Okay I suck

So I've been away...

Sorry about that.

I started a podcast...woot!

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Go.

Soon...hopefully...we'll be back on itunes.

Sweet Georgia Ninjas

So my cat is a diabetic...he needs insulin 2x a day. Which means I never get to leave my house for a weekend again. Because said cat is evil and most of my friends are scared of him (he's super nuzzly) to me. So BL, the goddess that she is, offered to do it. I love that woman.

Anyway.

I go off and buy her yarn because that is the perfect "thank you for sticking sharp needles into my cat" gift.

I went to Sweet Georgia Yarns (because BL had sent me the link, and if e-mails could be covered in drool, this one would be dripping). I got her a couple skeins of sock and a couple skeins of lace.

Luckily enough, the package came while I was away and I got to be on the phone while BL squeeed. Unfort though, the sock was worsted weight. Right color...wrong yarn.

I am a firm believer that the test of a person or a company is not whether or not they make mistakes, but how they handle them when they do. Thus Sweet Georgia being a NINJA.

I e-mailed "hey...uh, how can we fix this"

Got an e-mail the next morning. Sweet Georgia had already sent new yarn, and told me to keep the other skeins. Which is way more than she had to do.

So yeah, go buy her yarn (the two of you that read this).

Oh and the yarn is really amazingly gorgeous and beautiful.

Two FOs

Meet my two new FOs.

So on ravelry they are doing wrestlemania 2009. Basically it's a drive to finish every project on your needles (or in my case...those things I've been meaning to do).

I finished my icequeen...that thing around my neck...and Gwen's dress (isn't it soooo pretty). Both I'm really pleased with. It seems I'm getting a hang of this knitting thingy...

Does NOT Count

I am not updating my "haven't bought yarn" counter.

Even though KP is shipping something to me right now.

The shipment includes 3 things

• --3 balls of serrano shine sport--this doesn't count because I didn't buy enough yarn for a baby blanket I'm working on. OBVIOUSLY I need the yarn, and it was my own fault that it wasn't in the orig order
• --2 balls of blackberry WOTA--this doesn't count because it's for my mom's mittens. And I bought it previously, but the thrumming wasn't going right and all the thrumming was all over the outside and so I couldn't frog it because it will be yucky.
• --1 set of size 3 needles--this doesn't count because i am suspicious that one of my 3s from an orig set was actually a large 2. Since I can't prove it, I must replace and accept that I will now have 9 size 3 needles, and 6 large 2s

None of this counts. I checked the rule book. HA.

My correction is up

Glee. A while back I told you I sent a correction to interweave knits. And by you, I mean the two people who even read this blog (one being me). Sigh...

no one knows my lonely dreams
no one hears my lonely screams

Anywho...the corrections is up.

WOOT

it's the correction in the instructions for turning the heel.

http://www.interweave.com/corrections/HPS-p98_web.pdf

worship me as the knitting ninja I am

In other news, my name on ravelry changed. Not by some mystical force, but because Jennifer8 was as exciting as my high school boyfriend (he is not one of the two people who read this, so I figure he's fair game).

It is now NINJAJEN...

woot.

The Quest That Was

There once was a quest.

A quest to not buy yarn until all of the projects were done.

But what happens when an impossible quest meets impossibly gorgeous yarn?

The quest dies.


Meet http://www.vanderrockyarns.com/.


Or as I like to call it...that bar right outside the AA meeting. I saw it. I bought it. And I got others to buy it too.




Lead and Ketamine. (yes Ketamine is a horse tranquilizer)...

In my defense, it was all Canadian money, which shouldn't really count. I mean, it's Canadian...

And it was really pretty. And it was less that 20..well if you only bought on of them it was. And the store just opened Monday.

Sigh.

Counter reset.

It's been 0 days since I bought yarn, and no BL, I don't know what I'm making with it.

The Quest Continues

So right now I have three things on the hooks, 1 thing on the needles...all gifts. This doesn't count the three pairs of socks I have in progress. One of which I'm going to rip out.

I cast on a baby blanket for a friend. I usually crochet tight, so I went up from a G to an H. I get the base done which is 7 square motifs. And it's long.

