An FO, a UFO, and a haircut

I officially love Fetching! As I was working this pattern, I realized that working on DPNs is my favorite way to knit. I definitely need to learn how to knit socks.

In the meantime, I learned the cable cast-on, how to make a thumb (using waste yarn, pulling it out, then picking up stitches), and do a knit picot bind-off with this pattern.

AND, this is a feat for me. I finished it in TWO DAYS! I started it at our WWKIP (World Wide Knit in Public) Day event and finished it last night (and not late either). I worked on it while I was chatting with ladies at my church's 3rd Annual Ladies Spa Day so I got a good chunk done there.



I still need to work in the ends, but it's basically finished. I also made sure to start the next one right away so I (hopefully) don't get catch "second-sock syndrome" (a knitters "illness" in which the second item in a pair is not made, or delayed, because the knitter loses interest in the pattern). We'll see how successful I am, considering the number of UFOs I've got stashed away. People, I am sick. SICK!

Speaking of UFOs....here is the Clapotis. Horribly neglected for the past few days, but still in my WIP (Work in Progress) bag.



I love this pattern, and I love this yarn. It's such a beautiful color and texture. I think it will be my favorite scarf for the winter in San Francisco.



I think it's kinda weird that I've been so interested in knitting cold-weather items. Perhaps I'm subconsciously preparing myself for the colder climate in SF (sheesh, I'm talking like we're moving to Wyoming or something, ha!), and using this as my therapy. All I know is that I'm going with it!

Hopefully I'll finish that tank top sometime before summer ends so I can actually wear it. Or maybe I'll end up working on it in the winter so I can feel closer to summer. I am so weird.

Lastly, going back to my Ladies Spa Day reference, I got my hair cut! I also got my eyebrows a bit more under control, thanks to the wonderful women at my church. For the past three years we've done a spa day where brunch and various treatments are available to the women and guests for FREE! It's an awesome opportunity to spend time together and fellowship as women and be pampered. A number of women in our church are skilled in various areas, so it makes for a fun day.

This is kind of a weird picture - it's at a funny angle, but I was having a hard time getting Nathan or I to get a good picture. Most of you who read this will see it in person soon enough anyway!



By the way, if you look closely, you can see that my shoulders got a bit burnt at WWKIP. I wasn't expecting to stay as long as I did, and I paid for it - I really need to find my sunscreen!

PS: I forgot to mention the cool new sidebar gadget. I discovered My VisualDNA through Tracy and Chauntel's blogs. And I liked it so much that I personalized it and put it up here. It's pretty accurate in describing me if you go to the website and view the details of each "label". I don't know where you gals find this stuff.

Crackyarn, Clapotis, and the Kiss

Evidence of my newfound addiction. I saw the update on K&P's blog yesterday, stopped by after picking up Nathan from work and bought a hank, once I got home, I cast-on for a skinny Clapotis.



PS: It is actually "Indigo"

I've also had some other projects going on lately. This is a puzzle version of The Kiss by Gustav Klimt. We bought it over a year ago (maybe even two years now) and never got started on it. This is what we've gotten done in the last week (and we weren't watching TV or movies all last week). IT IS RIDICULOUSLY HARD. I didn't think it would be this difficult. I've been working on it on my lunch breaks and we've both been working on it in the evenings.

It's 1000 pieces (there are actually some in a box off to the side, so that isn't even all of them) and 26x17 inches.




This is the Home Resource Binder I recently put together. A reference guide to our family, if you will.



Notice the lovely decorations instead of the Ugly Black Bar. Hee.

One Crazy Couple

I came across this picture today and just had to share. This was taken Christmas 2005 (we had gotten engaged a month and a half prior).



Nathan was just figuring out what he was getting himself into, hahaha!!

Project Picture Update

I have gotten caught up with my project picture taking, so be prepared for an inundation!

Firstly, in the spirit of the origins of this blog, I present to you my first crocheted blanket. It is still not "finished" because I never got around to weaving in the ends (bad Marieke!), but it was "mostly finished" a couple years ago. I love it in all it's purpley, lacey, coziness.





Secondly, on to some knit items in the works (notice, I have no completed projects, just more WIPS, ha! As my friend Jenn put it "You're really ADD with your projects"):

The first item, of course, is the Rebecca Sweater I'm about 1/3 of the way to the armhole shaping now (6-7ish inches).



The Dream Swatch (12ish inches):



The "Java Cozy Scarf" (named after the Java Cozy I crocheted for my mom, which inspired the scarf) - this is my own design (alternating blocks of stockinette and reverse stockinette) and it's working up fast on size 13s (I hate this yarn though - Red Heart "Light & Lofty" in Pheasant - it's not fun to work with).





Here is my first project on DPNs, first hat, and first "in the round" project - a baby hat (although I think I may have gauge issues to work out since I changed from garter to stockinette stitch).



Lastly, I got this book for Christmas...



...and I decided that I need to make a sweater that I can actually finish before it gets warm again, so I'm going to make this one (but longer):



I matched gauge with Caron Simply Soft in Raspberry (it's more red than this picture lets on) for this sweater, so it's the one I'm making (I tried to match gauge on another sweater from a different book, but that didn't really work, so I'm going with this one). Since it's two strands of yarn at once, it seems like it's gonna work up quickly (yay!).

