Itchy itchy eye!

When I bought this blue yarn on Labour Day weekend I remember rubbing it against my neck. It wasn't so bad. Not rough. Not heavenly smooth but not rough. As I worked on this scarf I would put it around my neck to see how much longer I wanted to make it. Each time I thought it was a bit rough but I brushed it aside. Now as I wrap it around my neck I can not imagine giving away something so itchy or wearing something so itchy. I'm thinking about sewing some sort of fabric - silk? fleece? something non-itchy? - to the "back" of where one would naturally wrap it around their neck. I mean, it's not like she's going to wear it any other way, right? Hum.

I don't think I have enough yarn for a fringe but I don't think I want a fringe either. My only issue is that she wanted mittens and I wonder if it will look weird if I use a different type of yarn - but still blue - to knit those for her. Hum.

Add-on: I'm getting used to the itch. It's not so bad. But still.

I need to update this more

So I have a master list of what I'm going to do with all the yarn in my (small, I swear) stash. In about 10 minutes I should be done a scarf for Vidya and I'm going to have to find an appropriate gloves/mittens/armwarmer combo pattern because I've got some pink worsted that needs to turn into something to keep my hands warm. I am seriously so cold lately. And I'm going to need another subway/bus knit. Problem is that I can't decide between mittens or fingerless gloves. I don't really feel like knitting gloves. I was thinking of the combo - y'know with the flap but I'm still undecided. What to doooo what to doooo.

Note how I should be working on two articles right now, putting together broadcast ideas and doing some Spanish review. Oh knitting how you distract me so.

Good news! & a tired knitting rant.

Okay, so it really has been a month and a half. I have no idea how that happened. Really. I think knit-blogging just made me feel guilty if I didn't have proper progress to report on.

So remember how Van wanted legwarmers way back in May and I only finished the first one sometime last week or the week before? Well I started the second pair yesterday and finished today. Uhhh who knows how that happens! I guess we must thank Bollywood for this one - for giving me the time in which to work on it. I have to admit though, I was racing to finish it on the way back from Ottawa and I got soooo naseous. Seriously. I really needed to slow down.

Also, this past weekend my family and I took a trip to random parts of NY and then Ottawa (as noted before). Outside of our hotel in the town of Canton there just happened to be THE MOST AMAZING YARN SHOP EVER. "Linsie Woolsie". Anyhow, going there really made my day. Slash weekend. Slash week. lol It just so happened that they had just opened for a sale - and btw they never usually open on Sundays - and almost everything was 40%+ off. I must add that their regular prices of yarn are already SO MUCH CHEAPER than ours. It is kind of ridiculous.

I bought two balls of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, one of this Sockotta Italian sock yarn and one skein of Lorna's Laces Revelation in this really soft earthy palette. Now here's the thing, I went in knowing that I had 40$ worth of gift money. At least, I knew my mom had it. My mom was like oh here's this sock book! You have to get it. So I thought okay, great. I want a book but damn that means I shouldn't buy anymore yarn. So despite wandering through the store and seeing sooooooo much more I wanted to pick up, I stopped because I figured I'd be dipping into my mom's money. She was like "are you sure you've got everything you want?" and i felt guilty - i didn't want to take advantage of my mom's niceness. So I didn't. Then when we were going to the car she tells me the book was from her! So I totally could have bought quite a few more balls of yarns. *cries*

Oh well. I will try not to think about this much but it's kinda killing me. I mean, the DB was like $3 something. You could NEVER get that for that price in Toronto. They had NORO for $5!!!! ... okay I really need to stop. My only problem is now whenever I want to buy nice yarn I won't be able to justify spending so much for it because I'll think about the small town of Canton and how affordable it is there. Frick.

