -- for your knitting? Wow! I did not attend the Sock Hop as I had planned. I was bushed and just wanted to veg in the hotel room that night. I attended the World Record Attempt of most knitters knitting at one time in one place. The previous record was set in June in Australia of 256 knitters. We had about 950. We had to say we were sorry to the other knitters for stealing their thunder. On Sunday I attended the luminary panel event. That was interesting and funny. I think a debate between the old school knitters and the new innovators would have been more interesting. It was held on Elizabeth Zimmerman's birthday and Meg Swanson (her daughter) was there. Meg was very funny. I would love to take a class from her.

The hotel was older, but renovated (sort of). It was packed with knitters in a way they did not expect. It was cool to see knitting celebrities in the lobby or ride in the elevator with them. The convention center was enormous. I liked that I had a student tag as well as a vendor tag. I could go almost anywhere. Portland was great. The weather was perfect. We found some great restaurants.

Sorry this is so wordy. I have pictures, but this post is long enough. Pictures don't really do it justice. They are on my Flickr site, so just click the link on the side bar. You might have to scroll down a few pages. All the yarn I bought at sock summit is there.

All in all it was a great event. I am ready to go to the next one. Rumor has it that it will not be next year and it will not be in Portland. They have already reserved a site.

GothTotes

2009-08-04T13:39:00.000-07:00

Hi! I wanted to take some time to tell you about GothTotes. They are the new bags I have been making for my new business.

GothTotes feature fabric by Michael Miller. The fabric line is called "Knitmare on Elmstreet". This fabric line came out a couple of years ago. I love the character of the images on the cloth. They truly epitomize knitting knightmares. They also seem to fit into a "mopey goth" sort of lifestyle. However, this fabric is discontinued and rare. I have bought as much as I can and will continue to make items from my stash as long as I can.

GothTotes are big on structure and function. I worked hard to make the design very sturdy. This bag can hold pounds and pounds of books, yarn, groceries, whatever. I quilted the exterior fabric for structure. The quilting also supplies some padding protection if you want to slip your laptop inside. The quilting is done by me on my sewing machine.

The third area where GothTotes excel is the handles. The handles are about 32 inches long (33 before attaching). They are not just fabric. I have sewn nylon webbing inside the handles for strength. I have quilted the fabric to the webbing for comfort and security. The handles are quadruple stitched to the body of the bag.

GothTotes come in three colorways: Pink, Green or Teal images on a chocolate brown background. I plan to sell more of these in my shop on Etsy. The shop is not yet ready for business, but check this site frequently for updates.

Thank you for looking. Thank you for your interest. Let me know if you would like to learn more about my bags. Please leave a comment or email me directly (pixlkittenATgmailDOTcom). I will discuss custom orders.

Sock Summit T-3 Days

2009-08-03T20:33:00.000-07:00

Manicure?...check
Pedicure?...check
Haircut?...check
Cough(hair color?)cough...check
Homework completed?...check
Supplies packed?...all but the spinning. I'll buy a class pack at the Summit
Suitcase packed?...I'm embarrassed to say "check"
GothSacks and GothTotes packed?...check
Knitting?...check
Snacks?...tomorrow

Sock Summit Prelude

2009-07-30T06:27:00.000-07:00

Last week I spent more than 60 hours in my sewing room making GothSacks and GothTotes to sell to the masses at Sock Summit. Sock Summit 2009 is in Portland, Oregon from August 6 through August 9. They are expecting thousands of sock knitters from all over the world to be there. If you are a knitter and have not been residing under a rock you probably already know all about this event.

I am attending with my friend, Stephanie. She has rented a booth and will be selling her most delicious yarns. She will also be selling my 'Sacks and 'Totes. I will be attending classes and filling my brain with all kinds of sock knitting tips and tricks. I even plan to take a class on spindle spinning. I was not able to register for any of the big popular classes, as they were already filled when I registered. Bummer. However, I got some interesting other classes and I am eager to attend.

I will be taking classes on crocheting socks, making socks for men, choosing the right yarns for socks, fixing problems, learning new cast-ons, using a sock-toe chimney (whatever that is) and podcasting. I already know about podcasting as I listen to podcasts while I am sewing. I am pretty new to this so I want to learn about some more good podcasts.

Let me know if you are coming to Sock Summit too. I would love to meet you all. If you have purchased a GothSack in the past, Thank You Again. If you would like to purchase a GothSack, please stop by booth 922. Say "Hi" to Stephanie, and buy a 'Sack while they last. I've got some great new fabrics and some great rare and discontinued fabrics.

Catching Up

2009-07-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

I never intended to let the blog go unsupervised for this long! I've had a busy, busy time of it. Let me tell you about it.

School let out for the summer on June 19th. My mother and her friend flew up from Dallas for the weekend.

Our summer vacation started on June 21st. Spartacus and I drove with my mother and her friend to Dallas to spend some time with family. It took us 3.5 days of driving. It was a blast! We spent a week in Dallas and then Hisself flew into town. We drove with him down to Houston to stay at his sister's house. We stayed a couple of days before a family emergency called us all back to Dallas for the rest of the vacation. We had planned to visit San Marcos, New Braunfels, and Austin.

The family emergency was the sudden illness and passing of Hisself's mother. We spent the rest of the vacation taking care of business, celebrating her life and loving each other.

We started our drive home on July 14th. We went through the northern portions of Yellowstone National Park. That is such a cool place. We plan to go back there to see the whole thing. We made it home by Friday the 17th.

Last Monday I started a week-long project of sewing GothSacks and the new GothTotes for Sock Summit. I sewed for over 60 hours and got 50 Sacks and 9 Totes fabricated. Stephanie will be selling them in her booth at Sock Summit. Come by booth 922 and check us out.

