Running hat

I tried to get Principessa to model the hat I made for the Dulaan project and this is the best shot I could take:



The yarn has been donated by Plassard Yarn USA and I have enough for 10 hats.

This is my niece modeling Daisy:



She does not look too happy, doesn't she? But my mother says that she looks "magnifica" in her Daisy.

And least but not last, I am almost done with my first sockapalooza sock:



The toe will be mine tonight.

Forget the Oscars, the new MagKnits is here!

Forget the Oscars, the new MagKnits is here with Alison on the font page! - she looks absolutely gorgeous and her creation is to die for.

Check out Made with love layette and Made with love layette sweater by Emma Crew of Made With Love by a Liberal. I have their labels (sent to me free of charge) and I am so going to make several of these - I am already shopping for yarn in another window.

The Short Row Rib by Ceris Morgan is made with one of my favorite yarn company, Mal Abrigo yarn, in bulky merino - good thing since all the worsted weight is gone after the this on Knitter's Review.

Knitting, children and weather

I wrote before that knitting gives a new meaning to waiting - it gives a new meaning to "children parties" too. I bring my foldout chair and my knitting to the park and I can endure them.

Yes, because children's parties are at parks in California. That brings me to the weather part. It was not raining yesterday.

Deb wrote:
"Gee, and here all the news I've been hearing out of California is rain, rain, rain . . . (grin) Anyway, come on, one of the few benefits to living where there's snow is the occasional treat of extra time off work or school . . . If you live where it's sunny and 70 year-round, darn it, you get enough climatic advantages!"

Yes, it has been raining a lot lately and I am so sick of it. I do not think California has this great of a weather anyway, I did grow up in Italy after all. But Deb's reply is exactly what I get when I bring up the "snow day everybody home in home office" subject at work, so I guess I'll have to live with it. I have never been to Chicago, is it that bad? It sure looks cold on ER.

As for the children, they were up before 7 this morning because it is Sunday. Since it was suggested that they do not actually wake up early on weekends but that I think so because I stay up later and more tired in the morning, I have been watching the clock. They do wake up early. They get up before 7 every Saturday and every Sunday. Comes Monday, I need to wake them up at 7:30.

Another hat is done

I really like making hats, it's a one evening project so fast satisfaction - I cast and after a couple of hours ...... da da:



I still have almost three balls of leftover, one for each color. I thought about little socks but I have changed my mind and I'll make a Skinny Scarf. I'll probably make a toddler scarf, so fewer than 400 stitches (gulp!). But I need to buy some circular for that, the only #8 I have are 12" long - not going to work. But do I love them - Addis Turbo. Denise and I, sorry, did not work. Cannot put up with the stickiness of it. So I added a pair of Addis to my last Elann order, and bang, love at first stitch. What can I say, I am metal needles kind of girl.

As I said yesterday, to day I am going to work on my sockapalooza socks. It's a promise.

Another (almost) finished object

Here it is, Daisy 2, minus sewing, but it's already in San Diego.



My mom brought it there with her this morning and she'll sew it up before giving it to my niece. I so like that because I hate sewing. I have enough leftover yarn to make a matching Miss Dashwood.

So, another one down, what's next?

Well, I have 8 WIPs on the needles right night (gulp!), so I really should not start anything new and concentrate on finishing something.

Tonight I am going to work on the sleeves of my Ribby Cardi and finish those, or I could make the second of my Cashmerino hats. That is almost like starting something new.

Tomorrow is socks day and I am going to finish my fist sockapalooza sock.

I have been tagged!

Deb tagged me with the Snowy Day Meme. Well, snowy day in the Bay Area?

1. What is your ideal way to spend a snowy (or rainy, if you don't get snow) day?
Ideal: on my sofa knitting with some tea.

2. How do you ACTUALLY spend your snowy rainy days?
Trying to prevent the kids from causing permanent damage to the place. They get cabin fever after 30 minutes inside.

3. What do you wear on your feet around the house on a snowy rainy day? Homemade socks? Slippers?
I have slippers - someplace. If I have to get my mail, I'll put them on. Otherwise I just wear socks.