Luckily I was with my knitting group--which OMIGOD I LOVE. And i look at them: "okay guys, this is supposed to be 7 motifs by 10 motifs. This is 7"

"That's not a baby blanket, Jen, that's an afghan"

Good to know, so i'm making it 7 by 6. I think it'll be fine, and I'm not doing the edging, cuz it's dumb. Sorry but picot chains are just a waste of yarn in most cases. Plus it's for a boy. And it's just dumb.

If i have enough yarn, I'll do a crab stitch on the outside, which adds a really nice beaded edge.

We'll see how it turns out.

When not knitting

I've been cleaning

No really.

Tonight, I seriously cleaned for 5 hours. FIVE HOURS.

I cleaned out old food from my cabinets, merged bottles of red wine vinegar...and moved appliances around. I lemon oiled (gosh i love this stuff) my knife handles. I scrubbed the floor.

This would not even be worth a blog, if it wasn't just so freakin' weird.

I also rearranged my kitchen. So hopefully I'll actually use some of my space instead of using the kitchen table as a crap repository. Now, I'm trying to chill and do some crocheting on a new project.

My quest continues. Until ALL of my gift projects are out of this house, not a skein of non-for-gift yarn will come in...

Cast On, Cast Off--The Caster

So last night, I finished off the second of two tooth fairy pillows I made for two adorable little girls.

I think knitting projects should all be treated like socks. You finish one, you cast on another...or you'll just slide into the abyss of lethargy.

So at 2:30 am, I cast on thrummed mittens, and I really need to make some thrums. I'm on row 14 of the cuff. The color is PERFECT and will look delish with the alpaca roving I got for the thrums....

The Quest

So here's my quest.

I have a lot of things I have said I would make for people that are not me. I have also a lot of yarn that I bought for people that are me.

My new rule: No buying yarn for me until I finish ALL of the projects I have said I would do.

BL will kill me as she is determined to turn me into a selfish knitter. But honestly, yarn has become my new shoes. I have bought it for no other reason than...it was really pretty and the store was nice. I have bought it with no idea what I will do with said yarn. BL will ask me what I'm going to do with my pretty collection of sock yarns. Uh...socks? Judging my her dismay...she wanted a more specific answer.

Pretty socks?

Today I did buy yarn, but for more projects that I said I would do and haven't yet. In the last 5 days, I've finished 2 sweaters (and sent them from my house) and a tooth.

I am going to get through this endless stash of projects. At least before x-mas projects hit.

Fastest Project Ever

Omigosh, this project came together in 3 days.

After having the heck of the last project, where I swear I cast on 17 times, it was so nice having a project that just worked. Plain and simple.

I've never done embroidery on knitting but I'm rather pleased by how it turned out. Quite pleased actually.

FINISHED

Yes, those are little elephant buttons.

Woot.

How exactly did I tick off the knitting gods?

What exactly did I do?

 

Did I go out with their sister and then not call?

What?

All I know is that I've cast this yarn on more times than Dolly Parton has dyed her hair.

Amanda's production using my production

Meet Benedict...in the blanket I made him...GLEEE

A) Gauge sucks B) ooh, I can e-mail in my blog postings...

So gauge hates me.

A lot. I'm not sure what I did to gauge. Okay, I do know. Most of the time I ignore gauge like an ex at a friend's wedding. (not that I have any experience with that.)

So I'm making a sweater for a friend's baby. The baby is now a toddler, because I have more yarn than time. So it started with this pattern.

Cute huh? it's called chaos...you roll the dice to determine the cables.

I got a bit of the way in...a) it looked like ass b) it was a size 2T and the child is turning 3...

Back to ravelry to find new patterns...

Cute, huh? oooh. pretty. should work great. This is where gauge stands up and throws champagne in my face (this did not actually happen, I'm just continuing the simile--it's a simile because I used "like" an ex).

I generally do not check gauge on kid's things--because...well, it will eventually fit them SOMETIME. It's not like they won't fit it at one point in time. So I cast on 154 on size 5 needles. Making 4T---moving right along...footloose and fancy free. Do the 10 rows of garter...WOW this looks...uh...long

that's 33" of toddler waist goodness...where I'm supposed to have 26".