This week we are working on surviving the heat wave, attending Cub Scout Day Camp, and doing homework for Sock Summit.

See? I told you I was busy busy!

Just a Quickie

2009-06-19T20:30:00.000-07:00

I just finished a project I started yesterday. This is when knitting is not serious. This is when the yarn is not sumptuous. This is when the pattern is so well written you can turn off your brain and just follow the instructions. This is the knitting I need when the going gets tough. The going is a bit tough right now (but in a fun way, nothing serious just harried). Perhaps that is why it only took me one day to make....

Maddox.

Pattern by Rebecca Danger from DangerCraft.

Yarn: Lang Cora.

Needles: Addi Turbo size 8, completed the whole project on 2 circulars

Modifications: I think I made the legs wrong. My guy's legs are shorter than the other Maddox's I've seen. My god he is fat. He is easy to throw as my seven year old can attest.

GothSacks

2009-06-09T11:10:00.000-07:00

I have some more GothSacks going on sale tomorrow at Stephanie's store.

She is having a shop update starting at 10 am pacific time on Wednesday, June 10th.

I have seven bags for sale. All are unique creations made by my own needle-pricked hands.

They will easily hold your latest sock in progress or any other small knitting project.

They feature an interior pocket in which to slide your circular needles and a "leash" to tie to your scissors (or Chibi).

The handles are large enough to slip over your wrist while you knit.

They will be the talk of your knitting group.

Well....Drats

2009-06-01T18:47:00.000-07:00

So camp is over now. I finally have time to blog. But now the computer that holds my photos is not working. Drats.

I finished a pair of socks. A good pattern called "Slant" by Hunter Hammerson. It works beautifully with wildly colored sock yarn. I'd show a picture, but well....

I finished a small shawl called Springtime Bandit by Kate Gagnon. I made it from Rainy Days and Wooly Dogs worsted weight hand-dyed yarn in a red wine color. It is just gorgeous. I need to block it, but I am waiting until after I meet with Ms. Rainy Days. I want to show her the shawl, but I cannot show it to her if I am at a coffee shop and the shawl is pinned to my dining room floor.

It has been at least a week since I have made any GothSacks. I was ahead of my goal. I think that I will spend some time tomorrow sewing up a couple of bags. They will go on sale on the 10th of June if you are interested. I will have plenty of skull bags for all you goth-knitters out there.

My next knitting projects will be the Kristi socks from Cookie A's new book. They are the socks on the cover. I am making them for my sister-in-law, Kristi. I am also planning on making Clapotis. This will be my knitting while on vacation. I will be spending plenty of time in the car and the simple pattern will be perfect for long hours of open road.

Silence is Not Golden

2009-05-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry that things have been stagnated here lately. I am in deep...um...stagnate....um.... Yeah. Life has gotten a bit disorganized since I started sewing GothSacks for Stephanie's shop. It has taken a few weeks to get into it, but I think I have things fairly under control now. Just in time for...

The BIGGEST Cub Scout event of the year. The annual over night camp out is next Saturday. It is hard enough to plan a camp out for one family. Now I have to help plan one for 50 families. We do have plenty of others who are helping too. It is just hard to lead people into an experience I have never done before. I have camped before. I have not cub scout camped before.

I just keep telling myself "It is less than 24 hours. You can do almost anything for less than 24 hours."

I will blog next week with pictures. Promise. No...really! I promise. I finished a pair of socks and started on a shawlette. Both are beautiful, but meant for colder weather than we have right now.

Have a great holiday weekend (if you are in the states).

Gah! Too Much Information

2009-05-06T12:16:00.000-07:00

I've been a busy little crafter here at Chez Pixlkitten. I've hardly had a chance to stop for photos. However, stop I did. And now I can share. In no particular order:

Captain Underpants II

This little guy is for Spartacus' other BFF, C-man. They have been best friends since kindergarten (which is FOREVER when you are 7 year old). Actually, we were in parent-baby classes together when Spartacus was 5 weeks old. (That is FOREVER when you are a mom.) The pattern is from Shelly Hattan of Civil Bitch and is made with Peaches and Creme cotton and Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece (doubled). It is knit on size 2 (3.0mm) needles. I would recommend going up to a size 3 instead for bigness. This C.U. is hard and firm (which if you're a guy, is a good thing to be), but small (which is not so good). Too Much Information.

Motivated Duckies

I started these in response to the Shur'tugal and Amaterasu socks. Both of those patterns were detailed and I had to pay close attention to the pattern. This pattern, by Samantha Hayes, is written for sport weight yarn. I used Chewy Spaghetti Spaghetoni in the Motivated colorway. The yarn is lovely and sproingy. The pattern is easy to learn and fun to execute. These went quickly and restored my love of sock knitting.

Non-Knitted Produce Placemats:

These are some quilted placemats I made from some fabric I re0discovered hiding in my stash. I had been planning to make a quilt with these fat quarters, but never found the right pattern. In December I read how Allison on The Blue Blog made placemats (scroll down to December 27th) for her mother for Christmas. I wanted to make some too. These were so much fun and I used her same directions. I measured out a placemat I liked, made a template from freezer paper and divided it into sections. I then cut the sections from the 6 fabrics and sewed them together with no two fabrics on the same mat. I used the 6 other fabrics for backing and polyester fleece for batting because I did not want wrinkles (that cotton fleece would give).

They are bright and cheery and I make Hisself use the one that is mostly green peas because he hates green peas and because I am evil like that. Oops, too much information.

