getting ready ...

…. for christmas. for me & marco.



so, after a long day, … the tree is up! it's still lacking balls (that's what she said!). (i'm terribly hooked on the office right now)

i worked in the living room all day. i moved furniture, i cleaned. and finally, i put up the tree.

it's not yet in its full glory. i still need to hang the ornaments. and, i might need to move the color wheel as well.

however, when it is in its full glory … it will look like this:







and now, i'm sleepy … i've been up since dawn. i haven't even sat down to knit. but now, i will try.

tomorrow? more housework. ornaments for the tree. cooking. knitting. and to bed early for a 12 hour shift on monday (overtime makes me whine, but time & a half is nice).

new socks with old yarn

one of my favorite funky sock patterns is stripe tease. i have knitted this pattern before with just 1 yarn, and a few days ago decided i wanted to make some socks with leftovers, so i pulled some of my self-striping leftovers from a bin.


the original pattern knits it with 6 strips, but i am knitting with 4 strips, and the bottom of the foot will be in one piece, since i don't think having seams on the bottom of the foot would be comfortable. the socks will be a gift if i finish them in time. i'm still knitting on my tubularity. i'm on the last color too! and, my beeline sweater is still sleeveless =( there are just not enough hours in the day!




i took this photo some time last week. we'd had a day of rain and wind, and the next morning my truck was buried in leaves.

where am i ?

home. knitting. it's been a darkish day. and there's been some rain.

i tried to take some photos of my current project, and the yarn got wet and dirty.


this is my tubularity. it's a cowl/wrap designed by Martina Behm. i officially ♥ adore ♥ her !

so, i got this polydactyl kit in the miss babs booth at SAFF.

i got the exact colorway as the model. it's called "Deep Sea Jellyfish".

why? because i liked the colors and didn't want to think. it's kinda like finding something in a catalog, but you have to make it first.

the kit comes with 7 colors 38 grams each. i'm knitting color 5 of 7. i'm almost finished !!! squeeee !!!!

last night, i stayed up until after 4am knitting. i just wanted to see progress, and to see the next color.

it's an enjoyable knit ---- it's mindless. i will finish soon, and then have to block and find a few buttons. however, i can see myself wearing this!

in other news,

…. i was shopping on etsy, and saw a pretty pair of earrings. they were in this incredible shade of blue.

and i thought, "i have something in this blue!" …


… an old pendant, from my time in the domenican republic. the stone is called larimar.

i'd forgotten how beautiful this blue is. the stone is not perfectly polished. the bezel and bail are rustic, but the overall piece is still stunning.

and one last little tidbit … mini-skeins!


i belong to an online group (via ravelry) specific to knitpicks.

anyways, there was a group member that offered to order every colorway of one of the sock yarns offered by knitpicks, and then wind it off into 5 gram hanks.

so now, i have all these mini-skeins, which will likely become monster socks (socks knitted completely of leftovers). AND, now i know how the colors look in person instead of a computer monitor !

i have kissed ….

…. my yarn!

yes! i love the yarn !!!

though, my yarn choice was not the frog prince.

i am knitting on my sweater. i am on the neckline now. the body is finished, and now i want to finish the neck so when i start the sleeves, i can feel confident that their length is accurate for how the sweater hangs from my neck/shoulders.


here is a photo of just before starting the bottom hem ribbing.

now, i'm on the neckline. i'm about to bind off.

swooooooon !!!

in other news, today (and this weekend) was full of household chores.

never mind the 'everything' … see the 'now'.

though this scrubbing bubble is available, i found one appropriate for christmas! ….

i love this nightlight! ….. i found this in my grandmother's house. i wonder where she displayed it ….

yarn love

… i couldn't decide. this booth had such pretty yarns, and for a great price!

(yarn is a superwash merino from Black Sheep Farm in Morganton, NC --- no website)

i did decide on the green … each hank is approximately 250 yds. i got all 4 they had.


when i got home, i started immediately. i'm already almost finished with the 2nd hank. this is growing up to be "beeline".

it's a really simple topdown pullover, with enough little design details to avoid monotony.


the color is a mix of greens and blues.

swatching note: (the haphazard way) --- when i got home from SAFF, i immediately wound a hank into a ball and grabbed some needles. i started with the 7's (too small), then 9's (too big). i didn't have 8's, so i waited until i got back to my home and just started the sweater on the 8's (process of elimination).

busy busy busy

last night, as driving home, i tuned into a radio station that announced that they would have all the holiday classic favorites playing 'all the time' through this holiday season.

i guess that's what happens right after halloween? right?

however, things have "happened" since my last post.

first of all, i attended SAFF.


in years past, they had a big "this is not the tractor show" sign posted here. they still have this sign, but it's on the other side of the entrance.

this event is a favorite of mine --- it's a combination of going home, spending a day with  mom w/o other 'things' going on, YARN, and just fun fun fun.


it was an amazing day. the weather was so much warmer than last year. last year, it was a whopping 29* when we rolled up to our parking space. this year? … it was so "not as cold" that i didn't even notice.

by lunchtime, i was baking under the sun in a long sleeve t-shirt.


the picture here, and subsequent, are pretty crappy --- the color is off --- i was taking pictures under a fading sky --- so they all have that 'evening blue' hue to them.


first, is this amazing yarn i got from the 'black sheep farm' from morganton, nc. they don't have a website, but i found their information on the vendor list from SAFF. i have scribbled all their contact information on the backside of my yarn labels.

the yarn is a superwash merino @ approx 250 yds each hank. i got 4 hanks. "approximately" 1000 yards.

and i've started a sweater ….

 
this is some miss babs "yowza" ! … OH SO PRETTY!

the color is almost black with dark blue highlights. i have enough for a sweater. i'm still debating which design to knit.


the next 2 items, yarn kits from miss babs …

on the left the polydactyl set … to knit tubularity in the exact colorway, "jelly fish".

though, i have failed. i started it in the recommended needle size and the feel is too compact. i will restart in a larger needle.

regardless, i love LOVE love this color combination.

the other kit is to knit leftie --- mom chose this --- for ME to knit. thanks mom!


and one last thing for me ….

a gradient kit. 5 hanks of fingering yarn, in 5 shades of? (gray?!)