Another gold medal for Team Italy

After 7 days home sick, my skin has that shade of green no amount of make-up is going to cover, so, no, I am not modeling. But it is done.

Still alive

Barely. "Just a virus", says the doctor. I just hate when they say that.
So much to report. No photos because I am not alive enough to find the camera, point, shoot, download, upload, etc. Hey, if I had that kind of energy, I would use it to take a shower.
A knitting boo-boo, a felting disaster, but Silana is going well. Unless I am hallucinating. I think it's knitting itself up - front and back done, shoulders grafted, sleeves started.

More about Stitches West

Have I told you guys I met Lily Chin?
And I saw Juls, who quickly hugged me and dashed out to more yarn buying, I finally met Jennifer and her mom, I saw Angela, my soccer mom friend who does not have a blog, Elspeth and Amy stopped by and I am sure I am forgetting someone.

Surprising enough, I did not buy any yarn, just some roving and miniskeins from Royale Hare who had the distinct advantage of being across the hall from FTA.

But the most amazing thing is that I sailed through six hours in a crowded and enclosed place. Probably Hollis would have appreciated if I had told this before I volunteer to work at her booth, but ...... I usually have a panic attack in crowded and enclosed place. But, see, love of yarn conquers all fears, I knew I could do it.

Macy's and Bloomingdale, on the hand end, will always freak me out.

EDITED TO ADD: Yes, I know who I forgot, Shannon, who stopped to the booth for five seconds, completely out on Benadryl (she is allergic to wool), waved at everybody, and went out to breathe.

I met Lily Chin!

After a day working at Full thread Ahead booth at Stitches West, I am dead.

But I met Lilly Chen!

Sherry and the Black Hat

My friend Sherry sent me her photos wearing the black hat:

Learning lessons

Two thing I have learned so far in this Knitting Olympics.

First lesson: if I actually knit stuff, it gets finished. Since I have forbidden myself from casting anything new, I have no choice but knit what I have already on the needles, so:
- Silana: 33% done
- Spiral Hat: done
- Baby raglan: done
- Buttonhole bag: done, needs felting.

Second lesson: I always, and I stress always, find a way around the rules, even the self imposed one. Since I can't start new knitting projects, I have decided to try a new thing, dye wool with synthetic dyes:



The yarn is drying out, more photos to follow.

Cute pictures alert

A while ago I promised some cute pictures, and I did take them, but I guess I forgot to post them, so here we go, my niece modeling the poncho I made for her:


Click on the photo to see more of them!

As for the KO status report, I just realized that Cara's contest deadline for the Jaywalker socks is tonight Eastern Time, so no way I am going to make it given that I am about to go to prison work. One less excuse for not working on Silana.

Knitting Olympics Status Report

This is what I knitted watching the opening ceremony:



Then yesterday my usual knitting ADD kicked in and I worked on other projects - must stay on task, so I have given myself the following order: no casting for new projects until the knitting Olympics are finished.

And on the FO subject, I am almost done with the baby raglan, I only need to sew it up:

Let's the games begin!

My knitting Olympics will start tonight, at 8 pm Pacific Time, while watching the opening ceremony. I know, according to the official rules, I could have started at 2 pm today, but I was in prison at work, so .....

Yesterday, at the very last minute, very Italian style, I trained swatched my yarn, and yes, we have a winner:



I went down one needles size and I got gauge with Jo Sharp DK Wool Heather for Silana.
So, I am going to make and finish a sweater for me, even if I will only wear it in the frozen food sections at the local supermarket - there are 25C outside today.

And I stress "finish". Do you know what I did yesterday after I got gauge? Did I finish one of my many projects on the needles? No, sir. I started this:



And the other day, only because I was bored? I decided to crochet:



Interesting fact: crochet is faster, the head kerchief took me only 1/2 hour, ripping it 3 times because I had not idea what I was doing, and it takes more yarn. So, if I crochet, I am not at SABLE yet, right?