So now that I'm done Van's legwarmers (they need to be blocked and ends woven in), I'm not sure what to do next. I have that shrug on the needles but I had made a fairly big mistake and going back several rows will cause me much pain. I hate going back when there are YO's. I also don't think I should take that one with me to school until I have it figured out. I have to rip out this blue scarf I was working on because it's wayyy too wide and I think it'll be too short otherwise. I want that scarf for myself (just like everything else I knit) but I'm feeling like I should give it as a gift to someone - as for who, I'm not sure. I do actually have to get the second pair of my socks done. I had done quite a few rows until it accidentally started rippin out on the bus and because there are too many awkward stitches to pick up I think it's easier to rip it all out and startover. This could be a pain but in honour of Socktoberfest I think I should do it. I also know that I'm supposed to sew up this camera case for someone but I kinda wanna just make another one cause I don't like that one. And I have to rip out this phone case that I had knitted because it's too small. Hmph. I also have some sock yarn that needs to be dyed soon so that I can get working on some of the lovely socks in the "Knitting on the Road" book my mom got me. Ahhh so much knitting. Might I add that my mom's birthday is next week and I have yet to get her anything - I want to knit her something but she doesn't wear chunky scarves or gloves or anything. She said she'd wear a thin scarf but the question is, do I have time to buy yarn for that (because none of the yarn in my stash will work for this - might I add this goes against her telling me not to buy more yarn till I use out what I have), find an appropriate pattern and knit it all by then? I don't really think so. What can I knit for her that's small and useful? :S Vid also wants black mittens for the winter. Oh which reminds me that I need to fix her case. OMG SO MUCH TO KNIT. SO LITTLE TIME.

Pictures of yarn and things to come.

Lillian Tank and wips wips wips

So last night I finally FINALLY decided to finish that Lillian Tank. Woooo.







Don't mind the dirty mirror and needing to shower photos - I was gonna wear it tonight when I was all dressed up but no lol.

Pattern: http://deliciousstitches.blogspot.com/2007/05/lillian-tank-top.html Lillian Tank by Delicious Stitches
Yarn: Three skeins of Lion Brand Cotton Ease - with some leftovers (headband, anyone?) - Cost me about $15 CDN
Needles: 24" US 6 Pony Circulars - The pattern calls for 16" but A) I didn't want to buy new needles and B) I don't think I could have comfortably fit all my stitches on there. lol

The Good:
- easy to follow pattern
- affordable yarn
- great worn on its own or with something underneath
- fast knit

The to-change-for-next-time:
- I think I might make it a tad bit shorter so that I can wear it on my jeans with pockets without having it stretch around it
- Might do the middle ribbing in a slightly smaller needle
- Experiment with other lace patterns - though I do love this one

Interesting notes:
- before I blocked this it had the most interesting ridge pattern. Not something that I'd wear because it looked like I had potatos in my shirt but still really cool look. I didn't even block this properly. Enh
- It's just a teeensy bit too big around the waist area in the back for me. Whatevs!

Favourite knit so far, I think!

P.S. I knit this about a month ago and didn't get the ribbing done in time for my trip to Florida so I put it away for a month cause I lost the motivation to finish it until last night.

And progress on my first pair of socks - photo taken Tuesday.

Lack of updates

I haven't updated here in a good while mainly because I haven't had time to be the craftster that I want to be. lol Seriously.

My Lillian Tank is sitting on my desk, the armholes still awaiting the final ribbing. My mom keeps asking me why I don't finish it already so that I can wear it but I haven't had the urge to finish it just yet. I think I aught to go shower, water the plants and then maybe do that.

The day I left for Florida I also started my first sock in this awesome wool. I luuurve it. I have to admit, turning the heel was not as hard as I thought it was going to be and was quite enjoyable. I'm still on sock #1, though.

I also at some point in time ripped apart my sari silk scarf. Why, you ask? CAUSE I AM RIDICULOUS. Anyhow, what's done is done and I'm currently re-knitting a scarf that I once had. It is slightly different as I'm knitting it on bigger needles in hopes that it will be longer than my last scarf.

