They were on sale..

those ten balls of sock yarn I bought yesterday...were 50 percent off.

The 12 balls of wool were not..and I did only mean to get 10.

The sock yarn and that fluffy stuff were completely unplanned..but does sock yarn at 50 percent off, and pink fluffy stuff that was cheap even at regular price, really count?

You betcha!

I have a significantly enhanced stash baby..and I love it!

When I told my husband that I may have spent a bit too much on yarn he just said "Oh?"

Me spending too much on anything is sort of a novelty.


I am working on a hat for a contest at the knit out the mid-ohio knitter guild is ..what's the word..doing?

I have frogged it a total of about 5 times..but only once entirely..I think I am about to completely frog it again..seems too small..
And yes, I did a guage swatch..in stockinette....

if only that was what I was knitting the hat in..

How do I knit?

And I quote:

"I knit english when knitting right handed!
Totally blew my mind when I automatically started doing it."

I am quoting myself.
But am I correct?

Whne I say I knit English while knitting right handed..I mean that I hold the yarn in the same hand as the working needle..and throw.

I dont know anymore..I assumed that what defined continental knitting was the fact of holding yarn that is being worked in the OPPOSITE hand..not that you are a continental knitter by holding it in your left hand...
I assumed that the definition was reversed for those holding the working needle opposite to the yarn.

But it seems everyone else thinks that the act of holding the yarn in the left..no matter what hand hold the working needle is what defines continental knitting.


I am now just not at all certain.

I mean to me it makes sense that what defines continental knitting would be merely holding the yarn opposite to the working needle....but I seem to be the only person with this opinion.
When I said that I knit English when knitting right handed..I meant that I hold the yarn in my right hand.

This brings me to picking and throwing..picking is holding it opposite if I am to understand correctly..and continental knitters pick..if I am to understand THAT..so basically I AM a continental knitter..in reverse?


It really DOES make a difference when teaching left handers to knit.
People always tell them to do it "continental" because the yarn is held in the left hand..but if the true definition of continental is being a picker..and holding the yarn opposite..
then the yarn should be held in the right hand.
So if using the left hand to carry the yarn is the objective..then they should be being taught to throw!


In the end, I think a person needs to experiment and see what is comfrotable.
I mean..who the hell would have ever thought that I would throw my yarn when knitting right handed..I am a picker since the beginning.

Are you a knitter?

 

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In other news..my dog chewed up the point to my new size 7 bamboo needles.

knitting good...drawing ...good too.

 Well, there you have it. I need to get the traditional art groove back.
I think I will do some knitting related graphics for the blog..and to offer to other bloggers.

I suck when it comes to any kind of ribbing. I am beginning to think that what I need are some largish projects that feature ribbing..and to forget about doing the Masters program swatches in order.

I blame Will Riker..his bearded cutness was distracting me..

poo..I lie. I suck at ribbing.

Plus I have my own bearded cutie. As for the ribbing..it's too bad to bother with photographing...sigh..or maybe it's not..maybe I should put it out there and ask for help.

But you really do use both hands..

 I hate that crap.
Yeah..one does use both hands to knit..but it IS a directional and handedness oriented task.
It DOES matter what hand you use.

I just wanted to get that off my chest.
I was fed that speil again at a guild meeting...by a knitting teacher.
Lemme tell you what... If I knit a cable pattern using right handed instructions..it'll be backwards.

As for knitting right handed..my 6 year old is right handed, and learning to knit.
I am ofcourse teaching her to do so with her right hand..which means me going that extra measure and showing her while using MY right hand.

Makes sense, right?

Yet people still believe lefties should just go ahead and learn right handed.
If I was teaching my little northpaw to knit left handed it would seem ludicrous.
It would be like men giving birth..it would go against nature.
( actually, that's a bad example..I am all for men giving birth.)


I learned something interesting while teaching Becca.
I knit english when knitting right handed!
Totally blew my mind when I automatically started doing it.

270..DONE!

