Lizzlemermaid's Knits

School kicked my ass today. After I spent so much time studying for these two tests today, and finishing a grand total of 2 veil points this week (I know, right??), I'm pissed. Why? Because BOTH tests kicked my ass.

I'm really pissed about it. I've gotten very little knitting time in, and my UFO pile is just growing from the socks and veil (although I guess both could still be considered a WIP). I just want to finish something, or whip up something small and fun just to feel like I've accomplished something.

My friend Candice sent me some pictures of her adorably pregnant belly. She's due in April, so maybe I'll make something for her baby. Just to cheer myself up. If I quit procrastinating by blogging, and actually finish my work on campus today, then I could probably swing by Michael's and pick up some cute froofy-colored baby yarn and whip something up to send her. Then work on the veil.

Luckily I don't have as immense of a mountain of work this week, so I can maybe catch up on some back knitting as well as some back work. When did knitting become so stressful too?? Knitting is a hobby! It isn't supposed to be so stressful! *Sigh* Maybe over Spring Break I'll finish some UFOs.

This past Friday, I had to say screw it to all my UFO/WIP goals, and whipped up a hat because it was SO DAMN COLD on campus. I made a hat from the leftover Manos from My So Called Scarf. It felt good to cut down my queue and stashbust all in one fell swoop, and now that my head and ears aren't freezing I can get back on track.

I was so impressed with myself for making a hat in an afternoon that I decided to dedicate Friday afternoons to UFO busting, and working on getting all those done. I sat down and made a list of all my UFOs, what still needs to be done, and what I'm missing to finish it. Honestly, it's a little sad how close I am to finishing some of these things. Luckily, I don't really have to buy much to finish these, but unluckily, it seems I'll be doing a lot of yarn de-tangling.

Just so I can come back later in the year and look at my progress:
Project Progress (As of 1/1/09)
Nathan's Blanket 15%
Anemoi Mitts 25%
Tilted Duster 60%
Yellow Booties 50%
Intolerable Cruelty 85%
Tea Cosy 85%
Baudelaire's 0% (Frogged, but will be part of my personal sock club)

In other knitting news, I'm making a decent amount of progress on my socks and veil. I'm trying to push through on this veil edging, up until now (ignoring the rocky start) I've found this project fairly enjoyable, but it's starting to feel tedious doing the same 20 rows over and over. I really want to get to the more interesting part.

I just have to keep chugging a lot, and relish in the sense of accomplishment that comes with finishing a UFO, a WIP, or even another 20 rows on this veil.

So, once again, the craziness of life and school caused this blog to be neglected.

The Yarn Diet of '09 is officially underway. The only yarn I bought after the New Year was for projects I meant to start before the year ended, but didn't get around to getting, so they don't count. So now I'll only be knitting from the stash, unless I need a specific yarn for a gift or charity. No new yarn for me!! It'll be necessary now that I've cut back my work hours. Money is going to be seriously tight.

I joined the stash knit-down group on Ravelry to help me stay motivated, and they have a lot of cute ideas for reducing your stash. I've joined a couple, my favorite of which involves knitting a pair of socks a month from the stash. I put together a little bag full of note cards that list a pattern and a skein of yarn to go with it, and each month I'll choose one at random and knit it. This month is Anna's Basic Sock pattern, and I'm knitting it with my Creatively Dyed that I got at Stitches. I got pretty far, but it was too big, and I think I've finally gotten it to a point where it'll fit me, and won't have crazy pooling.

I definitely neglected knitting during the holidays, but despite that I've managed to finish 23 of 85 veil edge points. It may not be as much as I'd like done, but I feel like I"m making decent progress, and I feel less daunted by this gargantuan veil now.

My only other knitting goal right now is to finish off all my forgotten UFOs, so that I don't have to look at them any more, staring at me sadly from the WIP basket. I'll keep you all updated as I try to make progress on those.