Francis:

This is the pattern that made me buy all of Rebecca Danger's patterns. I love this little monster. Alas, she will not be staying with me for long. She will go to C-man's little brother. Because I know I cannot give a gift to C-man without also giving one to E-man. I can; However, make another one. She is knit from Cascade 220 in an orange heather colorway on size 4 needles. She likes to show off her body,

but she keeps in shape with lots of stretching.

Again, too much information.

Boring Title Such As: 5 Project Update

2009-04-27T13:56:00.000-07:00

I have 2 finished pairs of socks and 2 still in progress. The sweater is hibernating. Don't ask.

First is the No-Purl Monkey Socks

This is adapted by Crafty Pancakes from the Cookie A. pattern on Knitty. Basically, you knit all the purl stitches. The knitting goes quickly, is very fun and easy to memorize.

Yarn: Gothsocks by Rainy Days and Wooly Dogs in the Little Mermaid colorway. I have posted before about how much I like this yarn. The yardage is very generous. I still had tons left over even after knitting for my wide feet.

Mods: none that I can remember. I might have gone up a needle size. I might have done an extra repeat in the leg.

Next: Shur'tugal Socks

Pattern by Alice Yu. These were knit for the Q2 Socks That Rock Knitalong. You could pick either this pattern or the Mad Color Weave pattern. I have already done the Mad Color Weave.

Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Lightweight in the In The Navy colorway. I wanted to do a different colorway, but someone had already claimed it. I do like them in the blue. They could be manly socks if any of my men had feet this size.

Modifications: None. These do take a while to knit because of all the twisted and crossed stitches. I love the fabric that is formed by the stitch pattern.

In Progress: the Ron Weasleys continue to be toted about in my purse and knit during Tae Kwon Do. I have finished one sock and finished the gusset on the second. They will probably be done before the end of the month.

Amaterasu Socks: I lack about one more pattern repeat before I start decreasing for the toe on the first sock. These are going so slowly. I am starting to dread doing the second sock. Because of this, I will probably not do the Sock Knitter's Anonymous Knitalong for next month. I am going to stick to projects that I want to knit.

I have a few toys in mind. I also have this new obsession with box bags.

I'm Better Now

2009-04-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

While getting ready to do this great, happy blog post about feeling better and having gotten out my knitting malaise the gods laughed.

I was sitting in the living room (it gets the best light) taking tons of pictures of my finished socks. I contorted my body and feet into amazing positions to get just the best pictures of my socks. I had 2 more pictures to take--- when the camera battery died. So I must wait 2 more hours while the battery is charging to upload the pictures and share them with you.

However, I can still tell you about being happy in my knitting again. My marriage and my job -- (which is being a wife and mother) are not in jeopardy. Hisself was quite concerned after reading the last post. He came home from work, kissed me, and asked if we needed to talk. No. I was just using that as an example to make my point. MY MARRIAGE IS JUST FINE.

Anyway, I am better now. Finished socks will be shared soon.

A Pattern Repeat

2009-04-13T14:17:00.000-07:00

Interestingly, I have lost some knitting mojo. I would rather do anything than knit. I did not knit a single stitch over the weekend. I thought about it a couple of times. But I did not knit. I missed knitting but not in an "old friend" kind of way. I missed knitting in a "been there, done that" kind of way.

Why?

I have a habit of dropping things that are not going well. Or not going the way I expect them to. I used to quilt a lot. Daily. I have TONS of unfinished quilts. ALL of them either do not look the way I wanted them to, or don't have the right measurements, or have something wrong with them that I do not want (or maybe know how) to fix. But, you cannot unknit a quilt. So I have bits and pieces of quilts in boxes in storage.

I do the same thing with knitting too. You guys have probably seen it here. When the Diamonds for Hisself vest was not working, I wanted to quit it. There have been other times, but that is the one I remember the most vividly. I persevered through and finished the vest. It turned out quite well.

Perhaps this time of wanting to run away from problems is part of my process. A part of who I am/what I do. "It's how I roll". Lots of people do this. I am not unique in this practice.

Really, they are just socks and a sweater. I could rip out all the stitches and it would not really matter. It is just knitting. I could move on to the next project. I could knit the next thing in my queue. I could decide not to knit for a while. I have other hobbies. I haven't done any needlepoint or cross stitch in more than five years. (Maybe I was making mistakes in those projects?)

Or I could move through this need to escape. I could delve into the knitting. I could figure out why I made the mistakes. I could correct them and even make the knitting better. When I do this I usually come to the end of the project feeling like a Knitting Goddess. It is a grand feeling and I feel proud of myself when I finish a project that has been difficult.

Why do people quit hobbies? Some say because it wasn't fun anymore. Why wasn't it fun? If you delved deeper into the hobby would you find what was going wrong? Could you fix it? Would you enjoy the hobby more?

Why do people quit jobs? Because they are no longer enjoyable? What is making the job no longer enjoyable? What would happen if you delve deeper into your job? Would you find the part that wasn't right? Could you fix it? Could you make it even better? Could you come out feeling like a god/goddess in your work?

Why do people quit their marriages? Because they no longer are in love? What is making the relationship no longer worth the effort? What would happen if you delve deeper into your marriage? Would you find the part that wasn't right? Could you fix it? Could you make it even better? Could you come out feeling loved?

When is it really time to move on? When is it time to dig deeper?

It is just a knitting project.

Or is it?

Pride Goeth Before a Frog

2009-04-10T14:09:00.000-07:00

And I thought I was just so smart. I even called myself a "Knitting Goddess" a couple of times. I praised my mad knittin' skillz over and over again. Post after post I told tales of my knitting prowess. I yakked on and on about how I had so many projects going, but that I was making progress. Always knitting, never stopping.

And then along came the pattern for this stupid sock. No, actually, not the pattern -- my interpretation of the pattern.