I finally finished the 270!
I finished while Bill and I were away at the cabin for his birthday...it is proof that a large item can get done just a bit at a time.
Noone has ever knitted anything for him before. He was touched by the fact that I had done this for him.
Also, we had a little mini party last night so the girls could take part in celebrating his birthday.
I dont think he has had a party just for him since he was a kid.
It is something to see my 67 year old giant man near tears because...people cared..
I love him like a crazy woman..I would give him a party everyday if it wouldn't lose it's specialness to do so..but alas....the once a year aspect ..or in his case once every 60 years , is what makes it special.
You know? When we got to the cabin this weekend...that man had flowers and candy waiting for ME?
This is what kind of man I married.
I'm always trying to figure out how I got so lucky as to get someone like him.
And I thank God that in spite of his age, he is in wonderful health.( and he has the handsome to prove it! He is still as fine a man now as he was when he was 40. )
In fact he and I have discussed and planned for the fact that due to my health..I may possibly be the first to go.
I sometimes feel like that I am trying to cram as much into my life as possible...just in case.
I need to let common sense prevail and slow down...if I completely exhaust myself, I will go all the faster.
I have come to the point lately that I never stop..I go and go and work and work, until 3 or 4 in the morning. I dont go to bed..I pass out.


Ooo..I got some Lacette for a shawl..so I like cheap yarn..sue me. I have kids to feed.

I am beginning to wonder about all the yarns that I have encountered that give a larger needle size than you really would want to use with that yarn. Are they trying to make the yarn seems like an instant gratification yarn?
This yarn's ballband says to use a size three. The top of the swatch shown here is a size one.
The larger needle just made messy stitches, and giant holes. Ooops..I need to buy a size one straight needle....sigh..I went to Joanne's to buy a needle the other day and ended up spending 80 dollars ...Mom showed me were the clearance fabic is kept. Size two just doesn't get it with this yarn either..but it may have to..I already own some size two needles.

kitty sweater number two...done!

Here is the second kitty sweater.
I have to be brief here, have to be out the door very soon to take the girls to the Doc..Becca for a follow up on an ear infection..Donna for this dry cough that is persisting.

The color here is not accurate..no time to correct the photo today.

I should have gone to bed

 Instead I stayed up and worked on the sweater...and then I screwed up my blog.

Edit:

I fixed it.


I hope to God I can get the 270 done by Saturday...that's when his B-Day is.

acid green teddy

My lid loves him..bought him with her allowance. Plus he was handy.

So, he had his great knitwear modeling career launched today.

I present to you..acidboy wearing ...a cat sweater.
This is the finished product from the last post.
It really is a shame that he is not posable on all fours...and that he is too small for the sweater.
Oh well..then he would want to keep it..and it isn't his..so there.

And on the bottom is the back to sweater number two...which is in the middle of being seamed. I needed to stop for a minute though. I may need to stop until tomorrow..I am passing a damn kidney stone...well..actually, I am TRYING to..and it just wants to stay put and be a ..pain. A screaming nasty pain.
Add that to the toothache that I have, and I needed some pain meds...
they are making me tired..
I doubt I could sleep much anyways..and I really do need to get this sent by tomorrow.

Look..I knit leaves!

back of cabled kitty sweater- swap spoiler-caution

ok..if you are my kitty swap partner..you know what I'm making..but still, dont look.
Not like you would...anyways.

This is the back of sweater number one..lord I hope I can get two done by send date!

The pic of the cable close up isn't quite accurate in color..the pics of the entire back, as well as the ribbing and part cable are darn close. ( second and third pics)

She did not want wool..I always worry about blocking acrylic but shouldn't be too big a deal, it will have edging and be seamed to another peice...edging at the arm holes..seaming to the chest peice..which I am going to cast on for..right now!

before I die

 There are certain things I want to knit in my lifetime.

a dress
a coat
the "birch" shawl


since I dont plan on being dead anytime soon..I think I can do it.
We'll see.

I'm seriously thinking of buying a knitting machine..a cheap one.
The one I am considering, I have read many reviews and seems half the people love it..half hate it.