I do gauge. Omigod I'm off. I have 20 stiches by 26 rows on size 7s...yeah that ain't 4 inches. Try 5" Go down a size needle...nope, what about another. What about a pattern size. What about two.

By the end I'm casting on 140 stitches on size 3s and still the schematic is laughing at me. I've got 28" if I squint hard. And I'm supposed to have 26"

And it's only going to get worse.

I tried to ignore. I really did. I thought "oh, it'll fit eventually" but ya know what. That pattern and this yarn are NOT supposed to date. They aren't supposed to talk. They should be separated by a continent.

I gave up..

I found new pattern.

New pattern. New cast on. But I did check gauge. Went down a size...but I got it...

I now respect gauge...I understand how important it is...I fully embrace how needed it is. I love you, Guage. I mean it. I will never deny you again...

Until next time...when I think..."dang, I don't want to knit 4 inches"

Don't argue with a pattern

So i've been coveting the viper socks--yesterday I went to the maryland sheep and wool festival (I would link, but it's over right by the time you read this...why tease.

I went hoping I would find the perfect yarn for this sock...Most of my morning was playing "not it" because

i knew the yarn

I found it on etsy a month ago...I knew it. So every yarn I saw..."nope" ...not sparkly...not right. not perfect...not the right one.

because this here is the YARN...this is it...and i can't fight it.

so I bought it. Here's the link to the store...

However I did buy yarn from ellen's halfpint and mistralee farm

off to go make sangria

New f/o: for baby benedict

More F/Os: Blackrose socks

oooh for me me me

You Know What I HATE

When i spend more time untangling a ball of yarn than I do knitting with it.

Sigh.

hopefully new FO coming soon.

Jen= SOCK NINJA

So I sent my correction in to interweave knits...on the sock...read below

And I was right.

I got this today:

Hi Jen,

Thank you for taking the time to contact Interweave with your explanation and spotting this error for us. I have sent your recommendations about the Braided Gem Socks from Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarns to the book's technical editor and she agrees with you. This will be a correction we will make for future reprints and post online here http://www.interweave.com/corrections/knitting.asp as soon as possible.

Thanks again for your sharp eyes!

Best Wishes,
Lisa Quaratino
Marketing and Books Dept.
Interweave

So yes, watching me knit is as painful as watching water buffalo dance the paso double...but...DANG IT, I can fix patterns!

Other finished project

sewing together 39 motifs blows monkey goats

but dang it's pretty.

Not a bad 2.5 hours work

Cat

Sock v. Jen---JEN WINS

So I was having more than a bit of a time with this sock. the pattern was start with 31 st, and at the end of the heel turn...I would have 19.

I must have stitched that Braided Gem Sock at least 30 times. (okay more like 10, but you get the jist)...I drew out the pattern at least 10 ...

Finally I reworked it and figured out the problem.

I was looking for ONE error in the pattern...there were TWO.

Kinda like how many shooters in Dallas that Nov. morning, eh?

It should be
r 1: sl 1, p 17, p2 tog, p1 (omitted the slip stitch)
r2: sl 1, k6, ssk, k1 9 on needle (was originally k5)
r3: sl 1, p 7, p2 tog, p1 = 10
r4: sl 1, k8, ssk, k1 = 11
r5: sl 1, p 9, p2 tog, p1 = 12
r6: sl 1, k10, ssk, k1 = 13
r7: sl 1, p 11, p2 tog, p1 = 14
r8: sl 1, k12, ssk, k1 = 15
r9: sl 1, p 13, p2 tog, p1 = 16
r10: sl 1, k14, ssk, k1 = 17
r11: sl 1, p 15, p2 tog, p1 = 18
r12: sl 1, k16, ssk, k1 = 19

JE SUIS UNE NINJA!!!!

I think i deserve new yarn...don't you!

Lots of Rest Time...very little knitting

On Monday, I started coughing

On Tuesday, I was coughing...a lot...

