Mother of Pearl!

My poor doggie hasn't been feeling well. However, this has not stopped her from being a terror. And when I say terror, I mean it. I've been working on Mara. I swapped some yarn with a fellow knitter so I could knit this shawl.

This is how far I got:



Until Ellen happened:



"Mother of Pearl!" I exclaimed upon discovering this monstrosity. I might have shed a tear. Ok, maybe not. But I was very close!!

The hubs and I have been trying to untangle the mess. I even cut the yarn in a few places. I might have to give up. What would YOU do?

Felted Slippers

I think I may have created a monster. I tried my first hand at felting and I love it! I started with The French Press Slippers. Words can't describe how much I love these!!

New Look, New Hat

I'm trying not to start this post with "It's been a while." But, well, it has. Anyway, after my Girasole, and a half a pair of socks, I got into a slump. It was pretty bad. Took me until now to get over it. I think what got me out of it, was this gorgeous yarn from The Plucky Knitter Classics. It's called Pretty Pretty Pola in Merino Cashmere Nylon (MCN Lite, to be exact) and it really took my breath away. When you only have 230 yards of loveliness, and a color that looks great on you, wouldn't you knit a hat too?



Please pay no attention to the dying plant behind it, I'm trying to save it haha. I can't stop staring at the hat. It's Felicity. Whenever I hear that name I think of the tv show, with Keri Russell. I loved that show. And when I think of that show, I think of the one with Claire Danes, My So Called Life. LOVED that one too!! Well, I could go on and on.

Anyway, I've been going through some personal struggles lately. I think I just need to take things one step at a time. More on these things another time. Until then!

Lost

I feel a little lost in my knitting world right now. It always happens, and I've probably blogged about it before. After finishing a project that I fall in love with, I cast on for a few projects and don't fall in love with those. Right now I'm knitting a baby sweater, socks, and Featherweight. Now, the socks are pretty simple; plain vanilla. We went away to the Shreveport area last weekend, and I actually knit on the ride there and during our stay. This is what I have:



When will I finish them? Maybe on the 8 hour car ride to Florida in a week?

Also, I'll have you know that I picked up my February Lady Sweater again. I noticed a little error on the end of one of my rows. The garter stitch was off on the last two stitches. Apparently, although I can fix any other mistake in the middle of my work, I cannot fix one on the end. It will just be a matter of time before I rip out four rows and reknit. I would really love to avoid that!

In home news, we are gearing up for our vacation next week. We're supposed to go to Florida (the Pensacola area, to be exact) and we've toyed with not going. We'll be staying in a time-share and they have a pool, which ultimately made our decision. We can't be like everyone else and cancel our plans. The people on the coasts of Louisiana and Florida so desperately need business. I don't even know why I am bringing this up. The thought of what this is doing to wildlife, etc. is heartbreaking. I just wish they would plug it up already. Betcha the kids at MIT could figure it out.

Swatch Fwatch

Have I mentioned how much I hate swatching? For real. Hate. I know it's necessary, but I don't like it. It delays my project starting process and is just annoying. Here's my swatch for my Featherweight Cardigan that I would like to knit sometime this century.



This swatch should be 4" across. I am exactly a 1/2" off. Which is much better than the 1-1/4" off I was before I washed the swatch. This means going up a needle size will work. Most of my anger about swatching came before the washing. It looked like I was going to have to swatch a few more times before getting what I needed. I guess this means that I'm not all that mad at swatching afterall. I changed my own mind. Now, if I knit this sweater and it's a bagillion times too big or small, I will go back to hating on the swatch again.

The Head

I'd like to introduce you to someone. Her name: The Head. I purchased her at Hobby Lobby(my new favorite store since moving South). She was only $5, but will be my hat/scarf and whatever else model for a lifetime. I will keep her safe and locked up in my office/craft room. Because I'm so excited about my purchase, I decided to retake photos of recent knitting projects with her modeling them. This has nothing to do with my abundance of free time. Let the show begin!

Here The Head is modeling my 16 Cable Hat. Remarkably, she even makes my photography look better. I don't know how she does it, but if we all had this ability, we would all be models, wouldn't we.



Next, The Head is wearing The Cashmere Cowl. Knit out of cashmere lace, The Head can wear this anywhere, from a brisk walk along the water, to a shopping adventure outdoors.