4. What do you eat/snack on on a snowy rainy day?
I do not think I have a particular food for it. If I stay home, I drink lots of tea.

5. Do you like snowy days? Or hate them?
I hate snowy days! I am working and I get this email message that everybody is going home in homeoffice (Chicago) because there is a snow storm, but I can't go home because I am here in California. We do not get snow, we have sun sun sun sun. Can I go home if there is a very sunny day here?

6. Who are you going to send this to? To Californians: Delia,
Cristina and Stacey.

Again, I have the best SP

Speechless:




Let's start with the yarn, not only my SP is kind and generous and thoughtful, she know better than myself what I need. When Kaleidoscope yarns was having their "order and we will donate to the tsunami relief" campaign, I bought some Classic Elite Premier. My plan was to make Anouk with it, but I was not happy about the colors I chose. Well, look at this:



Look at how the 10 (TEN) orange hanks she sent me go well with the colors I have chosen. The orange brings the whole enchiladas to a new level. I kid you not, my SP is a witch! A very good one.

The bag is made of Lion Brand Incredible Ribbon Yarn and it so sophisticate and beautiful. How does she know tat I have plenty of bags and purses but I do lack in the "small party purse" department? She sent me two, that she has made!

She knits for me .... I am a knitter, nobody I know knits for me. They ask me to knit for them. But my wonderful SP knits for me.

And then the book - I have been wanting that for so long. What can I say?

And on top of all this, the "L" shaped sticky notes, the "think blue" bracelets and the hearts bookmark that is just beautiful.

And the thoughtful card:



Again, I am speechless.

Wonderful Deb

Wonderful Deb sent me a package today!

It's a just-for-me kit, yarn, pattern and needles. How does she know I love kits, they are so neat! I had to leave it in the car (I got my mail at lunch time) because if I had brought with me in my cube, I would have casted on under my desk.

Here it is - sorry about the bad lighting ....



Thank you so much, Deb!

And after getting my mail, I very happily headed toward my LYS, where I wanted to pick up a copy of IK Spring. I do have a subscription, but I just started it so I am not sure if I'll get the Spring issue and I really want to make Phoebe, so I thought - what the heck, I'll buy it, if I get a second copy, I'll sent it to someone. My LYS does not carry IK, but ..... they still have Noro Shinano, even if it's being discontinued. And they had two last balls of #8. They had because now I have them.



I'll probably make my Sciarpetta a little longer. I do not think I can thank my wonderful SP enough for having introduced me to this wonderful yarn.

While at the store, I saw the Noro Lily and I got excited again at the idea that my package from Knitty Noddy was coming soon, and guess what? It arrived today!



The light made a bad number on these colors - hop over to Knitty Noddy to see a much better picture.

And to make this glorious day even better, my order from Knit Picks arrived. Cannot show all of it because some items are for my secret pals, but I can say that I got some Shimmer:



In the mist of all this buying and receiving, I am knitting some so here it is, a FO:



My Cashmerino hat to go with the Childhood I made for my friend's child. I still have leftover yarn so after I am done with the light blue hat, I am going to make socks too.

Back to IK and Phoebe, the required gauge is 13.5/4" on US #10.5, but the suggested yarn has a gauge of 17-18/4" on US 8-9. The yarn I am thinking of using is Peruvian Collection Pure Alpaca whose gauge is 20/4" on US 6 - so I'll have some swatching to do. But the gauge for Phoebe is after blocking and do I hate that!
Like Susan I like to live dangerously and don't swatch. So I am mulling over the issue. Should I try the Peruvian Collection Pure Alpaca on US 8? The difference between US 9 and US 10.5 is 1 cm, like between US 6 and US 8.

I am such a copycat

After seeing Anges' new look, I decided I need a new one too. GRsites.com has everything and it is so easy to use. So here I am, with buttons too!

As for knitting news, I have turned the heel of my sockapalooza socks, so I did work on it after all, when I got tired of the three strands of cotton of Daisy tangling together (I am knitting both the fronts and the back at the same time). I really love Daisy because there is so little sewing involved, I am considering making the sleeves on dpns so that I'll have even less sewing. Daisy needs to be done by Thursday.