A Good Thursday

This morning Paperino threw a fit when suggested that he was not well enough to go to school. He just dressed himself and declared he was not going to stay home another day. That means, "mommy is so boring, let me out of here". So, back to school for him and back to work for me, where I found this from my wonderful, generous, incredible SP7:



You know the drill, slide your mouse over to see what's inside. Yes, you can believe your eyes, she sent me not one, not two, not three, but four skeins of Koigu:



And so much more! This beaded Eyelet pattern with the beads, the hook, and the needles to make it:



The needles are actually in the next picture, with Vogue Knitting, that I did not have and it is blue as the whole package, a nice pad, and chocolate HWME already ate:



Do you think it is all? Well, think again:



The new chibi, sour candies, stitch markers, and Jasmine Scented Teardrops Organic (I am not sure what I can do with those, but I'll figure it out):

I am really speechless, I do not think that "Thank you", not matter how big or how colored, is enough.

Did I mention she sent me 4 skeins of Koigu?

Fishing adventure

Yesterday I was home with a sick child, so I decided it was time to finish up some projects. I have quite few projects on the needles, and then there is the stuff I forget to list there, like this spiral hat I am making for the store:



So I resisted the urge to cast for a baby sweater with this:



or even for a new Fragola, another store sample:



So, what to finish? Ruffles, the never ending scarf?



What about the fish bag? I started the fish bag last year, in Karaoke, and it was supposed to use one of those new purse forms from SWTC. I knitted up a bunch of little fish in blue and variegated, and saw them together, and wrap them around the magic purse form. Well, it did not work, way too floppy, so yesterday I decided to felt it "a little" to give it substance. I took out the form and throw it in the washer.
Problem: the variegated Karaoke felts as soon as it sees the washer, the blue Karaoke ..... Maybe it is machine washable? So after 2 min in the washer, the variegated Karaoke was quite felted and the blue one was like new.

OK, let's felt the thing completely and not use the form (which, by the way, was all bended out, so now it is under 3 volumes of Lessico Universale Italiano, the weight of the Italian culture will beat into shape.)

Now it is felted, but the the two yarns felt so differently ...... Well, if you are strong, click here to see it.

I think I'll cut my losses and see if Principessa wants it as, I don't know, doll bed? Maybe one of Paperino's monsters action figures needs a need hiding place?

Lesson learned: swatch and felt you swatch.

Today? I did not even think about finishing something. I ripped out the stole I was making with the Nature's Palette, it wants to be a triagular shawl, and I learned how to crochet. Kind of.

A good Monday

Mondays usually suck, especially when the previous week has been not good, so I know what awaits for me at work. But yesterday, look what was delivered to my cubicle:





Hint: slide the mouse on the box to see what's inside.

The yellow box is from Jennifer. A while ago I sent her some yarn as raok, and she has decided to reciprocate 10 time over - the two cakes are Lorna's Laces Worsted, my first Lorna's Laces Worsted, in Mixed Berries, 550 yards of luscious yarn.

The blue package is from Knitty SP6, she sent me the Sensational Knitted Socks book, you can spot it peaking out, two balls of sock yarn, and dpn's so I can start a pair of socks immediately. Well, as soon as I decided which one I want to make. Oh, and coffee, always need coffee.

Thank you so much, Secret Pal, I feel so spoiled!

The $100 hat

While I was on vacation in Italy, my best friend showed me a hat she wanted in a shop window - 80 euros!
One skein of Frog Tree Merino, some paillettes, and here it is, the hat she wanted:

Two socks

I have two socks to report for the Aime's 2000 socks ticker. My first Jaywalker socks is done:



and this is the sample for my toe-up class at the store:



I love the fact that I do not have to knit the second one!

Other than that, this is week has been a blurb, but I joined Yarn Aboard:

It's up!

on Magknits.

Click on the photo for more shots.