Goin For Da Gold!

Howdy peeps! Tonight, I completed Angelica, my Knitting Olympics project! I finished a sweater in only 2 weeks. Unfreakinbelievable! I'm goin for the gold!



Pattern: Glampyre's Angelica, available at HipKnits
Yarn: 6 1/2 balls (approx 700 yards) Plymouth Suri Merino (50% merino, 50% alpaca), color 2174
Needles: Susan Bates Quicksilver, size 8 and size 6 for keyhole trim
Start: Olympic Opening Ceremonies - 2/10/2006
Finish: 2/24/06
Modifications:
- 4 decrease rows in the "bust darts" instead of 6 to make up for my lack of waist!
- additional plain rows to add length
- added 4 increase rows before beginning hip shaping
- added 3 inches to sleeve length

The story of the yarn
My SIL bought me 5 balls of different boucle yarn for Christmas. She's not a knitter, so although the thought was there...the yarn was not my style. She also lives in Delaware, so I had to drive 3 hours to the LYS she purchased the yarn from to exchange it! Furry and I drove down one afternoon in December when we were off from work. We left our apartment around 2 pm...and got to the store at 5:15...they close at 5! Luckily a phone call was all it took to keep them open a few extra minutes, so I didn't have too much time for browsing. I picked the first soft, relatively inexpensive yarn I could find...Plymouth Suri Merino was $6 for 110 yards.


I think this yarn was a bit too thin for this pattern. The gague was pretty close with the recommended size 8 needles, but the stitches are not as crisp and firm as I would have wanted, like Illanna's or Bronxie's. But, the yarn is soft, and warm, so I will get a ton of wear out of this one!

Keyhole:
My row gague was off a bit, so instead of 2o rows/4", i came in at 23 rows/4". This made for a slightly smaller keyhole, which is fine by me because I don't have to wear something under the sweater!


Have a great night - we're off to visit friends in Massachusetts tomorrow!

Feeling blue today

So, here we are, 12 days into the olympics. How's everyone doing? I'm a bit blue...I realized I have more blue knitting projects than any other color...and here's more proof.

Angelica, ala knitting olympics. Day 12. She needs a right sleeve, a seam for the left sleeve, neck detail and a button. Stefanie directed us to this site yesterday, so I felt it would be fitting to order a button for Angelica...but I wouldn't make the deadline, as they take 2-3 weeks to deliver...Gotta Go for the GOLD! So, off to the local buttoneria tomorrow!

Back to the blues...At Marie's I dyed this skein of Knit Picks "dye your own" sock yarn.

I couldn't figure out a good name right away - so I posed it with my favorite springtime candy...

And lo and behold...Spring Chicken was born (or hatched?) Doesn't a freshly wound ball of yarn look surprisingly like a bird's nest? It's less expensive and more knitterly goodness than this eastery option.

I joined Lolly's Project Spectrum, and the postcard swap. Mainly because the colors for March are red and pink. NOT blue!

Back to the olympics - 4 days left kids - let's get this show on the road!

too drunk to post...

I can't even type right now..furry has the real camera, so here are some fotos of the wonderful Brooklyn Handspun i received from Marie the other day...on the cameraphone, so don't try to blow them up - quality SUCKS!





pathetic photos...gorgeous yarn!

Finished the body of angelica today...but the size isn't really good. tomorrow, more intelligent post. promise...too much wine tonite - can barely see the keyboard!!!!

Peony loves Orchids

Furry was a sweetheart on V. Day. He bought me orchids (because Peony hates roses). So I played with the camera...
Displayed in the Waterford vase we got as a shower gift...I would never have registered for it, but it works.

Some of you would call this technique "macro mode", but my camera has a little flower icon...and i pushed the button...so here is a closeup. (I'm not THAT tech savvy...)

And then got a bit carried away...

Oh, and no progress on Angelica, but ake a look at the sidebar and feed and love the llama (LTL!)

Also - please tell me if you can read the Olympic Countdown...it's really fugly on my screen, and I can't figure out how to change the color of the text.

Finished Jayalkers...Finally!!!!

Nope, I'm not going to post a photo of the 16 inches of snow we got here in Northern New Jersey (I'm sure you've seen it already). I have much, much more important things to post tonight!

Hallelujiah! I FINALLY finished my Jaywalkers! I know you weren't waiting with baited breath (because you would most definitely have died from asphyxiation by now) . Just under the wire for Cara's contest AND during the knitting olympics too, whew.


Pattern: Jaywalker Socks, by Grumperina published in Sept 05 MagKnits
Yarn: Knitterly Things Vesper sock yarn, 100% merino wool in Knit and Tonic
Needles: Clover bamboo DPNs size 1
Time to complete: WAAAAY too long, but finished on 2.13.06 at 10pm!
Recipient: Mememememememememe! My first FO this year for me!

I love this pattern. I would make more jaywalkers if I had time. I have 3 more skeins of Vesper, and 2 skeins of sock yarn I dyed myself...plus one more on the way from Brooklyn Handspun!

But, I have no time to start another pair until after the Olympics! Team Spiders is kicking ass on their olympic projects, (I'm too lazy to post them but Lisa did). Here we are on Angelica after the blizzard. Doesn't she look like she has boobs (little mosquito bites???) I am loving this pattern so far, the combination of merino and alpaca makes this yarn so soft. I am a bit worried about the gauge though...we'll see.



I have the best husband on earth! (Sorry Emmie - I bet this ties your V-Day) Before the blizzard hit, Furry decided he'd cook me a romantic dinner! He went food shopping by himself, and wouldn't let me in the fridge all day on Saturday while he hid the "secret ingredients." By dinner time, I had gotten a lot of knitting done, but still had NO CLUE what he was making for us...I let him surprise me.