By Tuesday night, I was REALLY REALLY coughing. I go to doc in box...or really cvs minute clinic. I will pay $10 extra dollars to not have to figure out my schedule around my reg doc...although I really like him. I wanted drugs right then.

Bacterial Bronchitis.

So Wed...I sleep in and go to work. Come home and sleep.

Thurs...I go in. do three things and go home. Pass out in bed with white fuzzy cat over my head. Pass out completely.

Friday...i'm home, andrew's out and I should be getting this little girl to bed.

Yeah...one week spent mostly in bed...but very little knitting to show for it.

Projects galore

So the past two weeks have been mental-exhaustion. So I was crawling to my knitting group the way a thirsty man crawls to an oasis. I took Gwen as Andrew was helping someone move, and it took a lot longer than he expected, like 7 hours longer.

Anyway. Gwen and peaceful me-time knitting group does not mix. I got very little work done on the koolhaas hat I was doing for boy. He wanted bright and not subtle, so he chose the amish colorway by lorna laces. It is bright. It flashes. omigod it flashes. I'll have to post some pictures.

So I take it with me to canada. all 5 wooden needles

Odd side note....does bamboo count as wood enough so that if you stabbed a vampire with a bamboo needle, would it kill him?

Anyway...

I take to canada

I finish in Canada. WOOOOOO HOOOOOO

I then decide i need some simple calm knitting to just zone out to...like a sock. Yes. So I got Plymouth Happy Feet in red. i love this yarn. it's soft and cheap. (well if you don't mind $12 socks that you have to make yourself). So i cast on switcheroo sock which is in the back of my book on handpainted sock yarns. Cast on the big size because I have big feet. Get a ways down...uh...too big

Frog

Cast on Switcheroo in medium size because my feet aren't THAT big

Ugh...yarn does not go with pattern. Looks just weird. (see the one in the pic looks cool...mine...not so much)

Frog

Cast on blackrose sock large size...as I have big feet. Get aways down uh...tooo big

Frog

Cast on blackrose socks in med size as my feet arent' THAT big. Looking good, but my feet are narrow and the sock is mostly stockinette, so although it's fine on my leg...going to be super loose on my feet. So i'm changing to smaller needles a la the instructions of Bethany... So if they suck...HER FAULT...

not mine.

on a complete random side note...my cat is just lovely...he's sleeping and he just woke up with this cute look of "shouldn't you be knitting and listening to that biography of Aaron Burr you've been enjoying?"

Why yes Jasper...I should. Bye.

One mitt down

One mitt down. Showed them to my sister. She might just be being nice, but she said she wanted a pair. Sent her the palette colors and we'll see.

She also mentioned that she needed an afghan. And she would buy yarn

Ooooh...you'd buy yarn.

Yarn...did you say yarn.

Wait free yarn...and a project. By golly gimmenee you had me at "ya..."

Anyway. I sent her a bunch of photos tonight to look at. I'm thinking knitting, as my sis is quite elegant, and I think knitting makes a more elegant blanket look. But she wanted texture as well. I'm thinking girasole

Overambition, thy name is jen.

That said, I bought marianne kinzels first/second book of lace knitting. Really I wanted a pattern out of the second book. But to have the 2nd and not the 1st...seemed wrong.

I wanted it for this... It's a scroll down. But i want to make it in worsted weight and into an afghan...how mighty would that be. MROOWWWW...

Withdrawal

So this has been a long week.

I haven't been home before 7 or 8 each night

I have also not knitted or crocheted in 4 days.

I feel...ooogly. just oogly. i need to sit quietly, with a book on tape making pretty things. I really desperately do. I even have yarn coming

the dandelion from a previous post

and two skeins of pallette in eggplant. I'm going to make arm warmers from them. I've never done this, but I figure it's socks...with a thumb. How hard can it be.

i'm just zonked and tired, and I think i would be less tired if I could have some yarn and some quiet.

The 6-day clapotis

About two weeks ago...I started my clapotis. I made it in fingering weight yarn...imagination from knit picks--evil stepmother

Better picture of this yarn is here.

It's an alpaca, wool, nylon blend...and i love alpaca.