Another chapter of the never ending story of my sister's top. She wants a solid color, so we changed pattern as well. I am going to make the Little Black Top from Stitch 'n Bitch with Endless Summer Collection Sonata in Capri Blue. I just ordered it and I added some Addi Turbo as well. I am not very happy with my Denise, my stitches just do not move well on plastic, so since everybody is raving about it, I want to try the Addi.

Confetti is done

Click on the image for a larger view.

Yarn: Cascade Yarns - Siera Quatro #84

Pattern from Hello Knitty

I lied

I said I was going to work on my Sockapalooza socks yesterday, but the Noro Shinano was calling me, calling me, calling me and I gave up.

Inspired by Susan I made a Twisted Drop Stitch Scarf, but with only one skein. Hence I present you:

Sciarpetta!



It is so beautiful even if small that "little scarf" does not do it justice - it does deserve an Italian name.



And once my attention was on scarves, I casted for Confetti with Sierra Quatro:



It's a present for my best friend in Italy and the courier leaves on Tuesday - better go knitting!

Fixed!

Done with my fix and Paperino is very happy with the new neck of his sweater:



I think it is too wide now but he is very happy because it is wider than his t-shirt neck so no skin-to-wool contact.

Notice the little tag?



It's an original!

Today is socks today, so I'll knitting my sockapalooza socks all day long and I really hope to finish the first one, but last night I casted the sleeves of my Ribby Cardi - yeah!

While I enjoy my tea

Here it is - the promised photo even if a little dark.

The tea is imply delicious, like drinking mango.

I really do not know if I can be strong enough and do not drop everything and cast immediately for the scarf I want to make with the Shinano.

News with no photos

This is what you get when you blog during your break at work, but I need to gloat about my SP4 and I cannot wait until I get home to my digital camera.

Thank you, SP4 - you rock!

Today I received my first package, and I have already made plans for the contents. She sent me a beautiful handpainted mug who is going to be the only mug who touches my lips when I drink the Adagio Tea Mango she sent me. And, do not worry, I am going to take out the beautiful Noro Shinano out of the mug, even if it looks so pretty in it. Again,

Thank you!

I plan to make Buttercream with the Shinano - I told you I already made plans!

And speaking of yarn, I did order 2 3 skeins of this:



from Knitty Noddy - Evelyn, the owner, is super nice, and the Lily is on sale, and the shipping is cost only, and she gave me a discount. I plan to make a mini Clapotis with it, whose pattern is found at Knit Pixie.

Knitty surprises

Oh, look, on my blog page, on the right, the knitty button changed:



It's the knitty surprises! I click on it and ..... What, no surprises? Refresh, you silly girl, I almost immediately tell myself. And here they are .......

Noa 3-in-1 is just too cool - too bad I live in California so I have no use for it. If just I could think of someone who lives in a colder climate and could appreciate it.

I guess I have to limit myself to Miss Dashwood since I do have two nieces in colder climate. And speaking of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran hats:



this is the hat I am making to go with



I have leftover yarn in all the three colors so I am making hats to go with both cardis.

Spennakero

That yarn is driving me crazy - no way I can get the right drape for a top so I am canning it. Meaning that I have emailed sissy asking her if you would like this instead.

Don't get me wrong, it is a great yarn, so soft and fun. "Fun" is the key word, it is meant to be knitted in something like this Drop Stitch Scarf. Or it would make a beautiful trim of a tank top I can make for Principessa with the yellow cotton I found in my stash. Or I can knit it up in a scarf with some Alpaca in ecru I have. Or I can use it as a trim for the Fun Trimmed Poncho she wants - no Lion Brand yarn, she wants this, of course.

So, I'll find a use for it. Just not a summer top.

San Valentino

There is only one reason why San Valentino was invented. Hallmark? No, this:



Really, I have never know someone who actually care about San Valentino until I moved here. Perugina invented it to sell more of these:



If you have a significant other or just a decent friend, you get

on San Valentino and you are happy. If you are a mom, you get a second round in May.

But this year Trader Joe's is not carrying them. I checked. What the heck, does that mean I get flowers? I rather have yarn.