If I hate it I know where to return it..so no big deal.

Why knitters are crazy

Aren't those hot?
I want them..I can go to sock dreams
and buy them for ten little dollars. TEN!
But..I want to knit them.
Yes, I do.
That is why at least this knitter is crazy.

huh?

My sidebar doesn't show in IE.

Well..I have finished all but the toe of Becca's Magic splotch sock..I do both toes at the same time. This way my urge for an FO stays with me. That yarn sure is..big for sock yarn..all in all..it is about the worst sock that I have ever made..but..here it is.

I got some much nicer yarn..Parade from knitpicks. I think they should have named it "mermaid". It goes so well with the pic that I have been working on.

Ms Mermiad isn't done yet so technically, noone is supposed to be seeing her. So you saw nothing here..ok. I would have to kill you other wise.
ok

I also got a knitting bag..I LOVE this thing. It's huge. It's clear. It's fully packed.



ok..this is prime knitting time that I'm cutting into by farting around on the internet. ( "The kids are in bed..hurry..knit! They'll be up in about 10 hours!" )
Sweaters for hairless cats dont knit themselves. ( It's a swap thing)

I will double post..dont think I wont.

I see that only blog team members can comment.
Well..I am not aquiring team members anytime soon..so..

I will double post to my old blog until blogger beta says I can get an occasional comment around here from someone other than myself.

I tried on Becca's sock..what possesed me to that I dont know..she is six..I am 39..there is a bit of difference in our foot sizes..not much but some.

Oh well..Mom falls in between Becca and me in foot size..if I stretched them to death by putting it on then..she can wear them.

But I wanted to make Mom something a bit more...womanly, as opposed to girlish.
She dresses kind of like a kid and has expressed a desire to look more grown up.
A good decision I guess at 59 and 4'9" tall.
She tends to wear things with cartoon carachters, small florals, funny sayings..kittens.
I dont mean to offend anyone..but to me that is a grown woman dressing like a child.
Only worse is those older maternity tops that manufacturors seemed to think they were making for babies..and not women having babies.
Eh.maybe you are just supposed to be feeling ultra feminine when you're pregnant.
I just felt ultra nauseated...and thank God I am young enough( or rather..I had my babies late enough..I was 33
when I had my first!) not to have had to become even
more nauseated when confronted with pastels pinstripes, ruffles, and tiny embroidered flowers in
ofcourse..pastels..as my only clothing options.

I blame my parents..

I hate when people blame their parents..

but when this all began..I was not yet my own person.
First..I will admit that I was a late emotional bloomer..
in fact, maturity is one of those things that still isn't a big part of my being ..it certainly isn't natural. I often have to force it though since I am responsible for several lives.
None the less..I have a huge safty net in my life. My husband.
HE is the actual adult..and I play grown up.
But I digress...

It used to be that I was far less my own person..and still very influenced by how my parents did things.
Now Dad did hold a good job..for 30 years...after he got clean from heroin and stopped getting arrested..no really..that is a fact. It isnt some joke entry making you think I came from trash roots..
I did.
But Dad wanted alot more for his kids.
Mom..well..
um..

Mom is one of those people who's life I am responsible for.

OK..I did go to college and I did get gainfully employed taking care of many other lives..they werent human, but..anyways.
I matured..some..Mom never did.
She seems to think she is "fun" the way she is.
Mom cant be bothered to read instructions. Mom cant be bothered to be neat or orderly. Mom cant be bothered to have the correct materials for a project...or even find out what those correct material might be. ( The woman once crocheted a blanket from a wool yarn AND an acrylic..boy was she surprised when she washed it.)
Mom does things Mom's way...screw good results.

Well..back when I taught myself to knit..

I knit a sweater first..with no pattern..and well..I needed to attatch the collar..so I devised a way.
It only looked kind of weird.
Just a tad.

I later started looking at those crazy things called patterns..and saw they wanted me to "pick up" stitches.

o..so it has a name..

