You knit what?

It's hilarious!

Will I make it?

If tonight I manage to finish the second Wavy Gravy and the purple hat:



I have just 4 items left from Paperino's list, 3 scarves and one hat.
Will I make by Friday morning, his last day at his pre-school?

I have plans and yarn for 2 of the two scarves. No, let's rephrase that: I have yarn for everything, but plans for two scarves ( Buttercream with Knit Picks Kool-aid Yarn), I'll probably use Cascade 220 for the blue hat and I am still undecided about the scarf that needs to be pink. Maybe the Plymouth Outback Mohair - it does knit on #10!

Under finished objects, the 43th item of 2005:



Diagonal Rib Lace Scarf
Pattern: from The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns
For: Paperino's teacher
Needles: US#6
Yarn: Peruvian Highland Collection Pure Alpaca - 3 balls

I think that after this weekend and next week, it will be a while before I cast for another scarf or another hat!

De-stashing

Let's be honest, I am not de-stashing, but I did swap some yarn for knitting books, so my ball count went down 6 point - I am so proud of myself! Giving away yarn is really hard for me, I always think that I'll use it some day.

I am making progress on Paperino's list. The green Alpaca scarf is 66% done, I did finish the second ball of yarn, but I bought this:



from Cookie, so that was a wash. The purple hat is half done, and I am decided that a fingering weight scarf



is not going to cut when I am one week and 7 projects away from my deadline - is that a project per day?

So I am going to use the worsted weight Wool of Andes



to make two Buttercream.

Don't forget, Principessa and I are going to knit against cancer (like she said) this coming weekend:

sponsor me and win yarn!

Sponsor me!

Relay for Life - Los Altos is this coming Saturday, and I am only $90 away from my fundraising goal of $500, so if you can, even $5, please sponsor me!

And remember, you can win yarn!

Tuesday was knit-along day

Since I am mostly working on Paperino's list, I don' have much to report but:


The Triada disaster


The baby cardigan is done and I casted for the hat.

Box and stash update

Ok, of course I found some yarn I liked so I took it, BUT I took 3 balls and I put in 18. I took this:



since I want to make hats for Afghans for Afghans and I read they really like green, and this:



just because it is beautiful.

I put in 1 ball of Four Season Hot Socks (a yarn box with no sock yarn in it? What on earth?), 10 balls of Oren Bayan Gulperle - 100% cotton, 1 hank of KnitPicks Color Your Own Kool-aid dyed, 3 balls of multicolor cotton yarn, 2 balls of Plassard yarn, 1 ball of Colorado Yarns.

New total: 358.5!

I am trying to figure out how many projects I need to make to arrive to the magical 250 number. So, all the projects on the needles but the various blankets/afghans are 23 balls - new total: 335.5

The remaining of Paperino's list, 7 more balls - new total: 328.5

baby cardigan set and 2 Soleils: 15 more balls - new total: 313.5

3 tank tops: 8 balls - new total: 305.5

Phoebe: 3 balls - new total: 302.5

poncho for my niece: 2 balls - new total: 300.5

shawl: 5 balls - new total: 295.5

classic cardi and pullover corset: 10 balls - new total: 285.5

Anouk: 7 balls - new total: 278.5

Ruffles: 3 balls - new total: 275.5

Nantasket Basket: 2 balls - new total: 273.5

Spring Fling: 8 balls - new total: 265.5

Misty Garden: 1 ball - new total: 264.5

Simple Ribbed Colinette Scarf: 2 balls - new total: 262.5

Go everywhere with everything cardi: 12 balls - new total: 250.5

Ok, is it hopeless?

Have you seen this? Now I don't know if I want to make Soleil or Tivoli with the Cathay my lovely SP sent me!

And what about this? The Koigu that Stacey sent me is screaming: "I want to be Alison's ankle socks".

I am back

Boy, after a vacation with the kids, I need a vacation to recover!

Anyway, I was safe in the office today, after dropping Principessa to the first day of camp and Paperino to school. What have I knitted this weekend? Beside the Triada fiasco, we have a hat:



I used half of the Cascade 220 leftover from Principessa's poncho, so that's worth 1.50 balls, I'll say. And I have used one ball of Peruvian Highland Collection Pure Alpaca for my Diagonal Lace Scarf, so my stash total is now 375.5, only 125.5 to go.