In this next shot, The Head dons The Darkside Cowl by Sarah Fama, knit out of The Plucky Knitter MCN worsted yarn in the popular colorway Honey Wilkes. I know! She made me forget about the clutter on my desk too. I didn't even notice it! She is amazing.


Lastly, although she resisted, The Head models my current work in progress, The Slouched Tuva Hat. "I don't want to model a hat without a top. What if everyone sees my thoughts?" were her words. I didn't say she was smart.



And there you have it! The Head. I am currently searching for someone whom I shall call, The Body.

Spring Forward

I finished my Spring Forward socks and I'm very excited. I only started knitting them in (cough) December of '09.



The first sock went VERY smoothly. I can't say the same for the second sock, however. I had to restart that sock at least four times! I kept screwing up and when I'm working with fingering weight yarn and size 1 needles, little can be fixed without ripping. Anyway, I hope the person I am gifting them to, loves them and that they get a lot of wear. I used Wollmeise in Fleiderbusch and I absolutely ADORE the color.

Well, with the Girasole and the Spring Forward socks done, I was left with no works in progress! Can you believe it? I'm not counting the old old projects that I haven't touched in years, of course. So...I decided to cast on for this.



I'm using Bryspun needles for the first time (size 4) and I feel that the hat is really quite small. I'm also not really like knitting with plastic. I'm going to truck along, though and hopefully it will turn out the way I want.

The homefront has calmed down, but it always does. We;ll see how it goes next Thursday!

I've Been Thinking

Mostly, I've been thinking about what I want to knit next. After Girasole, yes, only two days ago, I finished my Cashmere Cowl.



It's so soft and beautiful! I can't wait to wear it once summer's over.

Now, I am finishing the Spring Forward socks I started in December of '09. I'm working on these for a friend. One sock is complete and I'm working the leg of the second sock. Wow, I'm such a snore today.

A New Blanket

I DID IT. I knit a Girasole!! I can't even describe how happy this makes me. I have never, in my life, knit something that was this complicated and that took so long to complete. When I say complicated, I don't actually mean it, either. This pattern is so clearly written that the only mistakes I made were out of my own stupidity. I only THOUGHT it would be complicated.

Knitters, if you love the look of this blanket, and long to have one sitting on the back of your couch, or draped over your bed, KNIT IT. It can be done! I'm so not kidding. I thought I would, for sure, make some unfixable mistake or get stuck on the pattern and never finish it. I did finish it, and you can too!!



Please excuse the unwoven ends and my blue carpet. We need hardwood floors. Bad.




This picture shows the pattern nicely, but does not correctly reflect the color.



This shows the color perfectly! What to do next? Besides weave in those ends, I mean! I think I should finish the two WIPs I have on my project page on Ravelry. Yes, I should finish them. But will I?

Spring Girasole

It's a beautiful Friday morning. I just went outside and cut some of our Azaleas back, got out the old mason jars and made vases:



It's been a busy month and a half. I HAVE been knitting, though! I am still working on Girasole. All in all, this is a very easy knit. So far, my only obstacle has been the cast on, which I figured out using this video:



Seriously, this video is THE reason I am knitting this blanket. The other methods just didn't click.

Does anyone else find it strange that I am knitting a blanket just when the weather starts hitting the 80s? I do! But I really want to finish it. I still have quite a while to go, and 640 stitches per row. I've made a couple of "stupid" mistakes, but I've managed to get myself out of each one(so far). When I finish this, it will be my biggest knitting accomplishment thus far. Literally. BIGGEST. Here's a pic of my progress, albeit squished.



I'm actually a little bit further at this point. After this is done, I already want to knit the Hemlock Ring Blanket. There's about half the yardage needed for this little lap blanket. So want to knit it! Anyway, off to walk the dog! Enjoy this beautiful day!

New Challenge

So, about that cowl I was working on. The dog got a hold of it, tore the inside of the ball outward and made a mess of my cashmere lace. There have been numerous attempts to salvage it and keep going. There was a point where I just had to put it away until I had the patience to finish it. I only have an inch to go! I WILL get back to it at some point.

I took a wee knitting break. It was probably only about a week and a half, but a nice one at that. I decided I really wanted to knit a blanket. I mean, I wanted to knit something over the top nice and intricate. I downloaded the pattern for Girasole a while ago. Never thought I'd knit it. Always wanted to. I ordered the yarn and cast on and now I'm moving along!