I went on for all these years...until tonight..

thinking that I knew how to pick up stitches.
You know what?

Ofcourse you do.

I have been doing it WRONG!

I have been doing a "MOM" all these years!
It's sobering when I give you this info.

I am reduced to tears over some dumb assed thing my Mom has done at least 2 times a week..at LEAST.
Dont get me wrong..I love my Mom..but starting with the fact that she sent me to another country as a baby because she couldn't cope..and then turned around and had my sister..and left me there..and kept my sister..(with whom I am friends..)
well..we have a rocky relationship.
And yeah..I am finally starting to GET IT that Mom has some mental problems going on and is not trying to slowly kill me intentionally..

but I dont want to be like her.

Anyways...I now know how to pick up stitches. Mom be damned.

As for those socks..I think that particular ball of yarn must have some sort of curse on it..I have had to rip that thing about 4 times....

Yanno..maybe I cant really knit after all?
I am in a cant paint, cant knit, bad Mom, bad daughter," my poor husband", terrible friend funk.
And the only chocolate in the house is dark...ugh.

magic splotches

ugh..I wrote this whole thing out and then when I was about to finish up..Opera 9 beta crashed and I couldn't recover my post.
That's what I get for using two betas to blog, I suppose.

Anyways..I was talking about Lion Brand Magic Stripes.
I LOVE the colors..they are all so cute.
But the yarn has issues that mean it will be fine for socks for me and the girl people in my family..Bill doesn't do..stripes..magic or otherwise...
but it will not be good for the light verticle striped sweater that I have always wanted to knit for myself.
It is for one thing..rough. I have heard it softens after washing...I was thinking some hair conditioner.And it IS reasonable for socks if you knit at a guage of 28 stitches per 4 inches or less..for shits and giggles I guaged with a size 1 US and it was a bit unfriendly feeling.

But the bigger problem is in the dying. I have twice in a short amount of yarn used found undyed spaces mid stripe..and there are splotches and flecks from where the yarn of one stripe colored area touched another.
This makes it look like you are knitted in a splotch in the cases of bigger areas..and dirty when knitted up when it was just a small fleck.

I now am coming to the pic part..and will copy and paste this text. The crashing in the last attempt for pic uploading related, I am sure.



The above is a sock for Becca and my multi needle playing around swatch..NOT a guage swatch..just fooling with the yarn.
I frogged the sock, and started with another pattern that had fewer typos and mistakes in it. ( funny how someone SEEMS to be so clever until you actually READ what they wrote..but that is another issue..one I will not eleaborate upon, because I dont believe in being nasty for nasty sake.) I also was kind of astounded at how poorly I knitted the ribbing and couldn't live with such uneveness..and people would know for all enternity that I knitted that.
Anyways..see that splotch..and the kind of dirty look?

That's why for the sweater I always wanted..I will keeping searching for a self striping yarn..or just do it the less magical..old fashioned way..intarsia verticle stripes or sideways as I would do if using the self striping yarn..The world wouldn't end. I just like the less yarn and bulk with the self striping.
I also wonder..if I knitted the stuff up and down..would the stripes be cut short..and I would have kind of jagged irregular stripes? Worth playing with I think.

by the way..still waiting for my knitpicks order..oddly enough, it is taking some time. I live in the same area as they are located and assume that is why I always recieved pretty quick. But they just did send out yesterday, and FedEx hasnt even dropped it off to the US postal service yet.
This is upposed to be a time saving method..maybe just money saving..dont know. I qualified for the free shipping ( my order was well over 40 dollars. *blush* so if knitpicks can save themselves some money this way, I'm ok with that.

oooo!!

 I just ordered a bunch of yarn and needles ( bamboo DPN's! Sizes 4,5,6,7  I have little ones) and bags from knitpicks.com

several types of self striping sock yarn
wool of the Andes in ...um..it's not called black ( I am eventually going to MAKE my dream bag..felted and lined.)
and some cream colored sock yarn

and get this..I am even going to make something for..me!

yeah I knit backwards

 wanna make something of it?

