Making progress...
1.07.2005
Somehow it seems that I still feel like I'm playing catch up from the holidays. Weird. I should be well rested seeing as school doesn't start until the 24th... but I'm not. This must be one hell of a hangover! ;)
Anyhow, as promised here is a little pic of what I got on the trip to Webs on Dec. 31st:
Say it with me now... Ma-ri-ah!!!! Yes, yes...there it is. All ready to go. I've even swatched already if you can believe that (I never swatch. Only for special occasions. Actually, it was New Year's. Maybe just holidays.)
All that lovely stuff you see is Jo Sharp Soho Summer Dk Cotton in Colour (no I'm not Canadian...at least not yet [after that whole election thing I wish I was. {Did anyone watch Will & Grace last night?! *Whoa...you know you've done way too many parenthetical statements when you run out of types of brackets!*}]) 228 Calico (umm...hello Jo Sharp people! It's cream for cryin' out loud. Doesn't look a thing like a cat).
Yummy definitely describes it. According to the label it is "Luxury Handknitting Yarn" of "Unsurpassed Quality". Ok. Nothing like tooting your own horn a bit. But it really is nice. It's very soft and feels wonderful to work with although it is a bit "splitty" (is that a word? If not I'm calling Webster's. I should have some pull being a future librarian and all...). And with the Addi turbo in size 7 pictured above I even get gauge! Kick ass. I also bought a size 8 Addi Turbo just to fill out the collection. I needed that size to do Coronet and had to borrow it from Sami (thank you again!) so I figured it couldn't hurt.
Webs really is an amazing place. The first amazing thing about it is that it is not the size of your average linen closet unlike many other yarn stores I've been to. The last time I was there they were rearranging a bit but now they have an entire wall of needless, notions and whatnot. I think they had just about every size and length Addi you can imagine and bunch of other brands of needles. The only thing they didn't seem to have was the Clover birch cable needle Sami was looking for. Oh yeah, and they didn't have any good colors of Koigu...but at $6.50 a skein I can understand why. If only there had been a good use for puke green and orange (in the same skein no less).
The blowout sale stuff was in it's own room and that is where I found the Jo Sharp stuff. It was $29 for a bag of 10 skeins. Not bad considering I think it was normally $6.50 a skein! Of course being the paranoid knitter I am when it comes to clothing items I bought an extra bag just in case. I figure it can always become something else like a summer tank or something. I originally had not planned on doing Mariah in cotton or such a light color. I was really going for black but they didn't have any and the dark navy blue they did have they only had two bags of. I figure cream (or calico if you must. whatever.) is a more traditional aran knitting color and will still go with anything and everything. And the cool thing about cotton will be the ability to wear it almost year 'round. (Um...I am right on all this? Yes?!) After all the work that is going to go into this one you can bet I'm gonna wear this sucker and OFTEN! :)
Today I'm also proud to present the first finished object of 2005! Lookie!
I have beaded socks!! Yay!! :) I managed to finish them yesterday on my unexpected day off (this chicken doesn't go out when they say freezing rain, rehearsal or not). Thank you mother nature! :) I was really beginning to wonder if I was ever going to get these things done before the deadline. The foot took absolutely forever but the end result is quite nice. I really can't wait to wear them but I think it's going to have to warm up around here a bit. They are wool, but the cuff is really a bit short. They barely cover my ankles. I'm told this is so the beads are visible but I fear I'm going to be trying to pull them up all the time. I'll have to let you know. If you haven't tried sock knitting before *insert Jewish grandmother voice here*, try it! You'll like it!
I also managed to finish up my latest HMB ghan.
This one is going to the wife of a soldier who is being sent to Iraq this month. I guess she's a bit upset and I can totally understand why.
And speaking of people who are doing good things in the world, go check out I'm Knitting as Fast as I Can for a sock pattern you can purchase and your money will go to help the tsunami victims. You can also join a Knitalong for the sock pattern and other patterns which are all going to charity. And if you don't feel like your little bit will do something to help, go read the last few posts by Yarn Harlot and I think you might change your mind. When we all do something small to make the world a better place it adds up fast. I totally believe that.