For right now, though, my camera is broken...I dropped it...and I need to get it fixed. I just have to find a decent camera repair place, because apparently the Wolf Camera in Tyson's mall doesn't fix cameras. Hm.

Alright, now it's time for me to go get back to some school work.

GRRRRR.
I tried to be good again tonight and work on a UFO that's been hanging around. I didn't even get into a full round of my Anemoi Mitts when a damn needle snapped in half! I couldn't even believe it. So I went to find something else to work on, and I found that two of the needles had slid half out of their stitches. The sock had partially unravelled in a really bizarre way. I decided to just say "Screw it", and so I frogged the whole sock. I'll redo it at some point, but I just couldn't find a good point to restart it. Not to mention that when you pull a needle out of the stitches, bamboo yarn just wants to slither down and not let you pick the stitch back up.

I'm so pissed. I now have another massive knot of bamboo yarn, because the Panda Cotton is now a freaking massive knot. I somehow only have four of my five Inox 2s, and I don't have enough 1s to work on the Anemois.

All I wanted was to get some knitting done as a break from studying, and I just ended up more frustrated. Boo! I love the look of bamboo yarn, but I'm starting to feel like it's not worth the hassle.

At least I get to start the veil tomorrow. I just have to keep teling myself that.

I decided to be good last night! When I was watching reruns of House last night I wanted to cast on another something-or-other for charity, but decided instead to tackle one of those hibernating FOs. I ended up finishing the Hawaiian dishcloth, which only took about 2 hours to finish.

It turned out OK. The variegated coloring sort of swallows the hibiscus. It actually shows up better in the pictures than it does in real life. I used it as a washcloth this morning, but it didn't hold up very well. It's gotten all stretchy and I'm not really sure what to do with it. I'll probably run it through the washer and dryer so it's clean and then actually use it as a kitchen rag like it was intended. It's a cute pattern. Just not sure how practical the pattern is.

Anyways, Pics:



I used sized 10 needles, which is probably part of the stretching problem.
I knit it with Sugar 'n Cream, which is supposed to be pretty durable, but we'll see.

On the needles for charity:
A baby booty. That also needs a mate.
Baby Hat

On the needles/Hibernating/Needs to get done:
Intolerable Cruelty
Nathan's Christmas Surprise
Anemoi Mitts
Tea Cosy
Baudelaires
Tilted Duster

After about 37 attempts, I've managed to finally get some crochet done! Yay! For some reason, I was just not wrapping my brain around this whole double crochet thing.
Well, I finally got something!!
I had some free time this afternoon, and I thought I'd give it another go so that I might actually have this blanket done for Nathan before Christmas.

Behold!

Double Crochet!


Hooray!

It's not the best, but whatever, I finally got past the point that was tripping me up, and so now maybe I can proceed. Maybe!

Hm, let's see, since last time I updated, I've run out, once again, of usable yarn for Intolerable Cruelty. Grrr. I've tried freeing up some more yarn, but I'm not making much progress.

I finished my Warm Woolies socks, and I'm almost done with another hat for charity that I've been working on while riding the Metro. Somewhere along the line I finished those Noro Mitts, but I don't think I ever posted pictures or anything. So here are some WIP and FO pics.


Socks for Warm Woolies! They were so easy, but I'll probably make a vest out of the rest of this yarn at some point. I think I have enough.



Noro Mitts! I love them! They're so warm, but the color pattern didn't stripe the way I thought it would. I didn't even know the skein had blue, but it was a nice surprise. I hoped it would come back, but it didn't.


Here's some of the hat. I've made progress since this was taken, but I like the way the twisted rib is turning out!

Not much else to report knitting-wise. I'm so excited for Monday, after finals I'm casting on the veil!!!! I've been petting the Fino in anticipation!