We all know how to read knitting charts right? You start at the bottom right (for a right side row). If you are knitting in the round, you always start at the right side no matter what row you are on. If you are knitting flat you read the first row from the right and then the second row from the left. Its sort of standard, right?

Don't assume. Don't ever assume. You know how to spell assume? Yeah, make an ass out of you and me.

Last night I was looking at the pattern for the project. I was getting near the end of the leg and wanted to review how the heel was to be done. Then I started looking at the charts a little closer. I had been doing knit #, decrease, increase for the whole length of the leg. But after looking at the chart I thought I was doing it wrong. On the chart it looked like increase, decrease knit #.

I had done the whole leg wrong. The whole leg that was knit on 2mm/O needles. Hours and hours of knitting. Wrong. I could not even substitute them for the right sock (which is a mirror image).

Now I already knew these charts were a little tricky because she starts with row 1 at the top. No biggie. Start from top-right instead of bottom right. Fortunately, she also has the stitch pattern written out-- very thorough.

Nevertheless, I knew I was doing it wrong and dutifully started ripping out all the stitches. Then I stopped. With half of the leg now back wrapped around the skein of yarn, I stopped and looked at the pattern again.

In the written instructions she had Knit #, decrease, increase for the length of the leg. That's where I got the directions for the sock I was knitting! I was right!

I was Screwed!

Half the leg was gone! GAH! I immediately tried to slip the needles back into the stitches. Alas, with all the decreasing and increasing, some stitches had dropped. It was all just a mess. I ripped it back to the ribbing and I am starting over...

...with the same stitch pattern that I had been doing all along. The chart was right. The chart was right when you read it starting from the top left instead of the bottom right. The reader was wrong.

Doof.

One Step Out of the Doo-Doo

2009-04-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

I have some progress to report on my current knitting binge o'projects. I have been wondering how to best describe my current knitting process. It is not serial monogamy of projects because I have several going at once. Yet it is not a case of never-ending projects, because I will finish all of these before I start any more. I think that "Project Binge" might be the best way to describe how I do what I do.

It's a new diagnosis. It needs a name.

Anyway. Project 1 the Ron Weasley socks. I have about an inch more done on the leg of the second sock. I was doing more chatting than knitting while Spartacus was a Tae Kwon Do.

Project 2 the Twisted sweater has had no progress in a week. I have had my focus on the socks and since the KAL for this sweater is less structured, I do not feel a need to rush.

Project 3 the No-Purl Monkey socks are finished!

I thought I had a picture of my finished pair. Next time.

Pattern: No Purl Monkey Socks by Cookie A and adapted by Crafty Pancakes.

Yarn: Gothsocks yarn by Rainy Days and Wooly Dogs in the Little Mermaid colorway. I had a ton of yarn left over. I probably could have made these knee highs. I am still loving this yarn. It shows the stitch definition well and remains soft and lovely at the same time. I have not yet worn them, but they have washed and blocked perfectly.

Needles: Knitpicks circulars in size 2.

Modifications: none. Monkeys without the purls knit up even faster than regular Monkeys. I love this pattern. I like how it makes the stripes undulate over the fabric of the sock.

Project 4 is Shur'tugal socks. I have been concentrating on these since I finished the Monkey socks. The twisted stitches slow me down, but now that I am on the foot of the sock, I should be able to go faster.

Project 5 is my Amaterasu socks (ravelry link). I have been working on these before bedtime this week. I have completed 5 of the 6 pattern repeats for the leg. I think I may do another repeat and make the leg a little longer. My history with this yarn tells me that I will have plenty left over to play around with.

So that's the progress on my project purge.

I am already thinking about my next binge.

It might include cashmere and monsters.

So I've Gotten Myself Into Deep Knitting Doo-doo

2009-04-03T09:54:00.000-07:00

I might as well give up the idea that I am a monogamous knitter. I'm just not. And it's getting worse. Case in point was the Slacker Sock Challenge.

My current episode started merely 2 weeks ago. I now have no less than 5 knitting projects going right now. All are seriously going. All have had some progress made this week. All have my interest. All are going well as far as I can tell. Three are Knit-a-longs. One is on the go knitting and one is because I succumbed to The Call of the Skein.

So here they are in no particular order...

Ron Weasley Socks. Cast on February 24th. These are my on the go project that I keep in my purse. I love the Opal Harry Potter yarns. I have already knit the Hedwig colorway. It became socks for Hisself. These are for me when they are finished. They are actually going pretty fast for an on the go project. I think it is because the yarn is so nice. I have one skein left from this series. Spartacus has asked for some Harry Potter socks. His will be next when these are finished.

Twisted Sweater cast on March 24th. This is from the book More Big Girl Knits. It is a knit a long from the Ravelry Group of the same name. The yarn is Elsebeth Lavold Classic AL that I bought on closeout from WEBS. (Love WEBS closeouts.) This is the second sweater in my knit 4 sweaters in one year challenge. I started on one sleeve to use as a gauge swatch. It seems to be working so far. I am nearly finished with the increases and should be starting the cap shaping soon. The yarn is really very soft and the pattern seems well written. I am using my new Signature needles that Hisself gave me for Christmas. I am glad to have them for all the twisted stitches.

These are No Purl Goth Monkey Socks cast on also on March 24th. This is the project started because the yarn was calling to me. The yarn is called Gothsocks in the Little Mermaid colorway. This yarn is from my friend, Stephanie's, Etsy store. Her Gothsocks yarn is very popular. You have to get it on the day that she lists it in the store, or it won't be there. She is attracting a huge following because she takes care to make sure her stripes do not pool or flash. She also uses an amazing base yarn. It initially looked weak and potentially pilling, but it is so very strong and soft and just lovely. I was fortunate to get this skein as a gift. No one has made Cookie A's Monkey pattern with this yarn yet so I thought I would be the first. This will be my second pair of Monkey socks. They are going fast and will probably be the first project I finish.

