Coffee Swap package

I got my Spring Fling Coffee Swap. My pal was Helen from the UK. I got lots of cool snacks from the UK that I have never had a chance to taste or see in my many trips there. There is some lovely green yarn that I don't know what I will do with it. The bag was handmade by my pal.

The coffee is awesome. I have been having trouble drinking coffee lately. I just discovered today that I am having trouble drinking flavored coffees. I get instantly sick after having a mug. I started the day off by heading over to Tully's and got some Madison Blend. Today was the first was the first day that I have had more than half a mug without getting sick. I had an entire pot.

The coffees are Monsooned Malabar & Kenya AA. Kenya AA is one of my favorite coffees. It was the first bean that I was able to drink black.

FO Friday - Monkeying around

Pattern: Monkey socks by Cookie A Raveled here
Yarn: Butternut Woolens Super Sock Yarn (this yarn is being discontinued so no extra facts)
Needles: US 2 (2.75mm) knitpicks harmony fixed circular

Mods: I knit a short row heel with the pattern flowing down into the heel. Since I took my FO pics this week, I was unable to get my heel in the picture. I also allowed the pattern to descend into the toe a bit more. I really had fun working the decreases in the toe along with the pattern.

Facts to remember: You might "know" the pattern but do you really. I somehow forgot half the pattern and made the repeat about half as many rows. I kept wondering why the pattern was flowing so fast and stiffly. Then I figured it out and groaned as I ripped out 2 repeats of the first sock. My DPN gauge and magic loop gauge are just a bit off, enough that one sock pooled and the other barber poled. Also I need to remember there is a too tight sock gauge. I first tried this on US 1 (2.5mm) needles and was confused at the cardboard texture. I think it did not help that I was knitting a woolie wool in Houston as the weather begins to heat up. The yarn was more enjoyable to knit once I was back in the NW.

Things I Love: Doing a simple easy pattern that allows me to design while knitting and that flew off my needles when I neglected it so much.

Reaction of the recipient: I don't know yet, but these and a whole mess of packages are being shipped out on Monday.

Dude, what are you doing inside?

Mr. Bun feels that once the month of April appears, we should be hanging out outside without a stupid doxie around to herd him into heart racing palpitations. No fear Mr. Bun, I think we can work out something if you are willing to wear a leash.

Tis strange to be answering a question about May flowers and April showers and what I would be doing on when the April showers are showering, since I am sitting outside in the sun blogging. Glorious sun! Here we have april showers every month of the year. It is the rare occasion that it does not rain in the Northwet.

A better question for me would be, what do you do when the sun shines. Well I will answer both. We know Mr. Buns opinion on the matter. How about mine?

April Showers make me curl up and knit. Now that we have a wood stove in the living room, I can be found with a kettle boiling on the stove and a fire within. Tis my fav, but then I have always loved the cool weather. I like sweaters and woolie things. I prefer to ask churchable to set up the fire the night before, but sometimes he is busy or the day was not expected to be so chill. On those days, I hop across the doxie intimidating grass (tis hard when you are only a foot tall and the grass grows like a weed and needs to be mowed the day after it was mowed) and fetch wood from the shed.

Now this year has been odd and we have not had many warm days yet. Two years ago when Care Bear was visiting from Michigan, it was so hot we both got burnt from hanging out in the backyard. I love to go outside and dink around in the dirt and clean up. I am not much for gardening when the weather is unpleasant. Call me a fair weather gardener and I will take it with pride. I think this year I will be pulling my laptop and knitting out to the hammock under the tree to chill all day long. Now if only I could figure out a resting place for my glass of iced coffee; I would be completely happy.

Does the Spring time make me feel like diggin in?

This weeks topic for the coffee swap is about how green is our thumb.

Well I might have been interested in getting out and growing things in years past before I started blogging and designing knitting garments. Now I hope my yard does not die from neglect. The houseplants have been weeding out which of them survives on once a week watering. The gerber daisies seem to have survived the winter (they can be seen sprouting next to the Endpaper mitts in the earlier post.) My roses seem to be doing better with the neglect.

I would love to do more, but with the whole discussion and plans to build an addition to the house. Things have stalled because most of my usable garden space will be under the addition. We have enough yard to move it all to new locations but as of yet we don't know the exact footprint set in stone.