Anyhow, as promised here is a little pic of what I got on the trip to Webs on Dec. 31st:
Say it with me now... Ma-ri-ah!!!! Yes, yes...there it is. All ready to go. I've even swatched already if you can believe that (I never swatch. Only for special occasions. Actually, it was New Year's. Maybe just holidays.)
All that lovely stuff you see is Jo Sharp Soho Summer Dk Cotton in Colour (no I'm not Canadian...at least not yet [after that whole election thing I wish I was. {Did anyone watch Will & Grace last night?! *Whoa...you know you've done way too many parenthetical statements when you run out of types of brackets!*}]) 228 Calico (umm...hello Jo Sharp people! It's cream for cryin' out loud. Doesn't look a thing like a cat).
Yummy definitely describes it. According to the label it is "Luxury Handknitting Yarn" of "Unsurpassed Quality". Ok. Nothing like tooting your own horn a bit. But it really is nice. It's very soft and feels wonderful to work with although it is a bit "splitty" (is that a word? If not I'm calling Webster's. I should have some pull being a future librarian and all...). And with the Addi turbo in size 7 pictured above I even get gauge! Kick ass. I also bought a size 8 Addi Turbo just to fill out the collection. I needed that size to do Coronet and had to borrow it from Sami (thank you again!) so I figured it couldn't hurt.
Webs really is an amazing place. The first amazing thing about it is that it is not the size of your average linen closet unlike many other yarn stores I've been to. The last time I was there they were rearranging a bit but now they have an entire wall of needless, notions and whatnot. I think they had just about every size and length Addi you can imagine and bunch of other brands of needles. The only thing they didn't seem to have was the Clover birch cable needle Sami was looking for. Oh yeah, and they didn't have any good colors of Koigu...but at $6.50 a skein I can understand why. If only there had been a good use for puke green and orange (in the same skein no less).
The blowout sale stuff was in it's own room and that is where I found the Jo Sharp stuff. It was $29 for a bag of 10 skeins. Not bad considering I think it was normally $6.50 a skein! Of course being the paranoid knitter I am when it comes to clothing items I bought an extra bag just in case. I figure it can always become something else like a summer tank or something. I originally had not planned on doing Mariah in cotton or such a light color. I was really going for black but they didn't have any and the dark navy blue they did have they only had two bags of. I figure cream (or calico if you must. whatever.) is a more traditional aran knitting color and will still go with anything and everything. And the cool thing about cotton will be the ability to wear it almost year 'round. (Um...I am right on all this? Yes?!) After all the work that is going to go into this one you can bet I'm gonna wear this sucker and OFTEN! :)
Today I'm also proud to present the first finished object of 2005! Lookie!
I have beaded socks!! Yay!! :) I managed to finish them yesterday on my unexpected day off (this chicken doesn't go out when they say freezing rain, rehearsal or not). Thank you mother nature! :) I was really beginning to wonder if I was ever going to get these things done before the deadline. The foot took absolutely forever but the end result is quite nice. I really can't wait to wear them but I think it's going to have to warm up around here a bit. They are wool, but the cuff is really a bit short. They barely cover my ankles. I'm told this is so the beads are visible but I fear I'm going to be trying to pull them up all the time. I'll have to let you know. If you haven't tried sock knitting before *insert Jewish grandmother voice here*, try it! You'll like it!
I also managed to finish up my latest HMB ghan.
This one is going to the wife of a soldier who is being sent to Iraq this month. I guess she's a bit upset and I can totally understand why.
And speaking of people who are doing good things in the world, go check out I'm Knitting as Fast as I Can for a sock pattern you can purchase and your money will go to help the tsunami victims. You can also join a Knitalong for the sock pattern and other patterns which are all going to charity. And if you don't feel like your little bit will do something to help, go read the last few posts by Yarn Harlot and I think you might change your mind. When we all do something small to make the world a better place it adds up fast. I totally believe that.