These are my Shur'tugal Socks cast on April 1st. They are for the Q2 Socks That Rawk! Knit a long. You could knit either Mad Color Weave (which I have already finished) or Shur'tugal. These are knit in Socks That Rock Lightweight in the In The Navy colorway. The pattern is addictive, but between the Twisted sweater and the Monkey socks I am out of row counters which I use to keep track of where I am in the pattern. So progress on these will be slowed until I can finish the Monkeys.

Finally, I started the Amaterasu Socks on April 1st as well. These are for the Sock Knitters Anonymous April Challenge. The challenge was to knit a sock that was "under appreciated". That means you had to choose a pattern from Ravelry that had no more than 15 projects and that was published prior to February 2009. I am the third person to knit this pattern. I had originally planned to knit it with Sanguine Gryphon Eidos sock yarn, but it was a little too bulky for the pattern. I am using a finer yarn that Hisself bought me in Munich a couple of years ago.

That's it for my current projects. All are being knit from yarn found in my stash. I am working hard this year to decrease my stash by at least one bin. That will make it 4 bins instead of 5. Eventually, I would like to be down to 3 bins. 1 for sock yarn, 1 for other weights, and 1 for yarn leftovers.

A knitter can dream, can't she?

Ba-Da-Boom Bombshell

2009-03-27T13:56:00.000-07:00

My Bombshell sweater is finished! Actually, it has been finished for over a week now, but Cub Scout duties have kept me away from the blog. Anyway, here she is in all her glory...

Name: Bombshell by Stefanie Japel from the book Big Girl Knits.

Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash in Denim

Needles: Addi Turbo US 8/5.0 mm

Modifications: My gauge was way off on my swatch. But knowing that I knit looser on my project than I do on my swatch, I went ahead and started anyway. I ended up with a yoke that fit very well and was able to knit a size smaller sweater than I usually wear. The benefits of knitting top-down.... The ribbing which comes just under my bust was originally designed to fall at the waist. Since I do not have a waist, making this into an empire style fit my proportions better. I knit the bottom portion almost 4 times as long as is called for in the pattern.

I'd like to say that I was just such a clever knitter that I planned all these modifications. I did not. Everything just seemed to fall into place.

It is definitely a spring sweater. I can't see wearing a long wool sweater in the summer months even if it had short sleeves. If I knit this again, I would choose a different fiber.

It was quick to knit. All the stockinette stitches made it easy to watch t.v. and knit at the same time.

This is the first of four sweaters I promised myself I would knit in 2009. I have already started on the second, but we'll leave that for another post.

De-fusing the Bombshell

2009-03-16T15:22:00.000-07:00

I have finished the knitting of and the weaving in of the ends on the Bombshell sweater. It has soaked and is now blocking in my dining room. It is pretty rainy around here so the sweater may not be dry for a couple of days. Perhaps by then the sun will be out and I can get some lovely pictures of it.

Meanwhile, I am back to my Mad Color Weave socks.

Chesty McBigBoobs

2009-03-13T11:22:00.000-07:00

I am getting tired of knitting this darn sweater. I love how the top part fits. It makes me look like Chesty McBigBoobs. However, after the ribbing (which fits just below my chesticles), the rest is just stockinette until the end. The sweater is supposed to end at the high hip just about where my pants waistband starts. Unfortunately, I am apple shaped and have this tummy bulge. I have no waist. A sweater that ends at my high hip will emphasize my big tummy. So I must end this sweater after my tummy. Which means I must knit and knit until I reach my low-hip.

I did not figure this out until after I had knit it to the end, tried it on, hated it, and ripped it all back to the ribbing.

The thing is, I want to love this sweater. I want to look like a million chesty bucks in it. But I don't know how to end it.

Perhaps if my boobs look big enough it will not matter where the sweater ends?

Dropping a Bombshell

2009-03-11T13:57:00.000-07:00

Here is the progress on my first sweater for 2009:

It is the Bombshell Sweater by Stefanie Japel from the book Big Girl Knits. I am knitting it in Cascade 220 Superwash. I know. A short sleeved sweater in wool? Maybe not so smart. But the yarn is just so versatile and lovely and always behaves for me.

For instance, I did not get gauge when I swatched for this sweater. I started it anyway knowing that my gauge swatches are always tighter than I really knit. I have perfect gauge on the sweater. It fits beautifully.

This is my first top-down sweater. It is convenient to be able to try it on for fit while I knit it, but it is a pain in the backside to have to put all the stitches on some waste yarn, try the thing on, and then have to put it back on the needles.

This sweater is knitting up so quickly! I started it on March 1st and I am nearly done already! Usually sweaters take me a month to complete. I should have this one done in two weeks.

Just goes to show what a time-suck knitting long sleeves is.

Vacation Knitting

2009-03-03T10:50:00.000-08:00

While we were back aboard the Mothership last month, I was able to get a fair bit of knitting accomplished. I finished one pair of socks and got a good start on another pair.

Pattern: Treillage by Anita Peluso

Yarn: Neighborhood Fiber Company Studio Sock in the kalorama circle colorway

Modifications: I went up a needle size to accommodate my wide ankles.

Impressions: These socks involve a ton of purling. If you hate to purl, you might be able to knit them inside out. The pattern was easy, and I was able to have it memorized by the second sock. It takes me a long time to memorize patterns. I always think, "why waste the brain power when I have the directions written out for me?"