For now I get my veggies from a local farm through a CSA share. It starts the first weekend in May. I am excited to see what we get. This year has been so cold that it might be good or it might be a bit sparse.

Now if I really had all the time in the world and the perfect house, would I still choose to sit and knit and ignore the landscaping. Hmmm.... would I also not live in the Northwet? My biggest challenge with gardening here is that it is not always nice. I do get out on rainless warm day and trim up the plants. My biggest complaint is the weeds. They make me want to give up and just knit.

When did you start your addiction?

Of course we all have addictions. Some are legal and some are not so legal. If you are reading this blog, you probably have a thing for needles and yarn. Maybe you also like a little FO every once and a while. If you're me you might have a huge thing for FO. I can't get enough of them and the cool thing is that I can get at least one a week unless I am struggling with something like the Big Green Monster.

Now I feel a little dirty after writing all that, but I have another addiction. I started a bit younger than most. I have to blame the start of this addiction on my mother. She would cringe every time I would tell people at the age 5 that “I loved coffee” and people would look at her like she was crazy for giving me this adult beverage. Ok so it was not straight coffee it was as my husband likes his coffee, a little coffee with my milk. My mother allowed me to heat up milk in the microwave (a new to us and came with the house appliance) and then place an exact number of instant coffee crystals in my coffee. The number of crystals was based on my age. So when I tell you that I loved the taste of coffee and that I am very picky, you understand that I learned to discern the taste of milk with and without and I loved the special little taste that coffee added. I also loved things made with coffee.

It was another 5 years later at the age of 10 that I tasted real full blooded coffee. I was being watched by a friend of the family who did not have kids. That evening there was an adult function which I attended with my parents since I was practically a mini adult from the years of being an only child and only grandchild. I got to help this friend get ready. She asked me if I would like to make the coffee. I said ok and started to get out what I considered “coffee stuff.” After she finished laughing at my choice of items, she taught me how to set up Mr. Coffee. Her way quite intrigued me. She used ground coffee but she added ground cinnamon (my favorite breakfast cereal additive, yes odd, but remember only grandchild here). After it finished brewing, she let me have a taste and let me have it black, then with a little sugar, and then with cream added. Of course I needed all those things because of my little milk with coffee habit.

But by the time I reached 15 and had moved out of the house (ok moved to boarding school), I had developed a full blown coffee habit. I got myself down to black Kenya AA coffee. The stuff was heaven in a mug. I loved it and my 2 pot a day habit (listen don't judge me it was only a 4-cup coffee maker). Maybe a bit much because at the age of 18 my body started rejecting caffeine. This was totally not fair because chocolate had also become off limits to me. Chocolate made me lose my lunch (even the smell of it) and Coffee made me have convolution. Upon graduation from high school, I cut out the coffee and learned to love tea. Let me tell you, I thought tea was vial. Most disgusting stuff ever. The only stuff in the college cafe that I could bear to drink was the mint tea. After a year of drinking mint tea I loved the cool menthol taste. I stayed off coffee for a total of two years.

During that time I loved my mint, but I had discovered Chai tea. Yes yes that means tea in another language but Chai had this almost coffee flavor that I loved. It lead me back into coffee. It did not help that if a guy wanted to hang out with you but not “ask you out”, they would ask if you wanted to go for coffee. Now this coffee house things was new to me. They had all these strange words on the reader board. I tried them all. At first I picked and chose what sounded interesting, pretty soon I get started with the first item and worked my way down. I was back to my old love of milk and coffee. The latte was picked for the nice coffee flavor and its cheap price tag and giant mug. I could sip at it all night and not get another.
As graduation drew near, I looked for a place to attend art school. I wanted to knit for a living but first I wanted a degree in art. Where else did I land but in the Pacific Northwest, the land o Starbucks. I started heading to Starbuck because my fav store was not out here. I stuck to drinking Chai lattes since I did not really care for the taste of 4buck's house coffee. Luck would not allow me to continue drinking my Chai's and coffee because my convolutions came back. Stupid things. At this point I switched to herbal chai (without a speck of caffeine) and Steamers. I never felt deprived but my coffee maker felt deprived.

My return back to coffee was 3 years ago. I probably drink on an irregular basis the same amount of coffee that I did back when I was in High School. I don't have an every day habit, because I don't need the caffeine but I love the taste and nothing can chase that love away. I hope I have kicked the convolutions in the teeth. Every allergist I have visited has told me there is no part of coffee that could cause me those problems nor do I have an allergy any more.

