Even though I've been doing a lot of this:


[Thanks to Sami's help!] I've still managed to do a bit of this:


As you saw in a previous post, this is my second pair of toe-up socks. I'm still using Queen Kahuna's instructions, but this time I'm hoping to finish them a little more quickly so I can fairly say whether or not I like using this method. SO far so good. I've finished the toe increases and I'm on the rather boring knit knit knit part. But considering all the other chaos going on in my life right now (where did we pack the _*fill in the blank*_?!) a little boring is a good thing.

I'm totally loving the yarn I'm using this time! It's Knitpicks Sock Landscape in "Rocky Mountain Dusk". This has to be the softest sock yarn I've used yet. Which leaves me a little concerned... how well does this yarn wear? Am I going to have holes after three wearings? Anyone actually knit socks with this yet and given them a spin?

I also have one other tiny problem:


I must have accidentally done a yarn over in there somewhere. Normally I would go back and fix it, but when doing two socks on one circ I find it a bit difficult to get everything off and back on and going in the right direction again. Any suggestions for fixing this after I'm done with the knitting?



And now I must continue to bang my head against a box... er... I mean... I need to keep packing!

It's official. I'm packing.




Ugh.





Definitely not my favorite thing in the world to be doing. But it must be done. And of course what was one of the first things to be packed? My yarn of course! [Thanks to Sami. You know your real friends when they know how much crap you own and they still offer to not only help you move, but help you pack because you don't know where to start!]

And that means I have a couple of goodies to hock on ye olde blog. For your destashing pleasure:



Two skeins of Plymouth Sinsation in Black. Here's it's description:

Sinsation Yarn by Plymouth

Luxury chenille, made in Italy.

Sinsation yarn: 80% Rayon, 20% Wool

50 gram balls, approx. 38 yards

Gauge: 3 sts per inch on size US 10.5 needles.

This yarn is *so* soft. I have one scarf I made from it that I love, but I just don't think I'll get around to making another any time soon.



And four skeins of Katia Venecia. Two in Rasberry Ripple and two in Blue Skies. Here's a description:


VENECIA

Venecia by Katia is a soft, silky, wide ribbon yarn which comes in a range of variegated colours. The yarn is 53% Tactel nylon, 37% viscose, and 10% nylon.

Tension: 14 stitches to 4 inches (10 cm) on a 9 mm (US 13) needle.

Cleaning: Machine washable cool, dry flat.

Available in a 50 gram (1¾ ounce) ball.

Contains approximately 85 metres (93 yards.)

Once again, these were meant to be scarfs, but haven't made it yet and I don't think they will.

All of these are complete skeins with their original ball bands. E-mail me (address is in the right side bar under "Credits") to make me an offer. I'm willing to trade or take cash.


Next time, actual knitting progress. I promise.

There WILL be hockey this season!! Read all about it here.






'Scuse me while I go jump around for joy a bit more...

Whew! I made it!

The wedding afghan that will be a present this Sunday is finished as of 6:00pm today. As you can see, I went with 7 strips instead of 8. Doesn't seem to make a huge difference to the width. It's big enough to cover me twice so I figure it should work. Afterall, newlyweds are supposed to want to sit next to each other still, right?! ;)

Besides doing one less strip I also crocheted it together instead of whipstitching because I think it is faster and makes a better joining. Here's a closeup:


Now all I have to do is get it washed, wrapped and find shoes to go with the suit I'm supposed to wear (the shoes will probably be the most difficult part).

And in other news, Simba and I have a new place to live! We'll be moving here on Aug. 6th. With the exception of built in AC units, it is basically the same as I have now but heat and hot water are included for an extra $100 more than I'm paying now. Not a bad deal. Now I just have to pack, buy a couple of AC units and get all my utilities set up, etc. etc. Packing is my least favorite thing in the world (I usually pack for a trip the morning I'm leaving...yes, I'm one of *those*) but I really want to get this move done and over with so I can concentrate on the job hunt (which has basically been stalled since the computer crash). And if I want to go to Boston on Aug. 2nd for the day, I'd better be a good girl and get to it next week!

Speaking of getting to it, it's SnB time! I'm outta here....



[By the way, I'm very dissapointed that no one got the movie quote from last post. It was in the title and was from "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". C'mon people! Where the heck have you been for the last 20 years?!? ;) ]

Six and a half hours of crocheting (over two days) and I've got this:


That's two more strips for a total of 7. The pattern calls for 8.







I think 7 is a lucky number, don't you?!








(Bonus points to whomever guesses the movie quote.)

Obviously I have a problem with the concept of posting more than two days in a row. Sorry for the delay but now that a trip to New Hampshire for a wedding on a Thursday (of all days) is in the books I think I can finally handle updating the blog.

Thanks for all the nice comments on my tank girl. I wore it again the other day and I'm still quite happy with it. Sometime I might make another in a different color. It might be nice for under a blazer for work or something. You know, when I have a full time job someday.