The socks seem a bit loose, but tight enough to wear comfortably. I attribute this to holding the yarn with less tension. It is so sproingy that I did not want to stretch out the yarn and destroy the sproingy-ness. Neverthelesss, I had tons of yarn left over.

These are Mad Color Weave Socks by Tina Lorin. They are knit in STR-L in the Covelite colorway. I saw these done with this yarn on Ravelry and had to have a pair. I love the plum and brown together. They will make great trouser socks. I am working on the foot of the first sock. In the pattern she explains how to do cables without a cable needle. It is so nice to learn that skill while I am making a beautiful sock.

I did finish my Sock Slacker Challenge and February is for Finishing Goal! I finished the cross-hatch lace socks first thing Saturday morning. I will take pictures as soon as the weather and the light improves.

February Nearly Finished

2009-02-26T13:18:00.000-08:00

Progress continues on the sock slacker challenge. I finished the sock-blank socks yesterday.

Please, for all that is holy, remind me to avoid this yarn in the future. I succumbed because, well, I am a sheep. I follow the flock. I am highly influenced by trends and novelties. Plus, I was on vacation when I bought it and my usual restraint (HA!) was weakened. I find it to be not-soft, not fun to knit, not straight, not good.

I even threw away the leftover yarn. I never throw away leftover yarn.

The Deets:

Pattern: 2X2 ribbed socks by Charlene Schurch from her book Sensational Knitted Socks

Yarn: Flat Feet by Conjoined Creations

Started in August and finished in February. This was my project-on-the-go for several months. It is done. I have not yet washed or blocked or worn them. I plan to .....

someday.

The final slacker sock:

is no more. I frogged the Honeybee socks. The yarn and the pattern did not match. The texture of the Claudia's Hand Paints was not sufficient to show off the stitch pattern of the honeybees. I was always trying to convince myself that it was working. However, the fact that I could ignore them for months on end meant that it really was not a project that was meant to be.

I do feel an obligation to complete something out of the bilge from the frog pond. I have resurrected the yarn and created something I think is just beautiful....

These are the crosshatch lace pattern socks also by Charlene Schurch. They've been in my queue for almost a year. I love the combination of the lace and the yarn. Technically, they are not an unfinished project from the slacker challenge or from February is for Finishing. I just feel the obligation to complete them during the month of February in the spirit of the Honeybees.

Please don't bother challenging my logic. I gave up years ago and I am a much happier knitter. I have 2 days to complete 2/3 rds of a lace sock.

I don't have time to be logical.

Heckle and Jeckle

2009-02-24T07:40:00.000-08:00

Did you hear about the guy who was attacked by crows?

Evidently he had run over one of the flock with his car. Then the rest of the flock swarmed him and attacked him.

It was a case of quid....pro....crow.

Back to the Mothership

2009-02-16T06:19:00.000-08:00

The Pixlkitten clan is not here. We have gone to the homeland to celebrate Valentines, warmer weather and birthdays (mine, Chef's, and Pixlsib's).

Before leaving, I still had 2 pairs of socks to complete. I lack only 3 inches of ribbing on the leg of one (toe-up) sock. I frogged the other sock. The other sock was the one that had been waiting since June to be finished. It just was not looking/feeling right to me. It is now being worked up into a new pattern with which I am much happier.

While on the airplane, Hisself managed to rescue my knitting from a near-disaster. My seat-mate managed to catch my yarn on his foot while making his way to the lavatory. He got nearly the whole length of the plane (unspooling my yarn from the skein - not the project) before Hisself managed to tackle him and untangle him from my treasured Neighborhood Fiber Company Sock Yarn. The seat-mate, being a Gentleman Texan, apologized profusely and did not rest until he had confirmed the the yarn, and the knitting were once again safe in my hands.

His mama raised him right.

Entwined in Entrelac

2009-02-05T13:03:00.000-08:00

Again!

This month the Sockdown Challenge included knitting entrelac socks. After reviewing dozens of projects on Ravelry, I found some folks who had used Noro Kureyon Sock to complete the Annetrelac socks (Ravelry link) from the Holiday 2007 issue of Interweave Knits (why bother with any other printed knitting magazine?) I loved the way the long color floats matched with the circumference of the entrelac rounds.

Also, I own a skein of Noro with no idea how to best use it.

Bingo!

I took the advice of my friend from The Knit Nurse Chronicles. I washed the skein before I even knit one stitch. The washing did improve the texture and made it more pliable. It still is stiffer than most yarn I use, but it is not as bad as it was before washing. First, I wound the skein on my PVC niddy noddy. Then I tied it in about 10 places (to keep it from getting tangled). I soaked the yarn in cool water and wool wash for 45 minutes. Then I wrapped the yarn in a towel and squished out the water. The yarn took about 24 hours to dry before I could wind it into a ball.

I cast on during the Super Bowl Pre-game Show (which is actually longer than the Super Bowl). Here is my progress as of Monday :

Now I am 3 rounds into the second sock. The foot is knit in stockinette so it goes very fast.

Enchanting Entrelac, Yes?

Hisself is a Lucky Man

2009-02-03T12:31:00.000-08:00

Well, at least his feet are lucky. They've got 2 new pairs of socks. Last week I finished two pairs of socks for Hisself.

The first pair are my Spinning Owl socks.

Pattern: Spinning Owl Socks (Ravelry link) by Julia Guttzeit

Yarn: Zwerger Garn Opal Harry Potter in the Hedwig colorway. I chose this yarn because Hedwig is an owl and the socks are titled Spinning Owl socks. I think I read that the designer chose the title because she was knitting with a Opal Rainforest in a color called Owl.