I know I have become spoiled living in the abundant land of coffee where on every corner. Even out in the sparsely populated areas, you can find a coffee shack (for the uninformed, this is a trailer like building that is permanently placed in the middle of a parking lot so that you just drive up and get what you need.) I realize this every time, I leave the NW, because I miss being able to decide I want coffee instead of having to hunt for coffee. I know there are 4bucks in every state in the Union but I don't go there. It is not anything thing against big business or any such thing. I just don't like the burnt coffee I can taste every time I get a glass.

Currently I am in the fifth largest city in the US, in the land of my birth, but I think the only coffee place I have seen has been Starbucks. Any one know a good coffee place in Houston?

WIP Wednesday

I have now cast-on for Alisa. I need one that matches the pattern now that it has become a fully polished pattern. My prototype sadly is not exactly like the Alisa. I am loving the knitting. It is going so smoothly and I can't wait to wear it. I am pushing for a finish while I am in Texas. Maybe I can get some shots on the beach to add to the pattern pages. The colors kind of go with this segment of PS3: Earth. The linen color is a browny white so Brown it is.

The second sock is chugging along. The goal is to be done on Friday or before so I guess my needles need to click along for the next two days.

Well I am in the midst of packing, I already packed for my retreat weekend. I drop that off last night at my meeting. Once I leave for Texas, I don't come back home till after David even though I leave Texas a good 12 hours earlier. I am headed to a retreat with a group of women that I lead. I am not the only knitter but I am a bit of an oddity because I don't care if people see me knitting. I have had so many women ask if they can sit with me and knit because they don't feel weird since someone else is doing it.

I have several bloggers that I will get to meet up with while I am in Texas. Plans are finalizing because I don't want to fill my time with knitter meet-ups all the time, but I would love to. Now what knitting to pack to impress the other knitter's. What kind of knitting impresses another knitter? What kind of knitting impresses you? Do you even care?

Look for a new weekly post tomorrow.

A big thanks & coffee swap topic 2

Since some of us is beginning to see glimpse of Spring, while others are still getting snow have you change what projects are working on?

Since I am a beginning designer, I don't always work in the season. I have to work with wool when it is hot and cottons and silks when it is cold.

Have you put away the hats, scarfs and mittens, and brought out the cute tank top sweater projects and lacy wraps?

I have put away my heavy scarfs and hats, but still have fingerless mitts and a wool ear band to wear when I go walking in the morning. My tank tops are still being worn over or under long sleeve shirts.

Have you change yarn to something more lighter and cooler, not so heavy and bulky?

I do have one project waiting in the wings for myself. I am knitting the skirt from the Spring 2008 Interweave Knits in a silk linen blend.

The socks are ones that I received from a secret swap partner from a group on ravelry. You knit someone a pair of socks as a symbol of the prayers your have said on their behalf. Many of you know I have been struggling with one particular pair of socks, the pomatomus socks that I am knitting are for this swap. I am officially late. I just reached the heel of the second sock so I hope to be done soon.

My partner was sitandspin over on ravelry. I don't think she has a blog but she was a wonderful partner. I had a blast getting to know her this swap. She also included this in my package.

The small yarn balls are leftovers from my socks. The large skein of Tempted is the same brand as my socks. I love the feel of my socks. I got the package Saturday morning as I was walking out the door for a local political convention and I put them on immediately and wore them for the next 3 days. So comfy and smooth on my feet. The blue yarn is silk yarn that my partner spun for me. It is so pretty I don't yet know what to do with it. Maybe make a little something special.

WIP Wednesday

Please excuse the dust here on the blog. My husband launched my website early. It reroutes you back to the blog from the blog button, but I want it to live over on the website. Those of you on RSS will not have to worry, feedburner will get you to the right place. I did find out that I need to get rid of my widgets or create my own versions of the widgets for my sidebar. So there will be a bit of changes going on here in the web world.

PS. If you live in Houston, TX and want to meet up this month, let me know.

Would ya look at that!! I have a sock done. Does anyone know which sock this is and why I am so happy to be 1 sock down and one to go? If you can't say off the top of your head check back a few weeks or even into February.