I'm on Chart B. I've been part of a fabulous Knit Along (KAL) on Ravelry too, and I know if I hit any real snags they will be able to help me, which is a HUGE weight off my shoulders. I'm knitting this out of 220 Superwash in Japanese Maple. So far so good! I just have to be careful not to try to get ahead of myself. The first few charts look pretty easy, but I think it gets a lot more complicated.

Spring has sprung in Louisiana. There is pollen EVERYWHERE. I am not exaggerating. It's thick and you can't get rid of it. We need a good day of rain. Maybe then I will be able to breathe again!!

Cowl of Doom

I started knitting this cowl a little while ago. I figured it would be one of those perfect portable projects(PPP for short). UNTIL I got 5 inches into it, and the puppy had ripped the ball inside out and tangled it up! Do you know what a PITA it is to untangle cashmere lace?? blehegfdshfusfjsfosguafi!!!!!!! So, I spent about an hour trying to knit, untangle, knit and untangle. It worked for a while but there was still a massive knotted mess to get undone. I tried to work it out this evening, but my shiny scissors kept calling me. "Shauna....Shauna....Shauna...just cut it and be done. You won't lose that much yardage do it....do it....DO IT!!" So I did.



Now we're back to normal and I won't be leaving this anywhere within the puppy's reach.

I scored huge on the last Plucky Knitter update too. Got some nice goodies and I haven't decided what to use them for just yet.

More eye candy...The Plucky Knitter tote. So psyched to have one of these!!



Eh hem. Still haven't finished the second sock yet for my Spring Forward socks.

In other non-knitting related news, I have a 10 year old stepdaughter who has a 24 hour stomach virus. Can't get her to drink liquids now. Off to do my best convincing!!!

Where's the bandwagon?

I have something to admit. I totally missed the Twilight bandwagon. (Obviously, if I'm only just mentioning it now) I just saw the first movie, and surprisingly, I loved it. This is usually not my thing, but I really did like it. So I just ordered the first three books on Amazon this evening. So late, I know. Hopefully I will stay interested long enough to read them.

Tonight I cast on a Cashmere Cowl. Yet again, I'm knitting with The Plucky Knitter yarn, this time cashmere lace, in the colorway Duchy. This is a horrible bedside iphone photo, but here's a peek anyway!



I always like to have an easy knit on the needles, so this one will be it. I have been really happy with my knitting lately. This is probably because I've knit a few quickie projects! Hey, whatever works! I really have to finish those Spring Forward socks eventually. Those are a gift for a friend and I'd love to cast off and give them away!

Today was gorgeous and we tool the kids to the zoo. It was fun. Small, but fun :) A lot of the animals were napping when we got there, but the time we spent together made it all worth it!

A New FO

I finished the hat. The only problem is that I was too eager to finish and didn't read the directions properly. I accidentally repeated the same cable twice in the center. I couldn't bear to rip it out so I kept it and I still love it. How could I not? The color is faboosh!!



I still haven't untangled the dog's knitting project. What shall I knit next? I am kind of liking these instant gratification knits! Might need to do another quick one :) Off to search Ravelry!

Castonitis

I have it. I finished the Eternity Scarf and the Melody Shawl and immediately cast on two other projects, one of which I thought would be quick and the other of which I thought would be challenging.

Both have turned out to be sitting there untouched as of yesterday.

First, I had this wild idea that I didn't want to use worsted weight yarn for my 16 cable hat. So, I wound up two hanks of Plucky fingering weight yarn to do it instead. The cool thing is, that if this hat is too small, I have a 10 year old in the house that will fit into it perfectly. The not so cool thing is that knitting with two strands held together hurts like nobody's bidness. Here it is so far:



Like the sunglasses? I was too lazy to move them out of the way for the picture. I just took the dog for a long walk, what do you want from me? ;) It's going to be gorgeous, that is, if I ever finish it!

