Girl on the Rocks

Fake Rhinebeck Contest entry – this is how you do it October 23, 2007

As I mentioned yesterday, I did not attend Rhinebeck, and am getting jealous of looking at everyone’s loot. Rhinebeck booty is all over blogland. I can take this time to show myself that I don’t need any new yarn, and get excited over stuff I already have. For example….

All of this yarn and fiber. From the top

• Finn top – supersoft fine roving, about 8 ounces
• Socks that rock Mediumweight Space Dust – I didn’t sign up for the sock club, because I am perfectly happy to spend that money on colors that I get to pick out myself.
• The bottom two are Sport Weight Lovesticks self striping yarn in ‘Watermelon slice’ and ‘With a twist’. I love this stuff.

Wanna play? Here is the low down. Anyone can play as long as you head to your stash and get re-excited about yarn/fiber that is NOT new. Take pic, and blog it*, and leave me a comment so I know you are playing (a linkback is helpful but not mandatory). The comment can be on this post or the previous one, but you must leave it by midnight (Pacific time) Wednesday, October 31. (DEADLINE EXTENDED!!) A winner will be chosen at random. I haven’t assembled all of the prizes yet, but rest assured that there will be yarny- and fibery-goodness.

*If you don’t have a blog and would still like to play, flickr entries would work just fine.

Only one will survive January 21, 2007

I have completed my first knitting project of 2007.

A beer cozy that I am calling “the Handyman special.” When you know a handy guy that welds a new piece for your ball-winder, you need to repay him somehow. I attempted a dramatic picture in front of sunset behind the golden gate bridge, but it didn’t work at all. This cozy is knit out of dishcloth cotton from our big order and was done on straight needles.

I have two other practically completed projects, but they won’t be around much longer. The first is a prototype for a sock pattern I am working on.

i like the pattern a lot. It has a little bit of yarn-over laciness, a little bit of ribbing, and a little bit of twistiness. unfortunately it is a little too small and needs to be reworked. This time I think I will use a normal weight sock yarn instead of the medium-weight socks that rock (in the color dreidel in case you were wondering). I think my standard 3×1 sock will be perfect for this str, just like the last. So this particular sock will be ripped out momentarily.

The second project destined for destruction: a square for larissa’s square-along using some of my solar dyed sock yarn. This is what it would look like if I was actually blocking it:

It’s an age old tale of knitting woe… I didn’t check my gauge and it is an inch too big. So it is getting ripped out and done again on smaller needles. Don’t know if I will be able to get it done by the deadline, though. Too much other stuff going on.

Edit: Larissa is accepting all squares, so I can send mine after all and I don’t need to rip it out and redo it. hooray!

Behind curtain number one October 24, 2006

The contest prize:

A skein of sock yarn dyed by me and a set of Kitchener stitch markers (may not be the exact ones pictured). Man those things are hard to photograph. So far the odds are pretty good… only a handful of entrants. Tell your friends!
*end of prize content*

And much more in the spirit of Socktober than ripping out socks, I finished a pair of socks!

Pattern: my own; toe up; short row heel; 3×1 rib
Yarn: Socks that rock mediumweight in Carbon.

i think…. i guess it could actually be carbon dating. i can’t remember and i lost the ball band immediately. probably when i first brought it home and started rolling around in the big pile of new yarn. i lOVE knitting in the medium weight. The socks knit up quickly, and i don’t mind that the socks are a little thick. it is actually very useful since most of my shoes are too big and i need big socks to keep them on. and i know this probably isn’t new information to you, but man that yarn is nice. I have been coveting the new haul over at januaryone. Go look at it. I mean, does it get any better than that?

Aaahhh… that’s better September 21, 2006

I ripped the sock back and decided on a 3 x 1 rib for the top (and eventually the cuff).

I love it! It looks so much better (see what it looked like before). I have been working on the sock today while at work (which is school). I am running samples on a fancy mass spectrometer that has the annoying need to have someone hit the ‘a’ key once every few minutes. I would hire a monkey to do it, but i think it would shed all over the room and get me in trouble. Anyway, it takes me exactly the right amount of time to complete a row before I need to hit the ‘a’ key again (sometimes i mix it up and hit ‘p’. fun, huh?). Like principal skinner says

Ah, there’s nothing more exciting than science. You get all the fun of sitting still, being quiet, writing down numbers, paying attention. Science has it all.