Since Spring is here and PS3 has switched elements to Earth, I cast on a nice Spring Green Baby Sundress for my pastor's wife who has been afraid to use my other present because it was wool. This one is Cotton-Ease from my stash. Ugh. Oh well I have heard good things about the new Knitpick's Comfy. I need to try it out and it might become my baby present yarn choice.

What's in your pantry? coffee or a bun?

Hey Coffee Pals,

We were asked today to go visit each others blogs and tell something about someone who liked the same roasts as us. Well I could not stop at one since I found some lovely ladies.

I started out by opening everyones blog into a tab and reading them. Well I started at the end of the alphabet and moved forward.

I was a bit shocked by all the Starbuck lovers. I can't stand the taste of the coffee. Oh well to each his own. Though I secretly hoped for starbuck loving pal because it is easy to find here in the land o starbuck.

Vicki P amazed me with her Kauni sweaters. I love her photo collage of cutting the steeks.

Christy T has the cutest crocheted stuffed animals I have seen.

Chan has a funny picture of all her dogs pileing up on one person. My dogs try this but only when someone is on the floor.

Thanks my lovely hostess for encouraging us to look at a few more blogs. I loved it and I added a couple blogs to my already large blog roll.

WIP Wednesday

Since I finished wicked on Saturday, I needed something to work on Easter while visiting friends. I finished up the first endpaper mitts pretty quickly. I thought I had a lot further to go on this one. I was amazed to work on it so little and finish up one mitt. I might have gotten further that day, but I forgot that Ham gives me severe migraines and had some for Easter dinner.

Since I still had a little over 1 skein of malabrigo left from knitting my wicked sweater, I decided to make something else for Malabrigo March. I finally decided on A Better Bucket since I really like to wear them all year round. This should be a yummy snuggly hat that keeps the rain out of my face.

The other little start there is my swap sock. I had to rip it out at the beginning of March for the second time. I really did not want to think about it for a while so I placed it in time out. Today I decided that I needed to get it done since the swap ends at the end of the month. My pal gave me a bit more time since this thing was frustrating me too much after knitting it twice.

I have been working on getting my next pattern out to my test knitters so these pitiful attempts are all I have to show you. Once next month starts I will be knitting my final sample of Alisa (rav link), the pattern I will be releasing at the end of the month. You will get to see the pattern as it develops. I will be donating the first couple of months of proceeds to ravelry and then later a portion of the proceeds will go to ravelry.

Monkey Sock Swap 4 Questionnaire

FYI This swap is an invitation only swap.

The Measurements

Shoe size: US 7 ½ W and 38 EUR

Foot length in inches: 9 inches

Circumference: 8 ¾ inches

Yarn Preferences

What are your favorite colors? Brown, Orange, Reds (rust and burgundy), blues (antique blues and dark blues, not much on the baby blues), and greens ( I love most any green) Fall and Forest colors are faves.

What color clashes with your wardrobe? Pink, mauve, and purple (plum and burgundy are ok)

Do you prefer solids or variegated yarns? I like semi-solids and variegateds that are in very similar colors

What are your favorite brand sock yarns? STR, Chickchick studios, and Zen String. I have knit with Opal, Lorna’s Laces, Sockotta, Wildefoot, and Koigu. ( I don’t enjoy knitting with these, but I don’t mind wearing this yarn. In reference to Opal, I hate it with a passion. I am sorry if it is your fav or old stand by.)

Is there a new sock yarn you really would like to try? Louet Gems solid color, but I would prefer indie yarn dyers: Scout, Wollmeise, Yarn Pirate, and See Jayne Knit . Pretty much I would love to try new dyers as long is it is not a Koigu like base. I like knitting garments with Koigu but not socks.

Cookie A. Patterns

List the patterns you do not have but would like to receive: Stricken, Flicker Sock, Mingus Sock Django,

Allergies

Do you have any allergies that your pal needs to know about? (animals, fiber, sensitivity to smoke etc.) To petroleum products, so anything with glycerin, or mineral oils. Those are the most common names for petroleum products. I have no problem with plastic bags and such, just liquids and semi solids that they place in foods or body products.

Will you knitting be exposed to animals? 2 dogs and 1 bunny that likes to snip cords with his teeth.

Will you knitting be exposed to cigarette smoke? No

Shipping

What country do you live in? USA

Are you willing to ship outside your country? I would preder the US but if needed I can have an international swap partner.