On knitting news, I am almost done with the fronts of my Ribby Cardi. It is such an easy knit, I just wish I had more time to work on it, because I am trying to be good and do not start Mariah before I am done with the cardi. We'll see .....

Music thingy, no TV

I got tagged again with the music thingy. I am so ashmed to write that I cannot remember for the life of me who did it. I rememeber reading about it from the hotel room, while I was really tired. I am positive a replied back but who was she? My only hope is that she is reading this and post here - and forgive me but I have zero memory - short and long term.

Added on Monday morning:
I am so dumb - of course I know who tagged me, it was Agnes. I just needed to scroll down to my comments to find out.

Thanks, Agnes!

Anyway, I thought why don't I change this? So, here it goes, a TV thingy.

1. How much space is left on your TiVO or Camcast box?
33%

2. Have you ever bought a DVD of a TV series and if so which one?
Nope. But I really want ER and The West Wing.

3. What was the last TV show you watched before reading this message?
Medical Investigation

5. List five TV shows you won't miss.
The West Wing
ER
24
Judging Amy
NYPD Blues

5. Name 3 people you will pass the stick.
Kimberly, Caitlyn and whoever tagged meAgnes.

Added on Monday morning:
I am so dumb - of course I know who tagged me, it was Agnes. I just needed to scroll down to my comments to find out.

Me. Sock. Yeah.

Well, it was not that easy. It was more: Me. Sock. Inferno.

Never had so much trouble with a project as with my Sock-pal-ooza socks. Remember I wanted to make the Happy Sox but I could not get the gauge? So I switched to the Wavy Rib Socks. If you are wondering how a wavy rib should look like, click here, but mine looked like this:



Horrible, no stitch definition at all. But that was the second time around. The first time I casted on #4 - I swear I swatched! - but the sock was huge, so I went down two needle sizes just to discover that it was not the right yarn for the pattern.

I was pretty much desperate when I remember reading this: Broadripple Socks! Whose original pattern does call for Cascade Fixation.

I casted as fast as I could and ......



I love it! I love it! I love it!

A hat and a sock

The sock is not done yet, but look, it fits!



And this is the Croquet Brim Knitted Hat - I am writing done the pattern and I'll put it in "My patterns":

Blogging from a hotel room

This is Paperino's sweater, whose neck I need to fix because it is too small:



so



for me too!

Driving up here, while someone else was driving, I finished my second hat with Pure Merino Wool Worsted - I made up the pattern, half knitted and half crochet, and it turned out so nice I need to write it down before I forgot what I did. But no photo because I do not have my camera. And I still have a little bit of yarn less, enough for something for Sam.

And I worked a little on the Knee High Socks for Principessa - I hope to finish the first one tomorrow on the drive back home.

My sister made her decision and we are going to the Katia Portofino Summer Top. I swatched the Spennakero and I am average as usual - 15sts/4".

A FO with no photo

It's done, finished and is already been worn. I am talking about the sweater for Paperino, who this morning went to school wearing his new "poncho" - yes, everything that mommy knits is called "poncho". I did know let myself go to sleep last night until I finished, so I stayed up until 2 am. I truly hate sewing.
I have no photo of it because ALL the batteries of the digital camera were dead this morning - I'll take one tonight. It's raining, actually pouring, so horrible light anyway.

So, what's next? Well, after the wake up call of yesterday morning, I have no choice, I am swatching for the canotta tonight. The Spennakero is worsted weight (15sts/4"), while the pattern calls for bulky (10.5sts/4"), but it is such a simple pattern I should have no problem at all to figure it out, even if I am sending my sister these possible choices:

Katia Portofino Summer Top

Summer Net Shell

Bonne Marie's uCan2 Shell

that all have the right gauge.

I finished another afghan square as well, so all five of them are going in the mail today to SSK today.

And I got yarn! Well, that's not a surprise, you will say. But I got yarn from the UK in 4 days! Yes, my Jaeger is already here and I love it. Bookmark Cucumberpatch UK, good prices and fast and cheap shipping.