And my reminder to myself:
On the needles for charity:
(Italic projects are on the needles)
Irish Hiking Hat (Charity Hat #4)
Warm Woolies Socks
Twisted Rib Hat
A baby booty. That also needs a mate.
Baby Hat

On the needles/Hibernating/Needs to get done:
Noro Mitts
Intolerable Cruelty
Nathan's Christmas Surprise
Anemoi Mitts
Hawaiian dishcloth
Tea Cosy
Baudelaires
Tilted Duster

Yesterday I woke up really late and lazed around all afternoon, but that's what tends to happen after two night shifts in a row! I finally took some updated pictures of some of my yarns to get more shots of their true colors. Some of them still aren't a good representation, but they look better, at least. The only yarns that didn't get updated are those that are still in St. Louis. I also took some pictures of my stash as it was all piled on my bed. It really reaffirms the need for a yarn diet:


Here you can see my dog looking wistfully off in the distance. He wants nothing more than to lay on my yarn and get hair all over it. I think he's also slightly resentful that the stash was getting more attention than him at that moment.


"Come on, Mom! Let me roll in the soft, fuzzy pile!"
(For some reason, he's cut off in the regular journal view, but if you go in to leave a comment, you can get the full view of his frustration!)

I know that my stash isn't extremely out of control, and not nearly as huge as some of the stashes I've seen on Ravelry, but I have enough yarn to last me through 2009, I think minus yarn for gifts. Nathan just requested a pair of wooly gloves, too, so I'll have to buy yarn for that, but maybe my New Year's Resolution will be to burn up the stash in '09.

Then, just for fun, I also took pictures of just my sock yarn and lace weight:


I'm excited to start finally knitting with some of these.

If you didn't already notice in the previous pictures, I finally got around to picking up my Fino for the wedding veil. I'm now the proud owner of six skeins of silky-alpaca-goodness. This yarn is sooooo heavenly! It was absolutely worth the extra money for the silk content. I had briefly considered buying a different white lace weight, because it would have been much cheaper. In the end I decided to go with the Fino. I mean, it is my wedding after all!

I'm not going to cast on the veil until after finals, because otherwise I'll get no work done, but I've been petting the yarn many times a day and smooshing the skeins in my hands. The Fino, the Ring, and I had a fun little photo shoot!









It's absolutely gorgeous and has just the right sheen. It'll be perfect for the big day!

As for my projects, I've finally made it to the ruffle of Intolerable Cruelty, and I'm almost done with the second Warm Woolies sock. Progress is slow, but steady, I'd say!

Well, knitting has been a little slow going because I had to work all weekend, and had a lot to do this past week for school. I'm holding out for Thanksgiving break so that I can get a lot done!

I did manage to finish one of the Warm Woolies socks. It's pretty simple and easy, but I've only been able to knit it on the metro. If I hadn't screwed up twice and had to rip out some, it would've been done earlier. Maybe the second sock will go a little more quickly.

I've also gotten a bit more of Intolerable cruelty done, but one row still takes me forever, so I only get one or two done here and there. I'm not at the ruffle yet, but can't wait, because I get to switch to a bigger needle size. Woo Hoo! I almost wish this skirt was more portable, because I'd just take it on the metro with me, but I can only take things that fit in the front part of my book bag, because the rest of it is too full.

Nathan and I are going to the Mason home opener tonight, so maybe I'll take it there with me. Or one of my other sad, lonely projects. Maybe I'll bring the Tilted Duster, because it's so cold out now, and I keep wishing I had it finished. Hm. We'll see.


On the needles for charity:
(Italic projects are on the needles)
Irish Hiking Hat (Charity Hat #4)
Warm Woolies Socks (one is finished!)
A baby booty. That also needs a mate.
Baby Hat

On the needles/Hibernating/Needs to get done:
Noro Mitts
Intolerable Cruelty
Anemoi Mitts
Nathan's Christmas Surprise
Hawaiian dishcloth
Tea Cosy
Baudelaires
Tilted Duster

So, I finally got a little thingy that lets me upload pictures directly from my memory stick of my digital camera.
So now I feel compelled to update my Ravelry stash pictures! Mwahaha!
Ok, so maybe not right away, but I'm sure it'll end up as some form of procrastination in the future. I also upgraded my Flickr account to organize my stuff better.

