I'm in.

I couldn't resist.

I'm awed to find out there are more knitters in the Knit Olympics than athletes in Torino.
Wow.
I'm in.
The games have begun.




The supplies are ready.
1. Yarn is KnitPicks palette. Not pictured is their pattern for Northern Lights mittens (see below.)
2. Aluminum US3 DPNs. Took advice from locals and went up a few sizes. Thanks, Beth. The stitches aren't as pretty, but having a mitten that fits is...well...practical.
3. Wine. duh.
4. Chocolate. Again, duh. Junior mints are my fave movie candy, and the DeBrands chocolates from Fort Wayne, IN are the best in the world, IMHO.
5. Munchies. World Market's Lime and Salt Cashews are irresistable.
6. Reading Glasses. sigh. I know.



6 p.m. 02.11.06
18 rows done. 180 or so to go. Plus thumbs. No ends to weave in, tho! I'm taking the pattern's advice and just catching the new yarn on the back before I need it. If I still had finishing to do after knitting, we'd be looking at the 2010 Olympic finale more likely...

Think I'll have my own version of these before the 26th?!?



Post your own progress pics on the new Flickr group Keli started! (Thanks, Keli!)

Happy Knitting, fellow Olympians and all!
---
sigh. I'm really happy. I know I finished the last post with that, too. There are frustrations in my world for sure (work is insane and an old problem popped up with a Hi, I'm back!,) but there are oodles of good things going on. My family rocks, my coworkers are a joy, and I'm seeing a guy that's pretty darned swell. Add in my knit pals (thanks for the great notes Karen, Nancy and others that I've also neglected writing back,) a couple cats, and the basket of knitty goodness above...
well...
I'm smiling.

and a Red Scarf in a pine tree.

Last week's post, had it happened, would have been all about this scarf.



yarn: debbie bliss SoHo, color 09, 2.5 balls
pattern: Multidirectional Scarf with alternate ending
needles: Denise US9
dates: 1.25.06-1.28.06

I mailed it off for the Red Scarf Project last week. I was so happy working on this; I love the concept of the project. I hope the student that receives it really enjoys the wearing as much as I did the knitting. I had started another scarf in Manos, but knew I wouldn't make the deadline. Quick trip to LYS and the SoHo was a good sub for a similar look with an easier pattern.

The scarf is my first completed project for the group I recently joined. (button over yonder in sidebar.) I really like the idea of using the joy knitting brings me to add a little something extra to someone else's life.

I started a baby hat after that, but the word on the street is that I have no idea how large a baby's head really is. All the mothers that saw my wee knitting laughed hysterically and assured me newborn heads are BIG. I was just following the pattern! (but, um...maybe not the gauge.) So...doing my usual...I have the cuff of an adult sock started, not a baby hat.
The baby gift is now going to be the thumbless mittens from the 2006 page-a-day calendar. Moms have assured me these will fit the li'l hands. sheesh. I'm doing them in Cascade fixation. Funky yarn, there. It's stretchy!

New logo time for me. I need to work up the graphics a bit, but it's done enough for a gift tag:

Swoosh time for whimZknits!

Life is good these days. Working like crazy, but happy. Definitely happy.

(I'm trying to make up my mind about the Knit Olympics. The northern lights mittens are my obvious choice. I'm just not sure I can commit to the timeline with the other things going on those weeks! We'll see.)

When my modified patterns start going awry, I let the object morph.
I finished a scarf today.
It's now an earwarmer.
It's a cool pattern, and maybe it works in the intended yarn. It was twisting too much for my taste and was pretty skinny. Ends together, it's a dandy headwrap to keep the ears toastie.


pattern: cable scarf
yarn: zitron loft 500
needles: US9 brittany DPN (didn't need DPN, tho easy to work with for this.)
dates: 01.19.06-01.22.06
note: I knit this almost entirely continental!

and one hand can stay warm, too. Other mitten to follow. and a scarf, apparently.


