Saturday, June 24, 2006

Knit Sock Kit Swap


I'm truly excited about the sock swap I joined. However, the bags I've seen on the blog-- http://www.ksks.scoutj.com/ look way more sophisticated than I imagined they would be. That puts the pressure on me. Anyway, these are my answers to the KSKS questionnaire:

What are your favorite colors? I like denim blues and sage/olive greens, I like muted pinks and buttery yellows, I like browns and off-whites.

Are you a new sock knitter? How long have you been knitting socks? I knit my first sock almost a year ago.

Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn? I have been buying multicolored yarn for socks lately. What fibers do you prefer in sock yarn? I like superwash wool or cotton blends.

Where do you usually knit socks? Everywhere!

How do you usually carry/store small projects? In drawstring bags.

What are your favorite sock knitting patterns? I just got a book of vintage patterns that I can't wait to try.

What are your favorite sock knitting techniques? I've been doing various lace patterns lately.

What new techniques would you like to try? Just a little bit of fair isle.

Do you prefer circulars or dpns for sock knitting? I do magic loop, and I want to try two circulars, but I think my favorite is still dpns.

What are some of your favorite yarns? I like Artyarns, and Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock. I also like the yarn that has jojoba and aloe vera, can't remember what it's called.

What yarn do you totally covet? Handpaint sock yarn in shades of pink, forgot the shade name but I have to touch it everytime I go to my LYS.

Any pattern you would love to make if money and time were no object? I saw a leaf lace pattern for socks that I want to try.

Favorite kind of needles (brand, materials, straights or circs, etc)? I like Addi Turbos for magic loop and brittany wood for dpns. I prefer short dpns (5").

If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be? I'm feeling a little bit like JO SHARP Rare Kid Mohair today. One of the multicolored skeins. Kind of fuzzy and mellow.

Do you have a favorite candy or mail-able snack? I like Lemon Heads.

What’s your favorite animal? I like Elephants and Monkeys.

Do you have pets? What are their species/names/ages? I have a cat, aged 11, named Harrison.

If you were a color what color would you be? I would be that grey/blue of the Pacific Ocean that is right at the horizon.

Describe your favorite shirt (yours or someone else’s).. I have an old black U2 T-shirt with the cover of the Desire single on it (the picture of Larry drumming). It is so worn and comfortable now.

What is your most inspiring image, flower, or object in nature? I simply L. O. V. E. the ocean.

Tell me the best quote you’ve ever heard or read. This is kind of lame, but I can't think of anything else at the moment. I like the verse in the Bible from Genesis that says Jacob worked seven years for Rachel but it was nothing to him because of the love he had for her.

Do you have a wishlist? A list?, no, I have a book!

Anything else you’d like to share with the group today? I am so excited about making the bag, should I knit it?, sew it?, crochet it? Hmm.

Saturday, June 17, 2006

It's a Boy!


Okay, now I can let the cat out of the proverbial bag. What I've really been working on these last few weeks is a quilt for my sister's baby shower.
All the girls in the family embroidered a patch and it was my job to put them together into a quilt. I decided to use a rag edge finish between the squares (that is why some blocks don't look centered in this picture) so that more of the color would show. You must know two things. One, I am not a quilter even though I have made two before. Second, I came to this project late in the game. So please, don't be harsh. The party was today and we had a blast. Raschel did a fabulous job of planning, cooking, decorating, hosting, etc. Barbie enjoyed the whole shebang. Some of the games we played were the dirty diaper game, pin the baby on the mommy, and musical baby bottles. Yay!

Friday, June 16, 2006

Lacey Days


I've been spending every spare minute (plus some that I should be spent on other things) on my Shoalwater Shawl. This is a lace pattern recommended for beginners. However, I found that it's not quite so much for beginning knitters as for beginning lace knitters. After a bit of TINKing (knitting backwards) between rows 27 and 31, I was on my way. My shawl is now knit and waiting to be blocked.

I also started a moebius from The Treasury of Magical Knitting. That's another project that required more than one start. I should finish it before fall.

Some news on the One Skein exchange. I found a great ball of yarn for my secret pal during the Yarn Shop Hop. I sent it to her a couple of weeks ago (it's been that long since my last blog) and she really liked it! I can't wait to see what my pal sends me. In the meantime, I'm working on finding the next great skein to be sent at the beginning of July.

The picture above is The Lacemaker by Vermeer. It looks like bobbin lace she is working on, not knitted lace, but it's lace nevertheless.