So yeah, here are my latest stash additions from Stitches East!


Here's some 100% Superwash Merino sock yarn from Creatively Dyed. I loved the colors, and I didn't want to pass it up!


Here's some Knitting Notions sock yarn. I've been craving some gorgeous autumn colors, but I know better than to think I'd wear golds and yellows as a shawl or something. These will be some amazing socks instead. I love to smoosh this yarn.



I also got two skeins of Malabrigo Sock. Mmmm...Malabrigo! I was originally only going to get the chocolate brown, but my enablers talked me into getting the red, too. I'm SO glad I did! I would have regretted not buying it!


I also got a great deal on some alpaca laceweight. 2580 yards for $24! Steal! I'm going to have to learn how to dye yarn, now. I'll have to think of a pretty color for it. It's probably going to become one of those huge shawls from Victorian Lace Today that I don't want to shell out big bucks to buy the yarn for. With so much yardage I have a lot of options.

Sure enough, these purchases were enough to push my stash out of it's little bucket, so now the sock and lace weights have their own little cubby. Observe:


And that's the container that the rest of my yarn lives in.

And lastly, just for fun, here are the hats I gave Nathan's mom!


Here's the most recent hat that I finished:

Hey all!
So, I had a great time at Stitches East this weekend! I bought way too much yarn, of course, but it's all sock and lace weight, so I'm sure it'll be put to good use. I told myself no random worsted weights or anything this time, and did a good job sticking to my rule. I'll talk a little more about what I bought when I post pictures, and I'll post pictures once I have a way to get them off of my digital camera. I currently have no means of doing that, but I'm working on it!

While going over how much money I spent, and reorganizing the stash in my room, I've decided that I need to go on a yarn diet. So now, I'm not only on a WIP diet, but a yarn diet too. The fiance pointed out that I have way too much yarn, and that I'll never use all of it, so I'm taking that as a personal challenge. I have a ton of great yarn, and I should be using it! So no more! The only exception is more wool for charity projects, but that's not expensive. I'm not sure how long this yarn diet will be, but I'll figure that out later. As for the WIP diet, I'm doing alright. I finished one of the charity hats, and the Noro Mitts. Intolerable Cruelty is no longer banished, and I'm chugging away. I forgot how long it takes to finish a round on that sucker. Only 10 more rounds until I start the ruffle, so I don't have too much left. It's my current TV project.

So now my knitting is broken down into must-finish WIPs that are for TV, and then charity projects for knitting on the Metro. I've got this under control. Plus, the charity knitting helps with the stash busting, because it's using up a ton of wool that I otherwise had no plans for.

So here's the current state of the WIPs:
(The italicized ones are the ones that are at the center of my attention at the moment)

On the needles for charity:
Irish Hiking Hat (Charity Hat #4)
Warm Woolies Socks
A baby booty. That also needs a mate.
Baby Hat

On the needles/Hibernating/Needs to get done:
Noro Mitts
Intolerable Cruelty
Anemoi Mitts
Nathan's Christmas Surprise
Hawaiian dishcloth
Tea Cosy
Baudelaires
Tilted Duster

I finished the fourth charity hat last night, and then gave all four of them to my Nathan's mom. She was really happy to get them. It felt good to finally give them to her, and not have them sitting on my desk anymore doing nothing. I guess my burst of charitable knitting came at a good time, because another woman used to knit hats for the organization, but she just past away.
After I gave away the hats, I cast on the Warm Woolies socks, which I'm knitting double stranded with some blue Lion Brand Wool that I foolishly bought last year with some vague notion of knitting a bag. Sock 1 is knitting up really quickly, and the fabric is thick and sturdy, which is good. Hopefully I'll have these socks knocked out in a few days.

So, the yarn for my veil has been ordered. It cost an obscene amount of money, and I won't be buying any more yarn for a while.
That's probably a good thing, as my list of WIPs and Ravelry queue are getting a bit out of control.