Modifications: I cast on 70 stitches for added girth since they were for a man. I ribbed for only one inch. I rarely rib for more than one inch.

Impressions: I love the way the pattern makes the yarn look more heather-y. The purl stitch after every 4 knit stitches kept my interest and the pattern works as you move from needle 2 back to needle 1. Originally, these were for me, but I had enough yarn to make them big enough to fit Hisself. It was Christmas, it was snowy outside, Hisself wanted wool socks and I was feeling generous.

The second pair are Hisself Thuja Socks:

Pattern: Thuja Socks by Bobby Ziegler from Knitty, Winter 2005

Yarn: Cascade 220 Wool in the aptly named 9408 colorway. Loopy Ewe calls it Cordovan. Anyway, it was leftover from my Bountiful Bohus sweater. I used a tiny bit more than one skein.

Modifications: I went down a needle size for a tighter sock. Hisself likes tight socks. (Keep your comments to yourself.) I decreased for the toe until I had 20 stitches rather than just 16.

Impressions: Hisself says these rival his Husbeast socks for comfort and good looks. Since these do not have a cable (and Husbeast socks do) they are faster to knit. He will probably be getting more of these.

Like I said, Hisself is a lucky man.

These 2 pairs represent pair 3 and 4 of the 6 pairs of socks I had going at the same time. I have 2 pairs to go. I have a tradition I call "February is for Finishing" during which I work to finish all unfinished projects. I am breaking tradition this year for a bit while I work on my February Sockdown socks for the Sock Knitters Anonymous Group on Ravelry. When these are finished, I plan to go back to the final 2 pairs and knock them out as well.

Here at Chez Pixlkitten we don't cotton to loose ends.

Well, at least not year-old loose ends.

Sock Slacker Update

2009-01-28T14:08:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month, talked about how shocked I was to realize I had 6 unfinished pairs of socks. I thought I would take a look at the progress I have made to get back to my sock-monogamous self.

1. The January Sock Down socks are complete. They are the Pearls socks I have written about before.

2. The pair I started that were to be a replacement when my first January sock down socks were not working out are half way done. I have finished one of the socks and am half way down the leg of the second sock. These are knitted in worsted weight. I will probably finish this pair before Saturday.

3. The pair I started for my Christmas vacation knitting project are complete. They are Vorticle by Phoenix Bess. The yarn is Blue Moon Socks that Rock Mediumweight in the Bella Coola color way. I knit both socks with the left leaning pattern only. I liked how the pattern reacted with the yarn accenting the spiraling colors of blue and green.

4. The pair I started when I was working on my Hemlock Ring Blanket are nearly finished as well. I am half way down the foot heading toward the toes. These are knit in finer yarn so they will take a little longer to complete. I still love the pattern and the yarn.

5. The pair knit from the sock blank have been relegated to my bedside knitting. I work on a couple of rows at a time when I am getting ready to fall asleep. I still don't enjoy the yarn. It is just a sock to get through. These are knit toe up and I have finished the heel on the second sock. Ho hum.

6. The sixth and oldest project continues to sit and wait. It may have to wait even longer as I am starting to prepare for the February Sock Down challenge.

The February Sock Down challenge that I am planning is to knit an entrelac sock. You guys know how much I enjoy entrelac. I am planning to use my Noro Kureyon Sock yarn that I bought last Spring. I have heard that it is evil to knit because it is so rough. Today I soaked it in some wool-wash to bloom and soften it. It is drying now and I will wind it when it is dry. I hope this solves the problem. I've heard that the Annetrelac pattern is very fun to knit.

Babies and Ducks and Baby Ducks

2009-01-26T13:14:00.000-08:00

Work continues on the Ducks family stockings. Ducks's stocking has its ends woven in and is awaiting soaking and blocking. Mama dusks' stocking is knitted to the toe, then must have its ends woven, etc.

These stockings are going so very fast. The project has kept my interest because it keeps changing every 15 or so rows.

I have a non-knitting project I just started. I am turning Spartacus' baby clothes into a quilt. I saved only the outfits that were significant to Hisself and I. I am now cutting up the outfits (which does feel a little weird...and final) and sewing them into blocks. Because most of the fabrics are knit, I have to back each square with interfacing. All....81.... squares. This takes extra time, but sure makes it easy to sew and press the knit fabric. Nevertheless, the cloth is so soft and so cute that I am thoroughly enjoying making it.

I should have pictures soon.

Kissing Cousins

2009-01-21T12:52:00.000-08:00

Spartacus and I have a little friend, we'll call her "Ducks". We met her in preschool. Spartacus took a shine to her right away and she liked him too. They soon made plans to be married (although they said they knew they needed to wait until they were grown up). Ducks is very special around here.

I really enjoy spending time with "Mama Ducks" too. We have been friends since our kids were in preschool together. Although we have not talked often, she reads the blog and we see each other occasionally for Bunko or for coffee. Mama Ducks has been through a lot in the past couple of years. I won't go into detail, but suffice it to say that her life has changed over and over again.

Mama Ducks contacted me recently to help her with a knitting project. She has a Christmas stocking that her aunt knit for her back in the 70's (?). Ducks has a stocking that was made for her as well. However, Ducks' stocking was quilted by her paternal grandmother. They both have stockings, but the stockings do not match in size or material. Mama Ducks wants me to knit a stocking for Ducks to match her stocking.

Here is Mama Ducks' Stocking:

Yeah.

I don't even think they make those colors anymore. The top motif is a Christmas tree and the other is a Santa carrying his bag of toys.

Fortunately, Mama Ducks agrees that the stockings do not need to be twins. She said that even "second cousins" would be matching enough for her. I agreed to take on the project.