Spring Fling Coffee & Yarn Swap Questionaire

I am participating in the Spring Fling Coffee & Yarn Swap. There is still time to join before the 25th of the month.

Coffee

1. What is your preference? Whole beans or ground? Whole Bean

2. What kind of coffees do you enjoy? A rich, bold roast; a light, fresh one, or something in between? Leaded or non? Leaded with a mellow smooth notes. I love rich flavor but it has to be smooth.

3. If you were headed out right now to buy some coffee for the house, what would you be picking up? I would hop on a plane to Florida and buy some Barnie's White Christmas. Yeah for a popular flavor being available year round now.

4. Do you drink for caffeine, pleasure, or both? I drink for pleasure. I can have as little or as much as I want and not have side effects if I go without.

5. Do you enjoy flavored coffees? How about add-ins or flavored creamers? I love flavored coffees. I have little flavor tabs to add to my coffee which I have used since I was 14. I typically use liquid flavored creamers.

6. A large, lovely mug or a small, dainty cup? I have a set of 6 starbuck's city mugs that I use regularly and some double walled Bodum 12 oz glasses.

7. Describe your perfect cup - not JUST the coffee, but how you'd enjoy it! I normally grab a mug in the morning or afternoon just before I curl up in my knitting spot. My coffee maker keeps the coffee warm for 2 hours. So I drink about 2 mugs oh coffee with creamer and a nice cookie or slice of bread.

8. You're sitting down to enjoy a nice cup in the local coffee shop, knitting bag in hand, iPod all tuned up - or maybe you're there with a few friends for knit night! What treat do you pick up to enjoy with your coffee? A sweet, rich brownie, or something more healthy? How about a salty treat? What goes best with that great cup and company? Just the mug of coffee since I am talking most of the time. If I do get something, I love a nice cheesy bagel or not too sweet scone.

Yarn

1. Do you knit or crochet? I knit mostly but I do know how to crochet.

2. What are your favorite types of yarns to work with? I like knitting with DK and Worsted weight for sweaters and Sport and Fingering for socks.

3. What do you have on the needles (or hook!) right now? Well it is always fluctuating since I am a fast knitter. Check it out on Wednesdays I post my WIPs on my blog.

4. What are your favorite colors in yarns? Fall colors. What about those that you'd never find in your stash? Pinks and true purples

5. What sort of needles or hooks do you enjoy using? My favorite needles currently are the Knitpicks Harmony Needles. Any you just detest? I don't like metal especially in DPN form.

6. Are there any particular notions you absolute do NOT need? Some of us swap a lot - are you sure that you have enough tape measures to last your lifetime? Enough stitch markers to mark every stitch of a 10 foot wide afghan? I don't need tape measures or scissors.

7. You walk into the yarn shop and have exactly and only enough money to purchase 2 skeins of yarn in their 2 for 20 special they have going..The choices are a soft, thick cotton/viscose blend in your favorite colors, slightly variegated..a beautiful sock yarn that's just squishy and sproingy in your hands.. a soft, worsted weight wool like malabrigo.. and a lovely bamboo blend with colors to just die for. Which do you walk out the door with? I would probably walk out with the soft, worsted weight wool like malabrigo.

Spring

1. We're starting sign-ups on the first day of Spring - is it already truly Spring-like where you are? Some days and some not. The Northwet has its moments of indecision.

2. What's your favorite spring flower? Do you have one? I love Gerber daisys. My front walk is lined with them.

3. What do you most look forward to about springtime? A little bit warmer weather and not wearing hats inside my house.

4. They've predicted a gorgeous day tomorrow - Sunny and about 65 with a nice breeze - how do you spend your day? Hopefully sitting out in my backyard knitting. It is a bit cold for iced coffee and too warm for hot coffee so I will just be drinking a bottle of water.

5. The day after, it's going to be cooler and pouring down rain - does that impact your mood? How do you spend that day? what helps cheer you up? I will spend the day in my knitting spot with a nice mug of coffee or tea depending on my mood. Knitting and watching sci-fi shows.

Odds n Ends

1. Do you collect anything BESIDES yarn and needles? Frogs – classy frogs.

2. Are you allergic to anything? Yes lots of things. To petroleum products mostly, so anything with glycerin, or mineral oils. Those are the most common names for petroleum products. I have no problem with plastic bags and such, just liquids and semi solids that they place in foods or body products.