And I got the yarn that I bought from Caitlyn: 5 skeins in Peruvian Collection Highland Wool in pink and 12 skeins of Peruvian Collection Pure Alpaca, 6 celery and 6 ecru. This is stash, because I have no plans whatsoever for it.
And I bought this from her as well:



Reading and knitting tonight.

It's 8 am on a Sunday morning, for Pete's sake!

And before that it was 7 - the first time I was waken up. I have a question for all the moms out there: why I need to drag out my children out of bed during the week and they are up at 7 during the weekend?
And to put that in prospective, I wake them up at 7:30 on school days and 7 is very early for me. I am not a morning person. I can stay up until dawn no problem, but I hate not to be able to sleep in the morning. My brain does not work until 10, maybe 10:30.

Anyway, this morning the first wake up call where the kids - I sent them downstairs to eat cereal and went back to sleep. Then 8 o'clock, the phone rings. My sister from Italy, calling me to have me telling her "Happy Birthday" (I would have done later, I swear) and asking where her canotta is. Answer: in the queue.
I never told her it would have been ready for her birthday, but since I sent my niece Daisy, she asked why not send her thing too?

Because it is not done.

I have it planned for a "courier" - how I call people visiting from or to Italy - in the middle of March, I did not know about the February courier until it was too late to make the canotta.
And waking up the knitter early in the morning is no way to speed her up.

I need an espresso - badly.

What I learned today

I learned that I can't, cannot, am not going to have a gauge of 32sts/4" with Cascade Fixation, no matter how small the needle I use. No way. The gauge is 24sts/4" on #4 and going down needle size changes NOTHING. So goodbye to Happy Sox, welcome back to Wavy Rib Socks by Charlene Hatfield, whose required gauge is 24sts/4" - I am starting to love the number 24.

I learned that me two fronts of my Ribby Cardi do not match:



You do not see it? Detail:


It is easily fixed, but what the heck?

I learned that I have some yellow yarn in stash that I can use for PIP even if I have no idea of what to make:



and prompted me to re-organize my stash - cotton with cotton, handpainted with handpainted as so on:



Look what I got yesterday:



some from an order at Elann, some from a fellow knitter. Elann ...... just placed an order for needles that I am missing in my collection, and did not order any yarn. What's wrong with me? Sock gauge stress, I guess.

The cables and me

Waiting for my Mariah yarn to arrive, I decided I should practice my cables. I got the idea from the Knitty Gritty episode All about aran and I decided to make a Rope Cables Afghan Square:



It was really easy and I did take me about one hour. And so, yes, 4 squares done, I am making another one by Sunday (maybe a Horseshoe Cable Afghan Square) and then they are in the mail on Monday to the connector of SSK so that they can be turned in afghans for PPR.

But tonight I am going to work on my Ribby Cardi that needs to be finished before Jaeger Trinity arrives - have you ever hoped for very slow shipping?

Last night I (of course) watched ER - final scene, a knitted cap. Well, I am not the only weirdo out there who noticed the cap and it's wondering "Umh, could I make that?". There is topic about it on the Knitter's Review Forum - glad to know other are as obsessed as me.

An speaking of which, I got today the yarn that a bought from a fellow knitter on the forum who is de-stashing: more Sock It to Me Collection Esprit in a very nice lavender color and Endless Summer Collection Sonata in a beautiful pink.

Pink? My new niece was born just one hour ago and I was planning to make her a Daisy with an unknown variegated cotton someone gave me. No, she is definitely going to have the Sonata.

Knitting gives a new meaning to waiting.

I remember I used to hate waiting, now I look forward at the 20 minutes wait to see the doctor or the 10 minutes wait to have my blood drawn. Why? Because it's all knitting time! It feels like extra time that pops out of nowhere and I love it.

So I need an afghan square this morning while waiting here, waiting there.

Then I checked my blog and Gracie left a comment telling me to go for the Indigo. Ok, Gracie-gal, I did it, here it is:



Jaeger Trinity 'Indigo'
10 x 50g skeins - colour 442 Indigo
40% Silk / 35% Cotton / 25% Polyamide Fibre
Knits on 4mm needles (UK - 8) (US - 6)
Tension/gauge 22sts x 30 rows
200 metres (218yards) per 50g skein

eBay seller: Cucumberpatch UK.