Seriously..why should anyone care if I knit backwards..I mean, yes..it is completely backwards continental knitting. I hold the working needle in the left and the yarn in the right.
The very fact that I do any kind of left handed knitting seems to bother some people..why?

Nevermind the fact that I do everything that involves small motor skills lefthanded..why should it even be ANY concern of anyone how I knit?

Dont look?

But back to the fact that I am left handed.
I taught myself and I did indeed reverse everything in a picture from a book.
I am running into more and more writing and comments from people both online and real life where some think that you should teach a left hander to do it ...

right handed.

Maybe we should reverse that situation..teach a right hander to do it left handed.

hmmm....any takers?

I do sometimes have to fiddle with directions and stitch patterns..I admit it..oh horrors!
I have a much better understanding of how knitting is what it is because of that fact.
What a shame that I am forced to actually THINK as opposed to blindly follow someone elses instructions.
That's terrible..better I go completely against nature and knit with my right hand..that way I can be ready to follow the words of anyone that comes along.

I dont rant often..but this time I have.

Yanno..my husband is older..he will be 67 next month ( wanna make something out of THAT?...dont even get close to it..in my eyes he is the most wonderful man on this planet.)

Anyway..he is a switched lefty. His mind still does lefty things.
He cuts himself ALOT using everyday tools.
He was forced to go against what was natural for him.

I cant see the benefit in this.

My two cents.

Oh hey..by the way

You can post comments anon...this as mentioned is a beta blog..normal commenting will return one day.

My day job

 Knitting is fantastic...but on this blog, and on the old blog. I have failed to mention my day job.
My first love.

I'm a painter.


And I haven't been painting much. I am not very financially motivated to paint.
But my soul has suffered. I have to give up some knitting time for what is necessary to my being.

My art can be seen here if you are curious.

all a freakin' twitter ( this is gonna be pic heavy)

ooo..new blog..ooo


ok..the post I was going to make at the new blog when I FINALLY decided to get off my vitual butt and figure why for the last week that I have been having log in weirdness.

It was due to a sort of forced sales pitch to offer me the chance to do the Beta..

which not being a proper nerd, always makes me think of this ( runs to google..or maybe my pic files somewhere?):



(pic is from here)

so..yeah..Blogger is growing up..if only it would start knitting, then I could be so proud.

Anyways.

I was looking at my desk here..and counted very quickly at least ten things that could be thrown away.

About an hour and a half later I needed to reboot ..which takes about 9 years on my laptop..so I actually decided that I am going to REALLY throw away those 10 things!
And I found this..and I remember it..I SAVED it!





What in the world did I think I was going to do with THAT?
Is that not pitiful?
You know what's worse?..I still havent thrown it out.

On to less shameful blogging.

I am making an internet friend the baby kimono from Mason*Dixon knitting..for her daughter. Is it not the sweetest?
This is a finished one picked randomly from a Google search and was knitted by nsdis

Who also makes some mighty fine bags as you can see by his/her Flickr account..go nsdis!
We love you and your baby kimono/bag making prowess.



so..this is the basic idea( why do I suck so bad at getting to the point?)


And the blue is my KIP ( kimono in progress)


(I hope this works
I am now having some layout problems..but onwards and upwards..ah I think I fixed it.)

So..I made Nautie from Knitty
for my daughter's 5th B-Day. She also recieved this butterfly condo thing..but naturally turned it into a Nautie  Condo!






And last but not least..the "270" is about 2/3 done..I really feel like renaming it ..the "2/3 done"..giant pain in the ass thing that it is. But it is for my beloved Bill...he bought me an entire house and provides me with sex and entertainment 
( I make it sound like sex and entertainment are two different things!) ..least I could do is knit him..that thing..in that yarn he chose.
I swear my guage has not changed, as it appears in the photo..it really IS the yarn!
( God how I hate it.)


ok..this has been quite possibly the longest blog entry that I have ever posted.
Not sure what has gotten into me.

It's Kimono knittin' time!
Cya!