3. Do you have pets? 2 dogs and a house bunny.

4. Is this your first swap, or are you an old pro? What are the last 2 swaps you participated in? I just finished the No Humdrum mitten swap and Blogging by Mail. I am finishing up one more swap.

5. List 3 of your favorite blogs - craft related or not - and tell us why you love them.

Non Dairy Diary – I love her art work. I would love a banner on my blog of her artwork.

Green Apple, a knitting blog – I enjoy seeing all that she knits.

Socks-for-Mum – A great blogger that I met during one of my swaps.

PS3: Fire - Things to warm your soul

My soul has been warmed by a few things this week. My set back this week which Indigo mouse thought I should have called RIP Wednesday instead of WIP Wednesday was bolstered by a rather good next few days.

Mittens:

My mittens were frogged along with my socks on Wednesday but I created the pattern and marched on to a spectacular finish (ok it was only one mitten but I am claiming all the victories I can these days). This mitten is lovely and I am smitten with its beauty. I hope to release the pattern in a few months or so after it goes through tech editors and test knitters. So look for it.

I also hung out with Churchable and my best friend Kayleen. We wandered around Portland, going to the Saturday market, lunch in China town, a walk through the Chinese garden and a trip to Uwajimaya. While at Uwajimaya, I stopped in the bookstore and looked at the knitting books. I was stunned and it took a bit of time to figure out what books to buy. One of the books I did get, I wish that there had been a second book to buy for my mitten swap partner.

There are other pics from the book on my flickr list.

The book above part of the Heart Warming Life Series. ISBN 978-4-529-04510-0. It has twined knitting and fair isle. As soon as I got home, I looked up the mitten book to purchase. It will be arriving in a month so mine will be mailed with the package, but this book is so beautiful.

Swaps:

Click on the picture to see exactly all that is there.

This week I received my BBM: Little things package from Megan of Megan's Cookin. She sent a lovely package. This swap was supposed to represent the small good things that can be offered and that we keep the shipping down. She sent me 14 items. All very much appreciated.

I also received one of the 2 ATCs that I am to be getting from this round of PS3 ATC swaps.

liquid flame trying to crystallize

The new improved steam iron in a bottle

I also did the two above for my swap partners. I had fun with my puns and pens.

Contests:

Well I am not having a contest, but 2 other bloggers are and I am going to share with ya'll. One ends tonight at 10 PM EST and the other by the end of the month.

Up first is the contest at Beautiful Thing's blog, she is celebrating one year of blogging. Very cool. She asks that you do a simple things and answer her questions.

• name : Chrispy
• flickr id : pursuitoffiber
  
• ravelry username: RChrispy
  
• your vote for your favorite of my 2007 FOs: I love your A-line tank it looks lovely on you.
  
• link to or description of your favorite of your own FOs (knitted or otherwise - anything you made): wow well I am going to have to go with the one I wear the most. Some people are in love with their most recent FOs. I would be but recently those have been a bit slim. So I am going with my Rusted Root.
  

The second contest is over at Knitting in Pink. She wants us to list our 3 favorite things about where we live.

1. A new working fireplace.

2. A big backyard for the dogs to run around in.

3. Close to the biggest city park with a lake to walk around and exercise the dogs at

WIP Wednesday - a sad day

I was so excited to blog today. I was going to babble on about my mittens and socks that had progressed so far over the weekend.

Tuesday afternoon found me frogging my mitten back to the yarn. I love the pattern. I have named the pattern. People who don't knit have been asking me if the pattern would be good for a beginner to learn. Such high praise for mittens not yet sent. I Rippit because I was not happy with the decreases and the detailing was roughly thrown in. I needed to refine the pattern so I did. I wrote up the Firebrick mittens last night in a fit of Insomnia.

Then this morning, I received a call from my friend to tell me about my the socks that I had sent her way yet again for her daughter to try on fit but were really snug. Well yeah, but my pal really would rather be a bit smaller than snugger. So I frogged that yarn all the way back to two small balls. Good thing the yarn frogs repeatedly like a dream. If you intend to knit and frog alot and want a fancy yarn then silky sock is your yarn. I am shelving the socks until after I finish the mittens

WIP Wednesday: Stupid cold bug...

I went away for President's weekend and I came back with a wicked bad cold. My throat was so sore that I lost my voice and then my nose ran so much that I used an entire box of Kleenex in one day.