My original choice of yarn for Mariah was Cascade 220 in blue, so yes, Gracie was right, I wanted Mariah in blue.

Jumping from one topic to another, since I have my Comcast box, Knitty Gritty! I have tape recorded and watched All about aran - very in theme since it's all about cables and I am going to start Mariah soon - and Refashioned Knits with plenty of very good tips - it actually inspired me to make the collar of Paperino's sweater now that I know how to pick up stitches correctly. And everything is on the web, so I can go there and refresh my memory.

Looking around on the DIY website, I noticed that there is another knitting show, Knit one, purl two. I may record that as well.

Gonna sleep on this

I have almost decided that if I am to make Mariah, I need to make in cotton. So, I have found this eBay from UK and I can get 10 balls of Jaeger Trinity (silk, cotton and polyamide fibre) for less than $40, all the yarn I need.
So what am I waiting for? Cannot decide betwen violet and indigo. No suggestion that I get both, please, I promise - well, I said to my husband i was going on a yarn diet to justify the purchase of a cherry chest for my yarn.
I am going to sleep on it ....

A finished object!

Pattern from The knitting garden
Yarn: Pure Merino Wool Yarn - color: lime blue - 218 yards per 100 gr.
Gauge: 4.5 sts/1" on #8

It's done! I love this yarn so much that I am done and I am casting the second one - one skein is enough for two hats.

I should start to cast for Mariah soon - I have the yarn, Cascade 220. One little problem, see the weather girl on the right? It's summer here! FYI, 20C = 68 F. I am still knitting the Ribby Cardi, should I start another wool sweater or just buy some cotton? I do not have any cotton in my stash.

Back from the post office

Boy, am I chatty today or what? This is my third, fourth post?

Anyway, I went to the post office to send stuff out and I am always in a good mood when I do that. I mailed 7 packages:

package #1, sorry, cannot say, it's a Fiber RAOK and I do not want to ruin the surprise.

package #2, a big box of clothes for the Wakanyeja Tiospaye O'Tipi - Children's Village, Inc. in Pine Ridge; I mean to include this (the pic is horrible, the cardi is quite nice but huge), but then I noticed this and I thought "Why don't I try? This yarn is great". So the huge cardi did not go into the box, but a Eddie Bauer twin set that it was borderline "I never wear it" did - to soothe my guilt.

package #3, cannot say, it's the super secret SP4!

package #4, cannot say, it's secret, even if the friend I sent this to never reads my blog, but let's not tempt the gods.

package #5, finally the poncho is going to find a good home in Russia.

package #6, another RAOK

package #7, to Pine Ridge as well, to the girl I sponsor there; I am sending her my first hat and some more things.

I have been tagged by Kimberly

Kimberly tagged me with the music thingy - I was wondering if anybody would ever tag me and here she goes!

So ......

1. What is the total amount of music files on your computer?
That would be nothing on my laptop. But if I move to the iMac, I am sure there is gazillion because my husband buys music from iTunes.

2. What was the last CD you bought?
Need to think, it was a long time ago. I think it was Lee Ann Womack's I hope you dance, and that's the only song I like from the whole CD.

3. What was the last song you listened to before reading this message?
Mickey Mouse's something in the car, while driving to drop him to school.

4. List five songs you often listen to or that mean a lot to you.
I hope you dance by Lee Ann Womack
Losing my religion by REM
You were meant for me by Jewel
Canzoni stonate by G. Morandi
La canzone del sole by L. Battisti

5. To whom will you pass the stick and why?
Gracie because she is so nice.

Dropped everything and casted handpaintedyarn.com

When I got home yesterday I found my package from Handpaintedyarn.com - I just dropped everything and I started the Skull Cap for my friend who is having chemo.



I just adore this yarn - it is so soft and the colors! I need my credit card taken away before I go there and order the whole store.



I am going to make a Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf with Oro y Vino.

Back to the Skull Cap



since each skein is 218 yards, I actually have yarn for two caps in Lime and Blue! I am using circular #8, circular because I hate sewing.