Saturday 15 September 2007

Photo smorgasbord

Okay, our mouse is screwed up and it's driving me bananas!
For every click you operate, the mouse registers 3-10 clicks. It's maddening!! So forgive my wacky, order-less post. I can't move the pictures.

First off, this is an end paper mitt. (You don't know how hard it was to make that link. Stupid effing mouse!!)


Oh yes it is!! Un-focus your eyes and take 2 steps back. Yeah, I agree, it's a great pattern, but this is not the yarn for it. Note to self: No Koigu endpaper mitts - or, if attempting, reverse the background and foreground colours . . . maybe that would help.

The Dashing Challenge! One pair of Dashing in 27 hours. I'm most of the way there.

I sort of neglected to remember that my dad's birthday is today. Well, it was a combination of neglecting to remember, and not really knowing what to get him. So I decided on Thursday night, as I lay in bed, to make him some fingerless mitts. He has a paper route thingy, and I'm sure his hands get cold in the fall. So I bought the yarn at noon on Friday, and need to have them finished by 3 on Saturday (today).

This is the progress after a shift at work. I'm so glad I can knit at work.

There were a few mods - I cut some rows out for my own sanity, and I screwed up the thumb opening . . had to kitchener it . . . it all worked out, but the thumb placement is not ideal.

This is how much I had done after 12 hours. I think I can finish them in about 90 minutes.

And now for yarn. I finally found the camera - yes, Mr. Wonderful took it with him. Then he brought it home and hid it in plain sight. Sigh.
Here are the yarns I obtained last weekend.


A lovely colour, wouldn't you agree? Mmmm . . . can't wait to knit with this.



Silky Tweed. I'm really on the fence with this yarn. I want the Tangled Yoke Cardi, but I'm not 100% on my choice with this yarn. It's kind of the same colour as my jeans. Okay, so I could wear the cardi with my cords, which are brown, and it would look amazing. But do I want to shell out that kind of cash for a cardi I plan on wearing only with one pair of pants?? Do I?



And my new Clapotis! Underway and lovely. I'm really looking forward to wearing this with pride! And I love how the pattern breaks up the pooling, because I thought I was in trouble with this yarn at first -- I really don't like the pooling . . . but the ladders give the eye a break. Wonderful!

Gotta get back to dashing through Dashing!

Sunday 9 September 2007

Sweet Jesus, I think I need a cigarette

And I don't even smoke!

After the orgasmic goodness of the Knitter's Fair yesterday, though . . . whew!

Never have I seen so much yarn in one room before. It was amazing, and it will definitely be a yearly thing for me. No matter what. No Matter What!

Jen and I met at the doors at nine-ish. We were both Knitter's Fair virgins, so completely unaware of what lay on the other side of those doors . . .
Man alive, when they opened those doors, it was a veritable flood of humanity, pouring in, paying admission, and squeeing away through the building.

I intended to take pictures, but the camera, sadly, is MIA. I suspect Mr. Wonderful took it with him for his weekend with the lads.
Let me describe -- there were rows of vendors, tables piled high with the finest luxury yarns, bins overflowing with fiber . . . it was amazing.
There were spinners and dyers. There were designers. There were kits, and books, and just about everything. It was incredible.

I, of course, spent far too much. I bought a lovely hand-dyed blend for my own Clappy. It's the most amazing colours -- it grades through deep teal to yellow, and hits mint and aqua . . . it will be gorgeous with my black coat this winter. I bought Zephyr for my Secret of the Stole, in a lovely teal, and a sweater's worth of Silky Tweed . . pricey, but I have found pricey sweaters to be ever so worth it. I'll make the tangled yoke cardi with that. Yum! It's the colour of denim, with some tweedy flecks of brown and white thrown in for good measure. I'm not 100% on the colour at this time, but I got it from my LYS's booth, so I should be able to exchange it if I change my mind.
But my favourite purchase of yesterday was a swift and winder combo. I spent last evening winding stuff. I now have more wound yarn than I can possibly work up in a reasonable amount of time. Dreamy . . . I'm in love.

My mother opted to put in an appearance, as well. She bought herself 3 different skeins . . . OF 100% NATURAL FIBRES! Shock part 2: Laceweight natural fibres! I was completely astounded. Then she called me in the evening to say how wonderful alpaca is. I think the pod people have taken my mother. I was so surprised, I drove all the way back into KW to wind her yarn (okay, that was a little self-serving . . . it's still new and fun), and loan her my addi lace needles, and some Brittany wooden needles. Of course, by the time I left her house, she was talking my ear off about her quilting and needlepoint and what she's going to sell at her next craft show.
So, while there was a glimmer of hope for a moment there, it was quashed. Fast.