The original stocking was knit plain and then the design was duplicate stitcheded on. It was knit flat for the leg, sewn together, stitches picked up, then the heel, foot and toe were knit in the round. Pretty simple construction. I originally thought I would do the same, but knit the designs using intarsia. I looked at some Christmas stocking patterns on Ravelry and quickly realized that a fair isle design, knit in the round would be easier and more striking. I found a book with plenty of designs I could use.

I met with Mama Ducks again to discuss which patterns Ducks would like. Ducks likes candy canes, reindeer (especially Rudolph) and snow. Ducks usually goes by a shortened version of her name, but is starting to like the full version of her name.

I showed Mama Ducks some plans I made up for the stocking. She liked them even better than I imagined she would. Then we went to look for yarn. I am not sure what the aunt used to make the first stocking. I think she used worsted weight wool (versus acrylic). We settled on Cascade 220. We had to buy some 220 superwash to get all the colors that we wanted. Ducks likes purple the best, although there are good and bad purples according to Ducks. We could not even find a red that was close to the red of the original stocking. We found an orange that was close.

I started in on Ducks' stocking on Sunday evening. As of today, I am working on the foot and nearing the toe. The knitting is going so fast and it is so fun. I love thinking about Ducks' reaction when she sees the stocking. She can be particular so I am trying to do my best to think of combinations she would like. I was thinking of adding small buttons so that one of the reindeer could be Rudoph with a red button nose and the snowmen could have buttons on their tummies. This departs from the original. We'll just say that the family (of stockings) has prospered over the years.

After all these years of knitting socks, I must be programmed. I cannot knit just one sock. I will definetly have enough yarn to make Mama Ducks a "sister" stocking. We had discussed this option. Mama Ducks says she has 2 fireplaces so she can hang the "retro" stocking in one room and the matching stockings in another.

The Eff-Word is...

2009-01-18T20:53:00.000-08:00

FINISHED!

The Pearls socks are done and done.

Pattern: Pearls by Stephanie van der Linden

Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy in the Petal Shower color way

Modifications: Instead of threading the beads on the yarn before knitting, I placed them on as I knit the sock. I used a size 12 (very mini) crochet hook. This method ensured that the beads stayed where they were placed.

Lessons Learned: I wish now that I had not gotten so frustrated with this sock pattern at the beginning. I should have seen the starts and stops as testing and gauging the yarn, needles and beads. If it is just a trial that fails, it's no big deal. I think because I was knitting them for a contest (Ravelry Group: Sock Knitters Anonymous -- January Sockdown) that I was putting more pressure on myself to make them perfectly.

Another lesson learned: Beads are cold. These socks may be saved for warmer weather.

Don't Touch His Butt

2009-01-14T19:16:00.000-08:00

I took Chainsaw to the vet yesterday for his annual lube and tune. Chainsaw is a 16.5 year old orange and white domestic short hair tomcat. He has some age-related medical issues including hyperthyroidism, arthritis of the tail joint, a mild heart murmur, and tooth decay. If I had said arthritis of the hips, he would be sporting the same medical history as any 84 year old human.

It has taken 8 years for Chainsaw to warm up to his veterinarian. He had a bad experience with a vet back when he was just over one year old. If I am not in the examining room with him, he will lunge and attack. He sports a yellow "Caution" tag on his file. We have all worked with him and he has really started to trust his doctor. He even likes the vet techs. During this visit, he was actually doing very well. He was purring away while submitting to all the folding, and manipulating.

And then the vet grabbed Chainsaw's tail...

You know, where the arthritis is the worst?

Yeah....

I guess he wanted to take a look at my cat's bottom.

I have never seen a grown man react so quickly.

Chainsaw never really settled down after that. He did try. He was actually growling and purring at the same time.

Then they tried to get urine from him.

All he had for them was a whole bunch of BAD attitude.

As I left the office with Chainsaw in his carrier. I suggested they change the tag on his file to say, "Don't touch his butt".

When the Eff Word is Not Enough

2009-01-12T12:04:00.001-08:00

This particular sock is taking much more effort to knit than I ever expect a sock to take. I have (oh we'll say "swatched" it four or five times). Meaning, I started it, did not like how it was looking, or did not place the beads properly and ripped it out. First, I decided to put the beads on one at a time instead of stringing them all on at once as the pattern says. But that was way too slow. So I strung them on, but they did not fit right. The beads I had were too big. So I ripped that out. Once I bought more beads, strung them on, and started knitting again, I thought that the needle size was too big and the stitches too loose. Rip Rip. I got smaller needles, restrung the beads and started all over. I added an extra repeat to account for my smaller needles and my hefty ankles. I actually finished the sock. It seemed a little large

and some of the beads have shifted to the back,

but it was okay.....

I started the second sock. I strung the beads onto the yarn. That's 488 beads, folks. I decided that the first sock was too big so I cast on as directed. I knit away and completed the 23 rows of beading required for each sock. This time, no matter how careful I was, some of the beads shifted to the back again!

The beading looked horrible! I ripped it all out and decided to place each bead with a crochet hook while I was knitting the sock.

This was much better looking

and had a better fit on my foot and ankle. Hooray!

I actually finished this sock yesterday. I cast on January 1, 2009. That's 12 days to finish ONE sock!

But what to do about the first (too big) sock.

Yeah, you know.

I ripped out the first sock and started it again (making it the third sock). I actually cut off the beading section and cut it apart to get to the beads. The yarn was pretty worn from all the previous tries and I had plenty left over so it was not such a big deal to cut it. Frankly, it was kind of cathartic.

So now, here I am knitting my third sock. I am placing beads as I go. I am finally pleased with the results of my efforts.

Because, you know, if it isn't right then it won't be worn.

That would be a waste.