I'm trying to figure out the best way to handle this WIP situation. There are so many!
I'll have to do what I did before, where I had a list of what's on the needles to remind myself of what I need to get done. I'm only allowing myself to start small charity projects (like homeless hats or socks for Warm Woolies only because I need something small for the Metro. That and I'd like to give Nathan's mom at least five hats next time I see her, and I'm already at four and a half.

So lets see.
On the needles for charity:
Irish Hiking Hat (Charity Hat #4)
A baby booty. That also needs a mate.
I also found a random pink blob on a needle that I think is the brim of a baby hat.

On the needles/Hibernating/Needs to get done:
Noro Mitts
Anemoi Mitts
Nathan's Christmas Surprise
Hawaiian dishcloth
Intolerable Cruelty
Tea Cosy
Baudelaires
Tilted Duster

Some of these are simple.
Noro mitts are pretty much back on track, so I'll finish those first.
The hawaiian dishcloth, I just have to find the pattern again, and I can probably knock it out really fast.
Tea Cosy. have to rip out one side, but it's so fast, I don't know why I haven't finished it yet!

Intolerable Cruelty I can probably bet back to really soon, because Mai and Katie are awesome and untangled some yarn for me. Hopefully it's enough, though I still have another massive tangle if I need more yarn. God, I hate that freaking yarn.

That leaves Nathan's Christmas Surprise, Baudelaires, and the Anemoi mitts. The Christmas surprise I'm limited to only when Nathan isn't around. The Anemoi mitts I've just been doing a couple of rows at a time. We'll see about those. I'm in no hurry. The Baudelaires I have to rip back to the heel to figure out how I have so many extra stitches. Sigh. I think once I knock out some of the littler projects I'll get back to these.

Oh, and then there's the Tilted Duster. I really should work on that because it's cold outside, and it might be nice to have a wool jacket.

Looks like I have my work cut out for me! Hopefully I can at least get some of the little ones done before the yarn for the veil comes. Then I'll worry about some of the bigger ones.

That's a long time for me to not have updated. I guess life and responsibilities have gotten the best of me lately. I don't think I've even picked up the needles in a week or two, at least!
Between work, school, and trying to figure out how to plan a wedding from halfway across the country, things have gotten a little intense. I need to find a way to back off and try to get some downtime, but it just doesn't seem realistic right now.

On the knitting front, I've got a lot of unfinished things on the needles, and I've been having a lot of knitting ADD, and my hibernating projects on Ravelry are getting a little out of control!

Here's what I have as an active WIP, and what's halting me:
-Anemoi Mitts-I'm making these for mom, and they're sort of time consuming, so I have to have time to actually pay attention to them, so sadly they don't get more than a row or two done at a time, but they'll be gorgeous once they're done. I may even make myself a pink and yellow pair.


-Fingerless Noro Mitts-I've ripped these back once already, and they just come out weird and poofy around the thumb gusset. I need to make them on a smaller size needle, I think, but I only have two size 7 DPNs, so I need to buy some more, I guess!

-Nathan's Christmas present-I'm learning how to crochet, and so I'm making Nathan a gigantic granny square afghan, but I can't work on it while he's around...which is pretty much all the time, so I have to make it in tiny spurts. Not to mention that I can't quite seem to get the hang of it so I keep ripping things back.

Hibernating Projects:
-Baby Booties
-A cotton dish cloth-I just need to freaking finish it, that's all.
-A tea pot cozy-See dish cloth
-Baudelaire's-I have to rip out a bunch to figure out where I went wrong, and I guess I'm dreading it.
-Intolerable cruelty-I don't have any more yarn that isn't in knots. I really just need to untangle some more, because I'm really quite close to finishing. I just need to suck it up and do it already!
-Tilted Duster-I don't know why I haven't finished this yet. There are no problems preventing me from working on it.