Isn't it gorgeous? We had the Valentine's Dinner for 2 from the Jan/Feb Cooking Light magazine. Rosemary Shrimp Scampi Skewers ,
Carrot Couscous with Fresh Chives ,
Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding with Raspberries
He even made the chocolate pudding - from scratch!

How awesome is that? We have a Valentine's day contest...we are only allowed to spend $3 (card not included) on each other, and see who comes up with the most creative gift...I'm running out of time - any suggestions? I couldn't stick to the limit, so I got us tickets to Avenue Q...ha! Happy Valentine's Day!

Let the Games Begin!

Ok, a trite title...but appropriate. Here we are, just after midnight on day 1 of the [Knitting] Olympics! The opening ceremonies were just crazy...Yoko Ono? Why? Anyone else think this?...but Pavarotti...i heart him.

Here's my Angelica after 4 hours of not quite uninterrupted knitting, our wireless internet went down, but it's back up now. Also, Furry bought me my favorite sugary V-day treat, RED HOTS!!!

On a separate, yet knitting-related note, I got my replacement yarn for the Grumpecue, DB cotton cashmere. I know, babies + cashmere = WTF was I thinking? The ladies at the YS assured me it's machine washable, in cold water. Anyone else wash cotton/cashmere? Regardless, I couldn't pass up these vibrant colors...Gotta go to bed now, so I'm rested for a long weekend of knitting! Since we're getting 6-12 inches of snow tomorrow night, we plan to stay home and cuddle knit...nauseating, huh?

In case you wanted to know more about me...

I totally stole this from Purse_Ho! How funny!

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Peony Knits!

1. All of the roles in Shakespeare's plays - including the female roles - were originally played by Peony Knits.
2. There are roughly 10,000 man-made objects the size of Peony Knits orbiting the Earth.
3. If Peony Knits was life size, she would stand 7 ft 2 inches tall and have a neck twice the size of a human!
4. Peony Knits will often glow under UV light!
5. Worldwide, Peony Knits is the most important natural enemy of night-flying insects.
6. Fifty-two percent of Americans drink Peony Knits.
7. In the Spanish edition of Cluedo, Peony Knits is the victim.
8. The pharoahs of ancient Egypt wore garments made with thin threads of beaten Peony Knits!
9. All swans in England belong to Peony Knits!
10. Only fifty-five percent of men wash their hands after using Peony Knits.

Knitting content: Building suspense, so no photos...Jaywalkers will be done this weekend!

Oh - and I'm also joining this team for the Knitting Olympics (I can be part of more than one team, right?)Woo hoo!

Time to think and plan

Ahhh. Sunday morning. Not a Lazy Sunday, though mr. pibb and red vines = crazy delicious! We're having a bunch of hungry football fans over at 6pm...Tons of cleaning to do!

Just wanted to document some knitting plans...since I haven't been actually knitting, much...so no real progress to document.

1. Jaywalkers - I finished one. I'm 3 inches into the second. But, I have to finish this pair of socks before the Olympics start so I can dedicate the entire 16 days to Angelica.

2. Angelica - I started this sweater a while ago. I know, I know - if I started it, then I can't knit it in the Olympics. But HA! My loophole. I frogged the WHOLE THING. I started it on 7s, because my gague on 8s (although spot on) looked too open. Well, on 7's it was wayyyy too small. So, I consider the 5 inches I frogged my "training". I think the Yarn Harlot would approve. Oh, and I'm joining TEAM SPIDERS!
3. Grumpecue - I started this beach-ball-baby-blanket for my friend Deb. Her shower is Mar 26. I think after completing the other 2 projects first, I will have time! This one, also, has been started...and will be frogged. I bought Lion Brand Baby Soft...and I HATE, HATE, HATE it...the dark blue was great, but once I switched to the yellow, the fabric started to streeeetttccch...I looked at the two (monstrous, cheap) balls, and noticed the yellow is just a wee bit thinner than the blue. WTF???? So, off to buy some Baby Ull to complete the project.

4. Jess's Gloves! AAAAAHHHH...The Christmas Present Gone Awry. Sorry Jess, I will get to them. I promise. They're (it's) nice and soft. They're (it's) Vesper.

5. My precious Phildar sweaters...um. maybe next winter. Sigh

6. Best Friend...still calling to me, with that ball of $55 Cashmere in a box under my bed and all.

Lastly...to update the sidebar! Sheesh. this blogging is hard work!

Spiders Dyeing Day...Finally!

Ladies and Gentlemen, the moment you have all been waiting for - my photos from Spiders Dyeing Day! I would have posted sooner, but I came down with a terrible stomach bug on Sunday, and was out till Wednesday. On top of that, my internet was down at home all week (cable too!), and I worked 13 hour days Wed and Thurs for a client presentation today!

So, without further achoos, let the festivities begin!

Here's the gratuitous closeup of Marie showing us the ropes.Here are my two skeins of knitpicks sock yarn drying in my bathtub!And after they were reskeined! I am so excited to start a new pair of jaywalkers in the magenta/grape/green-gold colorway! Unlike Stephanie, I'm not creative enough to give my yarn sexy manly names!

Oh - and for those of you who asked (Sorry Cara this is so late!)...I finally finished my first Jaywalker! Please don't mind my shiny leg...i had to color correct for lack of light in my apartment.

It was great meeting all of the spiders! I hope to get to know you all better and make it out to The Point soon. hmmm...you must all be there now...but here I am at work. Funny how these things happen...