So it took me four days to do it. It's so nice. My friend JK wanted to make a clapotis herself...she got the most gorgeous yarn, wool, silk, linen blend...I just tried for like 10 minutes to find the yarn. But it's gorgeous. Of course, having her working on hers, she needed support...say me casting on with the gorgeous malabrigo my friend BL gave me (THANK YOU B)

I also bought some of this ---

I'm making andrew a hat. Actually a very awesome hat. The Koolhaas hat...

And yes it is actually a boy pattern...

In other news, I'm about 1/2 way through a baby blanket i'm working on, and about 1/4 though another. I'm desperately trying to finish things so I can work on some lace...that would be lovely.

Now off to plan menus for the week.

Yarn

Yes...walk away from this yarn...

I DARE YOU

go ahead. It's 450 yards of alpacky goodness.

I couldn't walk away...well I did walk away at $20...but I fell for it at $15.

glee..

so now I need to think...pattern.

Oh the joy of finishing

I finished something.

I know. you're spit-taking...it's okay...I'll wait.

Okay, screen wiped off?

Actually I've finished 2 things. I made gwen socks. I love gwen...and as long as you don't sleep with them, i love socks.

Socks and sleeping...just wrong. Just the idea of something on my feet while I'm asleep gives me the jibbleys. Like right now, I'm a-jibblin'.

Anyway, so I finished that. And a sweater for a baby. I was really delayed on this, which is why I've told friends that are preggers that I'll make them a 12 mos sweater. Because then I MIGHT have time/impetus to finish it. This assuming that they call me with pattern/yarn choices at the moment of conception... (insert kinda creepy visual here). If I'll get any further behind, I'll be going "you're knocked up...great, let me know what your child would like if he goes to a cold university...and what university...i'll make him a scarf."

So what does yours truly have going on...now that I've got those two done.

Knitting:
a baby sweater with embroidery...woooon (not cast on)
sweater for the monkey (not cast on)
sweater for cute toddler (on the knitpick line...)

Crochet
blanket for mom-in-law (uh...kinda christmas...more like fourth of july)
blanket for friend (oh the joys of making motifs...plus i subbed in DK yarn and then changed needle sizes. 5 down, 47 more to go...then the sewing...oh i hate the sewing)
blanket for friend -- hate the pattern, need a complete do over

Things I cast on because the yarn made me and told me I had to:
socks for me out of malabrigo
socks for me out of lorna laces

I need six more hands and some new audio books.

Bayfield apple dreaming...on such a winter's day

So BL pointed out that she usually asks what I'm going to do with said yarn before she encourages said yarn. This is very very true.

I had to validate shimmer in ivy. of course i did it by finding a lace pattern and sending it to her with "oh, i'll do this"

I don't even know what I said I'd do.

I didn't get that far with bayfield apple. I have NO idea what i'm going to do with it. It's a sock yarn--so the obvious answer is socks.

and i just did buy a nickel sock set...

oh, i don't know...

I should listen to BL more.

Thank you BL

My friend BL rocks.

She does.

Really.

You know, so few addicts have a really helpful pusher. Someone that goes..."oh, yeah, you totally need that yarn...in fact, I'm placing an order myself...so you want me to add it to the cart."

I love that I can send her links and go "do I need this?"

and BL replies. "oh, gosh, yes..."

See if I did that with A, I would get back..."you have a lot of yarn"

Little rule: Commenting on the size of a woman's stash is the equiv of coming up and saying "my gosh your butt is HUGE"...we know it's big, we don't need your help in estimating size. GEESH.

BL just says "oh, you so need that yarn...in fact I'm surprised you don't have it, let's order it right now" and then she does. So my 10.75 needle is on it's way (along with shimmer in ivy) and so is Bayfield Apple. GLEEEEEE.

Just think where Keith Richards would be if he had this sort of relationship with his pusher?

I'm in love

Oh, I'm in love...with another yarn...

My life was fine...yes it was...until it blew my mind.

I think that's Ray Parker Jr. ...but I get him and Lando Calrissian kinda confused in my head...

Anyway...I'm in love with a yarn.