Thankfully the weekend was fun and I have decided that next year I will be leading this same game again because it was a blast to run and I think I picked the right time to do the game. I GMed Robo Rally a really cool board game where you control a robot that has lasers and is trying to run a race through a course with moving parts. In addition to having a good time, I met another knit blogger. She is the one in green.

Well I am back and feeling a bit better. I still have the lingering bit of it all, but no more fever or heavy symptoms. I did knit during this time. I knit on what I now have titled the Big Green Monster. Arwen is almost done. It just needs a hood. I tried to get out of knitting the hood, but when asked what 16 year old would opt for a plain cardi. I knew I was delusional when I asked.

Now I have been working away at my swap sock which keeps causing me problems. The first sock was done and I am down to the heel of the second one. A friend's 3 year old wanted to try on the pretty sock so I let her and it was almost too tight on her. So I passed the sock to a friend with a child of similar size to the sock recipient. She could get her foot down the leg but not through the heel turn. So I will be ripping the first sock back to the heel turn. I have a bit more time than I thought with these socks. I thought they were due on the 15th of March but I have till the end of March.

Sadly these are all the WIPs that I have going right now and they are making me a bit crazy.

I have been taking a lot of PS3 pictures. I have compiled them into a slide show for you. If the java messes up for you here is the flickr slide link

Must knit not blog

Excuse me while I knit like a crazed person that hasn't knit in a while. I have been too busy with a lot of things. The picture is of a sock that I started for a swap that I am participating in over on ravelry. It is Pomatomus by Cookie A done in Silky Sock. It glows. I am sorry that you can't see a color pic but my pal knows who I am since she is the hostess. I seem to keep getting the hostess in the small swaps I have been doing.

Ok I am off. Wish my hands speed so I have stuff to show you.

Monkey Sock Swap THREE Questionnaire

Monkey Sock Swap THREE Questionnaire

The basics:
Do you consider yourself a beginning sock knitter, an intermediate, or have you been doing this so long you could probably knit a pair in your sleep? I feel that I am an intermediate sock knitter. I know how to fit a sock on a picky wearer aka Churchable my husband.

The measurements:
Shoe Size: US 7 ½ and 38 EUR
Foot circumference: 8 ¾ inches
Foot length: 9 inches
I prefer my socks to have a tight gauge and to have about 10% negative ease.

Yarn Preferences:
What colors do you love? Brown, Orange, Reds (rust and burgundy), blues (antique blues and dark blues, not much on the baby blues), and greens ( I love most any green) Fall and Forest colors are faves.

Do you prefer solids or variegated? I tend to knit myself solid or colors within the same color family. I love the variegated but I just have not brought myself to knit them. I have a skein of Silkie STR that is crying out to be a sock.

Do you prefer wool, cotton or acrylic yarn? Wool and cotton, but not acrylic unless its calmer. I am a complete and utter fool for bamboo.

What colors would you never wear? Pink, mauve, and purple (plum and burgundy are ok)

What are your favorite brands of yarn? STR (yup that is all the socks yarn that I like to knit with that I have knit with) I have knit with Opal, Lorna’s Laces, Sockotta, Wildefoot, and Koigu. ( I don’t enjoy knitting with these, but I don’t mind wearing this yarn. In reference to Opal, I hate it with a passion. I am sorry if it is your fav or old stand by.)

Are there any new brands you would like to try? Louet Gems solid color, but I would prefer indie yarn dyers: Scout, Dream in Color Smooshy (series 200 or 300), Wollmeise, Yarn Pirate, and See Jayne Knit

Cookie A. Patterns:
Which of her patterns have you already knit? None but I lust after all of them.

Which pattern(s) would you like to knit and don’t already own? I don’t own any at this point. I am most interested in Twisted Flower.

Other pertinent information:
Would you be willing to have an international Monkey Pal or do you prefer one in the US? I would like a US pal, since my SP will be an International pal.

Do you have any allergies? To petroleum products, so anything with glycerin, or mineral oils. Those are the most common names for petroleum products. I have no problem with plastic bags and such, just liquids and semi solids that they place in foods or body products.

Will your knitting be exposed to smoke or animals? I have two dogs.

Are you on Ravelry yet? If you don’t mind having new friends, what is your Ravelry name? yes, RChrispy