The other project I cast on for, is the Traveling Woman shawl. I was excited to cast on for this one. I mean, I did the Ishbel and it came out great! There are forces, however, that are not working with me in this case. Both of which have nothing to do with this pattern or this lovely yarn. The DOG. She wants to eat it. She is constantly finding it, wherever it may be. Then, she grabs the cake of yarn and runs to the other end of the house. Needless to say, I have not fixed the dropped, or should I say mutilated, stitches yet. This colorway is hard to photograph. It's much more red than rust or orange. It's really beautiful, and I think, if I do end up fixing this or starting over, or whatever, it will end up looking great.

A sneak peek:



And lastly, for your viewing pleasure, here is what I did last evening:

It's My Birthday and I'll Buy if I Want To

Yes, that's right. I will BUY if I want to. So I did. Went a little crazy actually. But it's my birthday, so that's ok, right? Right. First, a little eye candy:



These are my vegan cupcakes, I got the recipe here. As you can see, I didn't make the frosting because I live in hicktown USA and they don't have vegan shortening here. Therefore, my frosting was a little runny. Still tasty though! I made them for my birthday and I'm hoping they pass the kid test because they have no idea what's in them. They are delicious, BTW!

I gave up meat for Lent. It made me think about what else I put in my body that may not be good for me. So...I've been trying to give up dairy as well. This has been a little more difficult because dairy can be hidden in so many things. I am doing my best, however, and will continue to do so ; ) My father's cholesterol was through the roof the last time he went to the Doc and he gave up meat and dairy. In ONE MONTH he brought his cholesterol down into the normal range. On top of that, he's lost a pesky 10 lbs he's been trying to lose for a while! So I bought this book Eat, Drink and Be Vegan. It's been highly recommended and it should be here tomorrow. Can't wait to try it. I need some variety.

That was just one of my purchases. I also bought a buttload of yarn. I mean, a lot of Plucky. I think it's 7 skeins, to be exact. I'll have to post pics once it all comes in the mail.

I also bought a suit from New York & Company and some jeans, which are, regretfully, way too long for me. For some strange reason I bought "tall" instead of "average" length. I'll exchange them though. Got three shirts to go along with that order too.

My hubster actually bought the vegan book and some wedge sandals for me to from crocs.com. These ones to be exact and in brown. I was really debating getting the blue though. If I like them once they get here, I might need a couple more pairs ;)

In knitting news, I cast on for Traveling Woman by Liz Abinante with some Plucky sock yarn I have. progress pics to come another time.

It's time to celebrate the big 3-1 now!!

Back to the future, I mean blog.

Yes, that's right. I'm back to blogging. I'm talking to my millions of readers here?

(echo echo echo echo)

*cough* Who am I kidding?

Well, now that I'm back to knitting, I've finished three projects in the last three weeks.



This is my second Melody Shawl. This one is knit in Cashmere Silk Lace from The Plucky Knitter, someone who has become a favorite indie yarn colorist of mine. This yarn is ferosh. I love this scarf. It's been done for a week and I still haven't mailed it to my sister. I can't bear parting with it. Good thing I have lots more stashed so I can eventually make one for myself.

I've also knit a Darkside Cowl and Eternity Scarf as of late. I'll post pics of those another day. This Melody Shawl steals the show for me.

So, I'm newly obsessed with knitting again. I'm so glad! I really took some time off to get acquainted with my new family and new digs. Being a stepmother is a challenge, but it's also a lot of fun. I think one of the biggest challenges for me has been learning about how different middle school and high school is now, compared to when I was there. There are things they know about at 10, that I didn't know until I was 17! All I can hope is that they grow up happy and well-adjusted. I want to give them what my stepmother gave me!

The wife part of this equation....well, that is the easy part! Especially when you have a husband who is so NOT a typical guy. He works, I am job searching. I have been basically been a homemaker/housewife for five months now, which I love...but he is just the best. Some days are off days, ya know? I might forget to throw in the laundry or just not feel like putting the dishes in the dishwasher after I cook a two hour meal. He jumps right in! I couldn't be more thankful for him! Never complains...gives me all the love I need. what more could I ask for : )

Back to the knitting. I am working on Spring Forward socks currently. I had to take a break from the second sock because I had to restart it TEN MILLION TIMES. Ok, not ten million, but really close! I am going to pick it back up tomorrow.

I want to cast on for The 16 Cable Hat with my luscious Squoosh MCN Worsted in this colorway:



I'm not sure where this hat will fall into my WIPs yet. We shall see and I will definitely keep you posted! It feels so good to be back!