And I got THE BOX today: I am going to put more balls than I plan to take out - nothing screamed "take me, take me!", so it is going to be not so painful. Should I say what I am going to put in or is it supposed to be a surprise? Well, let's say I am going to add 10 balls of 100% cotton and a ball of striped sock yarn as starters ( if you are participating and want to be surprised do not look here to try and guess) and then I'll add more if I actually take something out. That's another 11 balls down for me!

New total: 364.5

I think my problem with Triada is the yarn, maybe I should get La Boheme (I just gave away 11 balls of yarn, haven't I?), since it worked so well for Jenifer and SandyB. I am really freak out by my first case of yarn substitution that did not work.

In the meantime, my sister-in-law, who was going to be the recipient of Triada, saw my Phoebe and asked if I could make her that, since I am going to frog Triada anyway. Well, I just love her more for that, since I know that the Alpaca Silk is going to work for Phoebe.

p.s. of course the hat is for Paperino's list!

Triada

Triada is done and I got exactly the dimensions of the pattern, 12" long and 34" circumference when stretched widthwise, but no way that can fit a woman!

But it fits Principessa very well:



My circumference is 43" when measured including the arms - I admit I have wide shoulders, and my sister-in-law, for whom I am making this, is smaller than me, but not as small as my daughter. BTW, I measured my daughters' circumference, and it is 30".

I am going to frog this and start over with more stitches since I used only two of the four balls of Alpaca Silk I have and it took me only few hours.

I am beyond Knitters' Anonymous

I believe it's a cool idea, but $27.95 is almost 4 balls of this, or a skein of this, or almost enough for this. I rather buy yarn than pencil or bumper stickers - well, I rather almost anything than a bumper sticker.

Packing for a trip

I am going to San Diego for the weekend, leaving tomorrow morning. That leads to important decisions: what to pack?

I want light and small projects, on dpns or circular needles, and I usually overpack projects, but once I ran out of knitting and once is enough.

First of all, Triada Scarf - now that I have seen Jenifer's I am determined to finish it.

Then, on Paperino's list I have 3 hats, so I am surfing my stash to decide what to make with what. Speaking of which, last night I started the second Wavy Gravy, but needles size 15 were very noisy and we were watching Suspect Zero, so I started diagonal lace scarf with Peruvian Highland Collection Pure Alpaca in green.
But back to the hats, two woman hats and one man hat.

Candidates for the man hat are:

• No No Kitty Conifers


• Koigu KPPPM


• Merino and Fur

Candidates for the woman hats are:

• Lorna's Laces Bucks Bar


• Peruvian Collection Highland Wool


• Cascade 220

If I can - I need to check the yardage - I'll go with the Merino and Fur for the man hat, still undecided for the woman hats, but I found this cool Random Stripe Generator in case I want to go that way.

And it is raining again - have I moved out of California?

Soleil

Yes, I did join another knit-along, even if I am not starting until I am done with the scarves. And I get my yarn. Did I order more yarn? Yes, guilty as charged, but it is for a gift and I really did not have anything in my stash I could make Soleil with.
I ordered Amazon DK from Knit Werx and I am making it for less than $30 including shipping!

Then the fabulous package arrived from my Knitty SP and reading the pattern more closed - I should read the pattern before ordering the yarn, should I? - I found out:

- I could have ordered only 6 balls of Amazaon Dk instead of 8 (at $2.60 per ball, it's not a big deal, but then I'll have these two extra ball sitting in my stash forever .....)
- I can make a Soleil with Cathay, and my friend did say pink or azzure .....

On the front of using yarn, I finished the cardigan from the Baby Cardigan Set - one ball down! - and I used up the first ball of Jaeger Trinity for the A-line Jacket - two balls down!

More about the package

Here are all the goodies:



and guess what? This time my kids did not go for the chocolate, but for the bird!

Sockapal-2-za

I got my match, I got my match, and she is lovely: no preferences! Yes, people with no preferences are lovely in my book. I went to read her blog and she is signed up SP5 too, and her favorite color is purple. Fate?

A package!

I came home to this tonight, a package from my fabulous Knitty SP:



I am out the door to my knitting meeting, but I could not resist, so here I opened it:



Oooh, packages in the package, this will have to wait but I did looked in the bag:



Debbie Bliss Cathay, and my yarn count just went up 6 balls - I love that!

Thank you SP!

I'll open all the little packages when I am back*.

* Actually, tomorrow night with my kids, since they had so much fun last time.

Tuesday is knit-alongs

Ok, I am behind, still working on my May project.