The sweater has had its public debut, and even tho it doesn't rival Mindy's first sweater, I'm pretty darned happy I finished it.



pattern: cropped mega chunky cable sweater
'big needle knits to wear' booklet
yarn: lion wool-ease thick and chunky, sky blue 106, lot 30332B
needles: bates plastic circ US13
dates: 09.13.05-01.07.06

Yeah, maybe bulky sweaters don't warrant sriking a pose, but...gimme a break...first sweater 'n all.

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If you look over in the sidebar, I'm hoping to crank out a scarf this week for the Red Scarf Project. The mailing deadline is the 28th. To encourage myself, I got Manos like Rock Chick's, and am gonna try the So Called Scarf. Charity knitting, yes. Selfish yarn lust, yes.

I'm getting into a knitalong mood. I joined the hatalong (does my earwarmer count??) and have a few others bookmarked to join this week. I was explaining to a friend today the community aspect of knitting. Being a part of the online (and face-to-face) knitworld is so heartwarming. It makes me wanna spread the joy with charity knits and joining others working toward the same goals (be it patterns or themes.) Awwww...we're just a big ole happy knit family, eh.

Knit on.

Romance Is Random

Any boy that survives me gets that and doesn't waste cash on roses (don't like 'em) or chocolates and jewelry (do like 'em.)

Yesterday I was a bit moody, thinking Boy was ignoring me. Turns out he'd lost his cell and didn't get my message. (ok, messages.) He calls at 12:30 a.m. (knowing that sorta thing is legal with me.)
"hey, sleepyhead."
"hey."
"mad at me?"
"nope. mad at me?"
"nope."
He's in car driving, we jabber, he's hungry, 30 minutes later he's on my couch with White Castle burgers for him and a milkshake for me.
I agree to help with the burgers.
I require ketchup. I'm wrapped in an afghan that requires 1 hand, the other hand is trying to keep burger off afghan. Opening the ketchup packet is challenging. I pitifully request help. He opens it.
I'm finally persuaded to go for a 2nd burger. It's sitting on my lap. I'm looking at it.
He reaches into the bag and silently opens a ketchup and hands it to me.

It's romance, baby.

15 minutes later he's on his way home, and I'm back in bed with a full belly and a silly grin.
I really need to relax and let the world spin on Faith.
---
A romance of another kind...



Made a hat this week. Love it. Wearing it.
It goes with PJs at 2:30 in the afternoon.



1. Cotton Ease stash, anyone?
2. Aromatherapy heating pad teddy bear from Bro/Kids this Christmas.
3. 2 sleeping cats (only top of Murr's ears.)
4. PJs. Luscious wear-all-day Karen Neuburger PJs.
5. oh yeah, the hat. With charming camera over the head in mirror pose.



yarn: Zitron Loft 100% wool. soft soft wool. color 500, I think.
pattern: Chunky Cable Beanie with modified decreased top that I figured out on my ownsome!
needles: Denise 10.5/16" cable, brittany US9 DPNs or 10 3/4. I forget.
dates: 1.9.06-1.12.06

I had to modify the pattern a bit for different yarn gauge, my big head, a desire to cover my ears, and to create a rounded top.
(cast on 1 extra repeat of pattern, knit a few extra inches, and kept decreasing in pattern down to 3 stitches. Yes, I'm gloriously proud of the cute top the hat has.)

The Denise needles were great for this. I used my ShopHop winnings to get the set. (oops. I never blogged that I got 2nd place in ShopHop! $100 GC to LYS!!!) I was able to switch to smaller cables before resorting to DPN's. Nice. I hadn't expected to like plastic needles and got the set for convenience. Have ended up using them more often than my Addis lately!

I plan to make mittens and a scarf to go with the hat.
I wasn't sure I bought enough yarn.
Planned a trip to yarn shop. Was delayed a day.
The yarn had been there for over a year (thus me getting it on sale.)
It's not there.
NOT THERE.
"Someone came in this afternoon and got it to finish a project."
No, I needed it to finish my project.
Fume. Sorrow.
voicemail from (blogless)Karen the following morn "hey, was at yarnstore yesterday and grabbed the rest of your hat yarn so you'd be able to finish."
I fell off my chair laughing.

keep the faith, folks.