Meet the colorway "Bayfield Apple" by Yarn love. Oh, because I had to explain to Andrew...a colorway is what knerds call a multicolored yarn...it's not a color like "red" or "blue" it's a colorway like....*drool* Bayfield Apple.

hold on a minute.

need to collect myself.

...

okay I'm back. Yarn love makes a yarn called Elizabeth Bennett...thus uniting my love of yarn with my love of Pride & Prejudice. It's like finding out your hot boyfriend really loves it when you eat chocolate frosting from the plastic tub...it's a keeper.

It's merino...silk...and bamboo... I love bamboo. I'm kinda bummed it's ecologically friendly as it completely makes my love guilt free. I like my love guilty--and with chocolate frosting.

I need this yarn.

NEED IT...

Need it like the air. Like the water. Like the blood rushing through my veins giving life to the neuro wires that scream this yarn's name in the night, pleading for it as the completion of my wounded soul.

or...i just really really really want it.

sigh.

Hello. My name is Jen...and I'm a yarnaholic.

Jen--worst blogger EVER

Yes, it's true.

I haven't blogged in two weeks.

I also haven't:

• mailed out all my x-mas cards (yes I know it's 2009)
• finished all my x-mas gifts
• written any thank you notes
• gotten rid of this massive sinus infection

That last was put there in hopes of absolution.

I realized a couple days ago that a knitting project I was doing out of watermelon shine from knitpicks...was prolly going to take a bit more yarn..Which if you clicked through, you see it's...CLEARANCE. This is knitpicks "nice" way of saying "no one else likes this color except you, so we are tossing it unless you buy it RIGHT NOW" So of course I needed to ordered a few more skeins...yes I know the dyelot will be off, better that than an unfinished sweater.

But knitpicks does free shipping if you order 50 bucks. So of course I have to order 50 bucks, but I ordered stuff just 10 days ago (no seriously I did. It was a gift card...doesn't count as stash) (one of the thank you notes I haven't written). So I polled friends "hey ya need anything" because obviously spending a few bucks for shipping rather than buying more yarn, needles, and what not is anathema in the eyes of God. It is. Really.

So that got me like $10 bucks of stuff (turns out BL just doesn't need anything that doesn't start with mal--and end with --abrigo). Lucky...NW figured out what sex she was having...woo hoo. and so I ordered yarn for her child. Here's the pattern...revel in it's cuteness...plus I can break out my embroidery books! Yeah that got me up to like $30.

So I ordered the entire nickel sock set. It was shiny. It blinded me. I swear. And I figure I need to learn to do socks. Right? Look, I'm rationalizing here, you could at least play along. Let me say I love knit pick needles. They are slick and pointy. In some alternate universe, I am romping with them on a luscious field of strawberries with a river of chocolate fondu...it just got weird didn't it. Dang.

Up to 50. Placed order. Woo hoo.

NOT 24-HOURS LATER...I realize that they added a size to the options needle set. Yes that set that just last night A goes "so you have a complete set, huh?" and I gleefully went "yes...yes I do."

THEY ADDED A SIZE.

Seems those pesky europeans need a 7mm. WHANKERS. See. there's Euro sizes and US sizes, because US people can't be bothered to learn the metric system. So you're going along, size US 8 is 5 mm, US9 is 5.5mm, US 10 is 6mm, but wait...US 11 is 8mm. That there is a jump. So they made US10 1/2 which is 6.5mm. You can get most of the sizes in most stores.

But Knit Picks is international, so they added US10 3/4 which is 7mm.

Which means...I no longer have a complete set. This bothers me immensely.

(As a side note: Latern Moon-lovely needles that they are-is offering US 10 7/8 which is 7.5mm because US people still can't be bothered to learn, embrace, and declare dang superior the idea of measuring your needles by diameter and not assigning arbitrary and meaningless numbers to them that have to retrofitted to accomodate the full range of sizes...not that I have an opinon)

This brings us back to the problem that I DO NOT HAVE A COMPLETE SET OF NEEDLES. There is a 7mm needle tips out there...and I want it.

So it's $6.99.

Anyone out there need $43.01 amount of yarn from knitpicks. I can place the order for you.