I casted for Happy Sox with Lorna's Laces and I am working on it - I really love the pattern and the yarn!


I am knitting baby things for moms at Camp Pendleton, the first project with be a Made with Love Layette . If you like to knit baby clothes, hop over there and read about this project.


6 summer projects done (SnB Little Top, Knee High Socks, NBaT, Striped Toe-up Socks, Fragola, and baby tank top) and 1 on the needles (A-Line Jacket).


Poor neglected Triada!


The baby tank top is done, and I am bringing the baby cardigan with me to the Peninsula Knitters meeting - I hope to finish the collar and make the hat.

Cleaning up

I am this close to finish my Wavy Boxes Baby Blanket for Children's Village at the Pine Ridge Reservation. Like 10 rows and then I am binding off. I am so happy, that thing has been in my knitting basket since January 31, can you believe it? It's the combination of big needles and easy pattern, boring to death.

Next project I am attacking and finishing off is the cardigan of Baby Cardigan Set; I know it is not due until the first week of July, but I am missing only the right sleeve, so it is getting on my nerves to see it there.

Then, I'll be back to my scarves, all seven of them.

One more scarf

Three down, seven to go:


Pattern by Rachel Russ from SnB Nation
Yarn: Bernat Breeze

I have another ball of Bernat, so I am making a second one. And this time my ball total did get down by one point!

I could not resist Lorna's Laces calling me so I casted for Happy Sox:



and I am having so much fun - this pattern is really cute. I don't know yet what I'll do with the socks when they are done, since my feet and wool really do not agree, but for now I am just having fun making them.

This is what I have done so far of the Debbie Bliss A-line Cardi:



The pattern is just mindless stockinette, but the cardi would be perfect for California summer, so I am forcing myself to work on it. Well, not always:

Now it is really done

The pattern is from Debbie Bliss' Baby Knits and I used Endless Summer Collection Sonata from Elann in Capri Blue.

This top is something everybody can whip up in one evening, if they do not make silly mistakes like me. I am planning to make another one in pink.

Oh, since I had 3 balls in Capri Blue and I used only 2 for the top, my yarn count went up.

It's raining

Someone should remind the weather gods that we are in California. It's raining, and the last two nights was really cold. And when the weather is wrong, other stuff goes wrong too.
I posted here that I was done with my baby tank top. Liar, liar. I went to sew up the sides and I realized that I have not pick up stitches along the whole armholes, but left a one inch out, both sides. Well, at least I am consistent! Ripped. But I was not in the mood of picking up stitches last night so I went on my search for the perfect shawl.

Haven't found it yet. Here are the facts: I want to use this yarn:



As you can see, I have 5 balls, 1,100 yards of fingering yarn. This colorway is perfect for my friend, it is really her, so I am set on the yarn. Now the pattern.

The thing is it can't be a busy pattern, stockinette looks great with all these colors, garter stitch looks horrible. So I tried a feather and fan pattern and it looked terrible. I tried another one, same story, so today I am off to look for a "not busy but not too boring shawl pattern". "Not busy" means "purl on the wrong side".

On scarves madness news, I have started a feather and fan scarf with some fingering yarn Paperino dyed.

And I started the Wavy Gravy scarf from SnB Nation. This is going fast (size 15 needles), and since I have two balls of Bernat Breeze, I am making two.

Tuesdays is knit-alongs

I am going to start my first Lorna's Laces socks soon, maybe for my sockapal2 pal?


Fragola is done!


5 summer projects done (SnB Little Top, Knee High Socks, NBaT, Striped Toe-up Socks, and Fragola) and 2 on the needles (A-Line Jacket and the baby tank top).


I did started it!


The baby tank top from Debbie Bliss' The Baby Knits Book is almost done, only the collar missing.


I did start on the A-line Jacket, but I did not finish it by the end of May!

Have you seen these?

Click here - socks for flip-flop.

I really do not want to say it, but ...... are you kidding me? I would not be caught dead in sandals and socks, and I know that in this country I am an exception, but come on, sock with flip flop. And they look freaky. Really freaky.

Do not open that closet

You may find more yarn - updated total: 371

Fragole con panna

Fragola is done and sewn up:



and my stash just went up one ball. No, I did not buy anything, but I have this leftover from the cardi that wasn't included in the total:



Oh, well, 362.

Few days ago I finished Pistachio as well, that had been renamed Panna:



If you ever need to knit a gazillion scarves in few week, this is a pattern I recommend - it's super easy, fun and you get a great result just alternating needle sizes.

