hmmm....

Sometimes I feel like I spend so much time here, oohing over everyone else's FOs ... and I will never have a FO! As if I didn't spend enough time with the plain old blogs! Anyone else feel the same?

Here is the Blue Sky Tank ... I had the front done over a week ago, but then have been distracted by the internet...

...I really love Blue Sky Dyed Cotton, its so soft! I really want to get this done soon .... must - resist - Ravelry .....

Settling in ...

Just some pics I took during a bike ride, I'm really liking my new home so far ...

(Clockwise: American Gothic, Le Veque Tower, North Market, Lily pond at Goodale Park)

I also have a FO

Loop Mitts! (a free pattern from Loop).
This was my first time with Picot - what a bear to cast on with, but I liked casting off with picot, and its so pretty - wearing them makes me feel special. My mom is making a pair as well in complementary colors, she's not done yet but once she is there will be a better picture (hear that mom?)

That little ....

(expletive here - s-head would be a good suggestion)
I was only gone for a few hours and look what I came home to:


Who me? But I'm a sweeeeeeetheart!

I would never do something counterproductive to your knitting like, say, unravel half of the ball and somehow manage to get 1/3 of the stitches off of the circular needles and unravel a *few* rows. (Note the collar ... not a sweetheart collar)

Well, to look at the glass half full (after ripping back 6 rows), at least I have a picture with which to blog about my new project: the Fitted Tank. I am almost done with the front after casting on 3 days ago, I love the Blue Sky Cotton - its so soft! I feel like a real Blue Sky Alpacas groupie with this right after the Clementine, and because I just purchased this, which I can't wait to cast on for with this in shrimp (not yet purchased, I am set on THIS color, don't ask me why - there are so many beautiful colors in this yarn!). Thats enough thisses!

2 Months...

..thats not too late, is it??!!?

I'm talking about ...

Clemetine Shawlette from Spring 2007 IK
Blue Sky Alpaca Silk - less than 3 skeins (and this is long too!)
US 5 Straight Needles
...My 2007 Mother's Day present is finished!

I am pretty happy with the shawl. The yarn is very soft and was nice to work with, and I think the color can go with a lot (black, white, pastels...). I don't like grafting, and I was dumb and did it before my AM coffee today:

knit purl, purl knit...
...it seemed to go on forever (probably because my reward was a cup of coffee, again, bad move). I really don't enjoy grafting, its stressful for some reason and I always at some point zone out and slip stitches off the needles I shouldn't, or start perseverating on the knit purl .. purl knit...purl knit, making mistakes. And I'm not good at it. This time, I thought I had it, I was going to graft on the 4th repeat row, the knit row, so that everything would be even ....

...well, its quite obvious. I thought about ripping it out and redoing it ... but my mom liked it as is, and I was afraid of messing up more (lots of yarn overs, passing stitches, and it took so long to graft!). Morale: Coffee is not a reward, its like toothpaste in the AM, its part of getting ready.

Now I can cast on for something new ... Since its summer and hot, I'm leaning towards some cool cotton for the Blue Sky Alpaca fitted tank, another 3 skein project (hopefully this won't take 2+ months), but I just bought this great yarn for a Clapotis

Sheep Shop 3, 2 skeins

I also swatched a bit before for the Central Park Hoodie too .... that Cascade 220 would be really painful in this heat though....Stay tuned!

Phew!

Sorry about being a bad blogger ... I've been too busy. Some of the busy-ness has been in bad ways (work: 6 weeks of call (working 30 hour shifts) every 4th night and 5 weeks of not having a complete weekend off), and some exciting (I've moved! Well, moving wasn't fun, but setting up/decorating a new apartment was!). I'm also without my precious internet, and I don't know when it is going to be hooked up. Pooooor me!

Hello Columbus!

I now live in Columbus, where I grew up. Its good to be home, the city has changed a lot (in good ways) since the last time I lived here ... eleven years ago! I have an apartment downtown, and it has a washer and dryer in addition to a pool (2 things I didn't have before, I'm getting soft - 4 years ago I didn't even have a garbage disposal in my apartment!). I've been in Cleveland for the past 7 years, and its a great city (lots of culture, character, spirit), but its been a hard 7 years and, so, it feels good to move on. I still have 2 months of residency left, but they are light months so I will be semi-commuting/staying with family in Cleveland and hopefully still make it one Saturday to Phoenix Coffee to knit. I'll miss Cleveland, it will always be a "home" to me.

Anyway, I hope to have a kntting post soon ... I am getting some much deserved relaxation at the New Jersey Shore with family this weekend. Look where I stopped on my way from the airport:
Loop!

(Sheep Shop Yarn 3 - Color G129 - intended for a Clapotis, I haven't made one yet!)
Such a nice store!