He forgot to mention using 15 year old computers… Luckily, when I need to leave the room, I have the sock to operate the computer for me.

I won’t say this in front of the computer, but the sock is totally smarter. The computer thinks the year is 19106. The sock is smart enough to not say anything regarding the year. And the sock is able to display far more colors than the computer – that should count for something.

Finally, since it is thrift thursday I can brag about the steals i got at my secret little thrift store.

The loot includes a bowl knitting notions (25 cents each) – my favorite being the bakelite handled pattern transfer wheel. Also two king size pillowcases with a cute yellow print (background) for $1 and a bunch of hand embroidered vintage napkins (25 cents each). More napkins pictured here. And what about the bowl?

It is just what i have been looking for! A pyrex casserole dish with lid for only $3.

Now i am off to prepare for my exciting evening. one of the movie theaters down the street from my apartment is showing The Jerk tonight. one of my favorites…..

The good, the bad, and the beach September 18, 2006

By 10 o’clock this morning, I had already used up all of my patience for the day – at the post office. That place just sucks the life outta me. But i was rewarded! I picked up my final package from my secret pal, who turns out to be Knitting in the Shadows!

The yarn is beautiful 100% Merino Superwash from Gypsy Girl Creations in the color “Happy Halloween” (yarn close up here). I also got some brittany birch needles to knit up the yarn, a calculator/box (that the needles fit in!), a halloween night light, and a knitting notion that I can’t quite figure out… Oh, and a chocolate bar that barely made it out of the post office – it was delicious.

And there has been some knitting going on here. On the plane back from Australia, I started a sock with my STR from stitches west (last year). But, it was way too big, so i ripped back the toes increases and adjusted the width. Now i think the pattern is just not working with the yarn. Here is the lacy top of the sock

And here is the bottom

I like this side a lot better.

also note that the sock has been modelled on top of the sock that I was wearing today which is making me think that it is still too big. And I have accidentally used the strand of yarn on teh outside of my center-pull ball. I think I need a redo. So by the time you read this, i will probably be ripping this sock out.

And as to no tend the post on a tone of frustration, I leave you with a video clip from my vacation.

Stitches West 2006 is over for me February 19, 2006

First, lets start with shopping. Here is what I got:

Clockwise from the left:

• 2 Skeins of Socks that Rock from Blue Moon Fiber Arts in colors ‘Carbon Dating’ and ‘Marbles.’ i bought the carbon dating first, and then went back later in the day to get the second skein…. by that time, the selection was dwindling and i got the heavyweight so that i could still have a color that i wanted.
• The Denise Needle Companion set is a set of extra extenders, cords and end buttons. I hadn’t yet seen these and i snatched it up. I had been thinking about getting some extra cords, and this set was cheaper than buying a few cords individually.
• From Full Thread Ahead two balls of 50% soy silk 50% wool. It says on the label that it is ‘karaoke’ from SWTC , but it was discounted for some reason, and had a full thread ahead ball band on it. I don’t care what the reason is, I am just happy to try out his yarn at a little bit of a discount. I like how tame the balls look from the outside, and how they are full of color on the inside.
• oh the goodies that they had at the Brook’s farm booth…. they have GIANT (8oz) skeins of the most beautifully dyed mohair blends…. Soft mohair. i forget who it was, but while i was looking around their racks, someone said “it is nice just to be standing in here,” and it was true. The red and black skein is ‘Duet’ a kid mohair/wool blend 500 yds/ 8 oz. the blue and gold one is ‘Primero’ with 100% kid mohair. They are SO SOFT. And shiny. Gen had said “let’s meet at the Brooks Farm booth because we all want to go there,” and i thought ‘who the heck is that?’ But she was right!
• Next, I got a bunch of Jaquard Acid dyes from the Rug and Yarn Hut. (Honestly, dyes were included on my hand-written list even though i forgot to include them on the list I posted here…)
• Finally I got a free magnet from V.I.P. Fibers. If you have never heard of them, it is a truly fascinating place and you should check out their link.

Not pictured i did get my Bryspun #4 DPN’s from Carolina Homespun. I had a heck of a time finding someplace without a hug line that had the two sizes of addis that i wanted, so i didn’t get those
yet.
More on the train and other fun in the next post!