Holy cow!

361
That is numbers of balls of yarn I have, and I am sure I am missing some.

As Marina noticed, my yarn debt keep climbing. I never had credit card debt in my life, but now I finally get the whole idea of buying now, pay it back later with interest. The rule "pay back yarn 5:1" had no deterrent effect on me, I just keep buying, so change of strategy.

I counted all my balls and hanks of yarn.

361

So, new rule: no buying whatsoever until I have knitted 50% of my stash.

You don't believe me? Well, neither do I so let's be realistic, shall we?

50% of my stash is 180 balls, so that's like saying do not buy yarn for one year. Don't. Think. So.

So, new rule: no buying whatsoever until I knit or give away 25% of my stash (90 balls); the only buying that is allowed is for my SP.

Oh, and about the brown kool-aid dyed wool? That's actually more a very dark grape color.

Give me wool, give me kool-aid

Unleash the kids and I get this:



Now, if only I could convince them we do not need to have all "on-of-a-kind" hanks, but we can actually try and have more than 220 yards in each colorway so that I can made something else but not a scarf, I would be an happy woman.

Not that I am done with the gazillion scarves, I still need to make eight ......

End of the school year a.k.a shoot me now

Wednesday: 8 a.m. drive across town to drop Paperino to school (that is few blocks away from my office), then drive back to Principessa's school (that is near home) to attend a 9 to 10:30 Foundation meeting, stay for the dance festival, go back to the office, work until 5, then go back to Principessa's school to pick her up and drive back to Paperino's school to attend a 5:30-6:30 meeting of the parents' committee (my last one, Paperino is graduating from pre-school), then drive back home, drop off the kids, set my husband straight:

Him: I thought you told me to be here at 6:30 so we could have dinner together
Me: No, I told you to be here at 6:30 because I have a Foundation meeting at 7.

So did I knit some on Wednesday? Well, of course when I came back from the meeting, but it was really "some".

Thursday: Drop Paperino to school, go to work, work, drive back to Principessa's school for the knitting club (and I am not complaining because it is the only time I knitted some), drive back to work, work, get Paperino, get Principessa, drive home, dinner for the kids, drive to Principessa's school for the open house, back home, work all evening for the Foundation end of the year report. No knitting. No comment.

Today: Drop Paperino to school, go to work, work, run errands at lunch time, including mailing out 4 balls of yarn, i.e. 2 points, and giving out yarn is the only way I am reducing my yarn debt (What? 91.5? Don't ask, please!), work, get Paperino, drive to Principessa's school where there is Parents Night Out at the after school. I'll be in heaven, kids there until 10, husband out with the boys, I'll knit like there is no tomorrow.

Email from husband: I cancelled the night out with the boys, so we can go out together.

What? What kind of a husband chooses his wife over his buddies? What's wrong with him? It must be love.

Maybe I can convince him to have take-out and a movie at home, so I can knit.

It happened to me too

I read tales on other people's blog about finding yarn in their stash they have forgotten about. I always thought that either I have not such a big stash or I am good with my documentation. In fact I have taken pics of my stash.
Well, think again.
I am making a tank top from Debbie Bliss' The Baby Knits Book, with some leftover from this project. It is for one of my new nieces, whom I am going to meet for the first time in few weeks. She has an older brother and I would like to make a tank top for him too, in blue cotton. Finding nice cotton in a nice boy color is not easy, and I even discuss the matter with HoJo who offered to order what I needed from her new store.
See this yarn here? Would you think that I have one ball of Pima Tencel in white and one ball of Pima Melage in blue? Well, I thought so too before diving in my cherry chest to find out that I have two balls of Pima Tencel in white and three balls of Pima Melage in blue. So the white is becoming Pistachio as I type and the blue is going to be a tank top.
Love diving into stash!
But what I love even more is to receive yarn, and look what I got today from the wonderful Kirsten:



Lorna's Laces already winded up in two balls and ready to go, with needles and book of patterns!

Something old, something new

As you all know, I have a serious startitis problem, just look here if you did not know. But I like to wrap up things as well, cross things out from my lists, and move my buttons on the blog around.
So, what's done?



My secret pal was the wonderful Staci and I mailed out today my last packages to the person I was spoiling.



I have mailed out my 10 hats and the package is already there - don't you just love tracking numbers?

Now onto the new things:



I got my match!



I just signed up!



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