But there is no time in my world to reminisce about past projects. I have a serious deadline coming up. One week from today a friend from grad school number 1 is getting married on Long Island. Naturally, I decided to make an afghan as a wedding present for several reasons:

1. She and her future hubby are wonderful people who would appreciate a hand made gift.

2. I'm broke.

3. I tend to think that gifts from department store gift registries are not significantly meaningful enough when you actually know and care about the people in question.

4. I'm a starving recent graduate that is in the midst of a job search and an apartment change.

5. Did I mention I'm broke?!

So I've had this book:



laying around for quite some time and thought this would be a good opportunity to make something from it. Besides, mile a minute was right up my alley considering I don't seem to have a ton of time these days and I only started this thing about a month before the wedding.

So I chose this pattern:




I didn't really care for the original colors and I was told the wedding party is wearing some kind of light blue color so I thought these colors would work:



Here's a close-up:



Notice that there are five strips. Notice I need 8. Notice I have been at this off and on for about a month. Notice that the wedding is in a week.




Notice that I am not a happy camper.



So in between looking for a new apartment this week, this is what I will be working on. Will I finish in time? Will I be up until all hours on Saturday evening trying to get the thing washed and wrapped before I have to leave for the 3pm wedding on Sunday?




Start placing your bets....

So during the time warp known as the weeks that I was without a computer I started three new projects, and started and finished one which I will share with you today.

On the day I took my computer back to NY to be fixed (which as you all know didn't exactly happen) I wandered into a little out of the way craft store that had a variety of things. I noticed they had quite a few Lion Brand yarns and sure enough, I hit the motherload:


I left with over $70 worth of cotton ease! They had colors I had never seen before! I had heard tales that there was white in this yarn, but had never witnessed it with my own eyes. But there it is, two skeins in all their glory along with an assortment of other colors. I didn't actually buy everything they had, but I definitely bought most of it. My thought was not to use all of it myself, but to trade for skeins of colors I'd like or sell at cost for someone who needs a skein (feel free to e-mail me if you like to do either). Considering the stuff has been discontinued, might as well snatch it up while we can right?

Three skeins are missing from the pic above however. I decided to make "Tank Girl" from the first Stitch n' Bitch book in the Ice Blue color. Here it is before the side seams were sewn:


Now here's something I don't understand. This took just over two skeins for me to make. I did the medium size and got gauge using the recommended needles with this yarn. Now here comes the weird part. The first whole skein only got me up to a couple of inches short of the point where the arm hole shaping starts. The second whole skein, which I started at the beginning of the front, just about finished the whole front! Is the yardage on these things that far off? My gauge didn't really seem to change from one piece to the next and they matched up well in the end. I just find that really strange. Any thoughts?

Anyway, here is the finished product:



That's me on a beach in Maine last week. Those of you that know me know that me being on a beach in Maine is no small accomplishment. I even got within a couple of feet of the water at one point before total panic set in. And those of you that know me will also know that the fact that I had someone else taking the picture was no small accomplishment either. ;-)



Tomorrow: What I'm working on now

Ok. So the title is a little overly dramatic. But it's been a crazy couple of weeks with no computer. I am one of those people who usually has breakfast with the Internet. A dead hard drive was a bit of a departure from my usual routine. Imagine me, half awake, full bowl of morning cereal in hand, wandering aimlessly around my apartment, trying to figure out what the heck to do with myself. Not a pretty picture. I had no idea that TV was so BAD in the morning. And turning on the TV to get the weather report and having to wait until 8:08 or 8:18 or whatever?! Are you kidding me?!?! Seriously. I don't know about y'all, but not having the world of information at my fingertips day and night was a bit unnerving. What did we do before the Internet?

But now all is much better. I'm a proud owner of an HP Pavilion zd8000 notebook which I bought on Saturday after quite the ordeal. First came the decision, then they didn't have one in stock, then the closest one was in Kingston, NY which just happens to be 30 min. from my parents so they were going to go get it for me, then I found out it was the display model and said the hell with it, then my father suggested seeing what they would knock off the price, then I ended up with the display model from the place I was standing in. Walking out of a store with a new computer that is completely naked (i.e. no box, no case, nothing) felt quite weird...but I don't care...I HAVE A COMPUTER! A computer which I have spent many hours configuring to get everything the way I like it. I'm still not quite there, but it's definitely coming along.

And if I may offer a word of advice to all my dear friends out there:

MAKE A BACKUP OF ANYTHING YOU DON'T WANT TO LOOSE RIGHT NOW!!

Go! Seriously. I'll be here when you get back.





Did you do it? Good. Don't be a jackass like me and loose everything and I do mean EVERYTHING to a system meltdown. And if you want to be really slick, get yourself one of these. I have one now and I will not be without my resume and cover letter again. And considering I turned down a job offer last week (!), I'm gonna need them.



Tomorrow, actual knitting content.




For now, Goodnight!