I've been itching to make this bolero for quite some time now. I think I want to do one in black, see how it comes out and then try it out in a different colour with a different lace pattern. Someone on Craftster used the same pattern but used a different lace pattern and I love how it came out. I think I want to make one in white or yellow or blue. Yes I did just list lots of colours. And woooo! Lion Brand Cotton Ease will make it an affordable project. I should go pick up some with the coupons I have for Michael's before it expires.

Everytime I use my sewing machine I'm inclined to learn more and do more with it but no time! I started a knitting needle case for all those circular needles Spiderman bought me but I haven't finished it. I'm starting to think I should have used a pattern of sorts cause it's kinda messy but ah, what can you do. I still am going to make another case for my straight needles & double pointed needles with some fabric I bought last month. I think I'm going to use the leftover fabric to make a purse because I seem to have bought a lot of it.

I've spent the last hour gazing at all things Amy Butler. GAH. More things adding onto my to make/do/knit list. Oh yeah, and it doesn't help that every family member seems to want me to knit them something for Christmas/birthdays/just because. Eeeee! I've got to work on this time business. And updating business. I have plenty of photos but I think I'm going to hold off on the Lillian photos till it's absolutely done and I'll post an earlier progress shot of the socks later.

On another note I really want to go to the Stitch n Pitch.

Mistake or a touch of humanity?

So I've been knitting away on the Lillian Tank since late Friday night. Actually, I didn't really work on it much today but anyhow. Today I thought to myself, "Wow, you've made it so far in the Lillian Tank without a single glitch. I mean, sure, at first your stitches were twisted and you had to re-start but that wasn't so bad. Now you're many inches in and it's lookin' good."

But I spoke too soon. No sooner than after I thought this, I realized I made a mistake. Two rounds below where I was I must have made a mistake with my yarn over. As in I never actually made a yarn over. Making one of my lace repeats hole-less. Holiness. Enh.

I showed it to my mom comparing this one tiny bit with the rest of the lace patterns and she assured me that it wasn't noticeable but I didn't continue knitting either.

I've been staring at it since wondering if I should stop being so lazy and go back two rounds (280 stitches my friends! lol) or if I should think to myself, "Ah, it's on my back, no one will notice or care."

I'm starting to think I'll go backwards but maybe tomorrow when I'm hopefully more awake.

Oh and I would post rather amusing photos I took but my laptop is being a pain.

Mmm one too many projects

So after Rogers today I quickly went to Michael's to find yarn for the Lillian Tank that I could afford after my not-so-good trip to Romni Wools last week. They didn't have TLC Cotton Plus but they had the just-as-good Lion Brand Cotton Ease in a few colours. It was also on sale! Eee. So I bought 3 skeins for a total of $15 but I'll only use up 1/2 of the 3rd skein meaning that the top will cost under $15 when done. Which is about how much I pay in store. Reasonable? I think so. I stood for awhile staring at the colours putting it against my skin trying to see which one went best. I didn't want white or black and I didn't want pink. That left me with a lovely buttery yellow, a terracotta that was extremely bold, a soft shade of blue, a bright lime and a really dark purple-y colour. I ended up choosing the "misty water blue".

Now you see, I still have to finish Vanessa's legwarmers. In fact, because I keep getting side-tracked by random things, I'm still on legwarmer #1. How is this possible? lol I'm going to dye and hopefully knit Vidya's camera case today and mail that out to her and then I'm giving myself until... hmm... Saturday to finish Vanessa's legwarmers. Which then gives me three and a half weeks to knit the Lillian Tank. (I want it done in time for Florida.) Hoy. If I manage to knit that quickly then I shall start my sock-ness.

Oh crap, it just occurred to me that I have that magazine article to start that's due Friday. Hum.

It also just occured to me that this Cotton Ease is a worsted weight. And I was looking for white worsted weight cotton to do this shrug in so I can wear all my silly tanks. But all I found was acrylic or wool. Me so silly. Oh well, I suppose if I manage to fly through the Lillian Tank I can get to that...