*added 02.11.06: romance truly is random; it strikes and leaves, heh. No complaints, tho. I think I've found something even better than midnite burgers.

'A' is for...

alpaca.

OK, I'm gonna cheat. I found out about the alphabetalong too late, so I'm just gonna do it on my ownsome. Anything to inspire a blogpost or 2 or 26.

Alpaca.


yarn: plymouth baby alpaca chunky in gray, navy, wedgewood (my color names, not theirs)
needles: Denise 10.5 w/19" cable
pattern: none. 180 garter stitches lengthwise, random rows as the mood struck
dates: 12.16.05-12.18.05. knittin' to the clock.

Closeup of the 'front.'

This was my first Christmas knit. I had a friend visiting that often brings nice gifts, so I thought I'd whip up some yarny goodness for him. Yes, perhaps this was also an excuse to use the yarn I had some serious lust for. No, no...it was all about the gift. [nods vigorously.] He seemed to love it and declined the addition of fringe (the perfect way to avoid having to weave in ends on a last-minute gift scarf, eh!) If you haven't enjoyed this yarn yet, go for it. It's worth it. (Bob...it's sitting in your stash. You wound the balls up. Now, use it!)

---
Perhaps I'll be one of those organized knitters and start working on my holiday gifts for '06...like...now. Perhaps Not. I really would love to give handknits out, though, and starting the last 2 weeks of December doesn't seem to work out so well. This Christmas past, I found a pattern that I thought clever, funny, and practical, so I cranked out 4 of them for family members.
Ice Scraper Cuffs
Ingredients:
1. an icescraper. Not one to skimp, I got nice ones with the extra squishy handles.
2. 3 strands of acrylic worsted yarn. I wanted something that would survive snow but be pretty/soft/warm. I did 1 in Caron simply soft (red/black/gray,) 1 in TLC lustre (dark red,) 1 in TLC Essentials (variegated denim blue,) and 1 in Hobby Lobby Airy (deep red with black Elf eyelash on cuff.) The last one...not so much on the durable, more so on the snuggly.
3. size 10 3/4 DPN's. 10 3/4??? Yeah, that was the best option the LYS had in Brittany's. Worked out swell.

It's an easy pattern and a great way to get comfortable using DPN's. Particularly after my boss showed me the right way to knit on them. Apparently I was working backwards, inside-out, somethin'. All better now.

I figured the parents were usually in the car together, so Dad got the scraper (even though I'm sure Mom sweetly takes care of this chore often,) and I made a muff for Mom's ever-chilly fingers. Take some white Hobby Lobby Airy (2 stranded,) CO ~33 stitches, knit a few inches, switch to TLC Essentials (3 stranded) to match Dad's scraper, knit several more inches, repeat the fluffy stuff, BO. And there ya have it, Hand-Warming-Muffy-Goodness.

(I only got pic's of the blue scraper. multiply by 4 in different colors and you get the idea.)

---

Yesterday, I finished my sweater finally. Started in 09.05. It will never be a fashion statement, but it's off the UFO list. Pics sometime later...maybe.

---

The Knitpicks Northern Lights mitten will be frogged. Yes, NEKnitters, I'm admitting defeat. While a dislocated thumb and restricted blood flow don't sound soooo awful, I think I'll start over using larger needles and the correct color (brown instead of fawn, hopefully?) For those out there that haven't tried this pattern yet, gauge seems to matter. harumph. And the pattern colors don't match the pic. You've been warned.

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To end a post that's already too long, a tale of 2 cats.

What to my wondering eyes should appear but my cats actually TOUCHING each other and NOT fighting!

she awakes.

your leg is between mine, dude. move it.

Normalcy returns.

phwew.