Oh, and going back to Jenn (a very close friend of mine), she is now officially the first person I've ever taught how to knit. I gave her a skein of Thick & Quick Woolease that I got from Chauntel's stash-purging, and let her borrow a pair of size 11's and off she went making a scarf in garter stitch (I'll teach her to purl next). She caught on very quickly (nice, even stitches) and got really into it. One skein wasn't enough (she was nearly through it after about 2.5 hours of knitting), so she's gonna buy a couple other colors to add on.

Yay for knitting! Now if I can get one of these projects finished!

Knit is the new black

Black is the theme today. My New Wristies are black (and therefore make me feel slightly badass when I wear them, especially with the black long-sleeved shirt I've got on....though I am completely aware that I could never be 100% badass). My poor crochet hooks are crying. The poor lonely, abandoned hooks.

In other news, we have a new kitchen table and chairs (read: we have a REAL kitchen table and chairs...gone are the card table and uncomfortable folding wood chairs that no bum should ever have to endure sitting upon).

It's so perty! I wasn't sure that I'd like the pub-style height, but I actually do. I think it looks better in our small kitchen and it s comfortable to sit at, despite my short legs. Plus, even though the table is small, it has drop-down leaves, so we can put it right up against the wall like it is in the picture and it comfortably fits 2 place settings.

Back to a somewhat-knitting-related topic, I am in love with the square canvas tote bags (bottom right of picture) that Tracy owns. I did a somewhat quick search on Google to see what I could find and the closest thing I could find are these canvas box thingies from LNT.

So not the same.

I have half a mind to make some of my own, but then I'd have to spend money on zippers, plastic stuff for the little window to display the name of your projects, etc, etc.

I'll just have to scrounge around Random, Ross, and the various thrift stores around town for other cheap and hopefully comparable organizing thingies. Cause my knitting area (aka, the space between the keyboard, the wall, and the couch) is in desperate need of organizer thingies considering how often poor Nathan is attacked by skeins of yarn, needles, and wayward pieces of paper alternately displaying my scribbles or any one of the million patterns I've collected (barely any of which I actually USE).

I'm gonna be keeping myself busy in 2007!

I got a set of circulars thanks to my dear hubby!





I LOOOVE these needles! I switched the sweater over to the Boye needles so I can see all my work stretched out as I work on the sweater.



I'm still getting used to having the wires attached, but I like that the actual needle part is shorter and doesn't get caught on blankets/pillows/couches/husband/person that are near my elbows.

Speaking of the sweater....I am DONE swatching! I don't have it down 100% perfect, but as long as I'm paying attention to what I'm doing, I can get it right and usually fix any mistakes I do make. Plus, since I've got it mostly down, the mistakes aren't as noticeable.

After Chauntel & Tracy's help:



Finished! (the extra mini-swatch was done on the circulars to make sure the gauge was still right because ny straights were *slightly* larger even though they are supposedly the same size):



I stopped by Chauntel's house on Saturday to say hi and borrow some knitting books. She gave me a TON of yarn (yippeee!) and so far my favorite is this mill-end cone that is a beautiful lavendar color. I already started on a scarf for MIL's (other MIL - not the one I made the belt for) birthday in January. On my new circs of course!




(The ball is the largest center-pull ball I've ever done - and by hand!! LOL)

Lastly, a non-yarn creation :)

Christmas Breakfast!!



I hope you all had lovely Holidays! Hooray for a short week :)



PS: Oooh, I almost forgot....the last crochet project I did was the java cozy for my mom. I love how it turned out and she loved it too!

Getting my knit on.

Now for the promised pictures!

First off, I am jumping on the fan bandwagon and posting my signed "Knit 2 Together" book. I LOOOVE this book! I'm so glad I got it as my first real knitting book. I can't wait to get started on a project from the book...although it's gonna be probably a month till I do. *sigh*




Now on to the meat of this post: I did my first blocking! And I took pictures to prove it. I read Eunny Jang's recent post about blocking, and it really helped. My only complaint was how freaking loooong it took to dry! But it's a little thick and I did put a towel under it (on top of a very large, thick plastic bag), so that might be why.

Pre-blocking:




Soaking (I used no-rinse "Soak" in the Flora scent):



Draining:



Expressing the water:





The pinning process:









I only blocked the side strip (which will make up the side panels and strap) on the sections that will be sewn to the side.

All blocked and writing the pattern (which I will share when it's all done and I know it looks good!):



Here it drying the rest of the way on a clothes drying thingy, with the scarf for my mom next to it (don't mind the mess). It's amazing how much better it looks! I can't wait to get it finished.



And to top it all off....here are my first real cables! I've been wanting to figure out how cables work, and I finally did. Yippee!



They are attached to my sad looking little tester swatch, but there they are and they are cute :) I put my handy-dandy new cable hook thingys from Knit & Pearl (Clover brand). I really like how they work.

A taste of our wedding...

Just thought I might share these so you can see what my husband looks like (plus, wedding pictures are fun!). If you want to see more, email me and I'll give you the info.

(PS: Tracy, this is for you *wink, wink*)