I'm also going to knit my wedding veil, and the pattern just arrived. It'll take me forever to do this thing, as it's quite elaborate, and I'll probably go buy the yarn this weekend. I think my rule will be that I can work on the veil, or one of my other projects already on the needles. Other than that I'm not allowed to start anything new.
Well, no, the only new things can be for charity.

I've also knit some hats for Nathan's mom's organization for the homeless, because after all my knitting drama with the above projects, I needed some instant gratification. I've made three hats with some leftover Wool-Ease I've had forever, and I bought some super-wash wool to make more. She needs all sizes, and I can whip them up no problem on my metro commute because they're so portable. She needs all sizes, so I've made a huge hat, a medium hat, and one to fit my smaller head. I'll probably make a few more because it's getting colder out, and it feels good to make something for someone who really needs it.
Here are some pics of the hats:

Small


Medium


Large

I also want to do some stash busting with some left over Cascade 220 from the Weasley Sweater, and some Lion Wool I bought foolishly because I like the colors. I found one organization that takes things that are wool, and they need kids clothes and don't need to worry about machine washing, so I'll knit some stuff for them. I've got enough maroon wool for a small sweater or a vest or two, and can probably make some socks for them with the Lion Wool. I also need to finish some more acrylic baby stuff, and then figure out where to actually donate it.

I've pretty much go my work cut out for me, I just need to find the time to actually do all this stuff! I think the game plan is to only knit hats and charity stuff on the metro, because it'll be small. At home I'll knit the veil, and when I need a break, I can only work on hibernating/wips that are already on the damn needles! I hate having so much unfinished stuff!

I'm thinking that once I finish Intolerable Cruelty, it'll be time for me to get a jumpstart on my Christmas knitting. I mean, for starters, I don't even know who all will be getting knitted gifts!

I know of three for sure:
Mom: Some sort of fabulous socks-I haven't decided on a pattern yet but I'm leaning towards the Wedge Socks. I might get ambitious and make more than one pair. We'll have to see.
Jeanie: BFF/maid of honor will be getting a hat/scarf set. I'll probably make her the feather and fan scarf with some sort of similar hat. I'm sure there's a feather and fan hat pattern somewhere.
Maria: A sorority sister/knitter will be getting some Yoga socks. I was going to make them for her birthday in September, but I don't think that will happen. We shall see!

I don't know who else will be getting knitted gifts, but I'm sure more will pop up. Nathan's sister/my future sister in law might get something too...she knits as well, so she'd appreciate it.

Once I get started on/finish my Xmas gifts, I want to get started on the Princess Shawl. I'll be getting married in a year and half, and I want this shawl to be my veil...but I'll probably need lots of time to do it so I don't have little hole-y error showing up when it's blocked. I'm really excited to knit this, but I feel like it's going to be a huge undertaking.


I mean look at it, it's gorgeous but detailed. It has a 24 page instruction booklet!
Yikes!

Anyways, that's my knitting update for now!

I'm not even an inch into my skirt and my ball of yarn has already exploded. Exploded AND wrapped itself around my project. I'm not sure how this happened! I've already cut the project from the ball to try and free it, but I can't find the other side. It's a massive tangled mess!


I mean, come on!



I may have to just cut that little part wrapped around the knitting and join a new ball. I ordered 10, and the pattern only calls for about 9.1 balls, so I may just take this one as a loss and worry about the blob if I need any more yarn towards the end.

SIGH.

Aside from the insanity, though, I'm loving the yarn, it's really soft! It's a tad on the splitty side, which is exascerbated by using my addi lace needles (super pointy!), but I like it otherwise. I hope I get to switch to the size 6s soon, though, knitting 184 stitches in the round on size fours are killing me. I haven't even started the increases yet!

I have a feeling that this skirt is called "Intolerable Cruelty" for a reason. I'll just have to remind myself of how cute this skirt is going to be once it's done. I'm going to start shopping around for cool colors of ribbon to match it so I can mix and match. And maybe a cute champagne colored top. :)

(Edited to fix picture size!)

I've had the idea of knitting a skirt nagging at me for quite some time, and I think that it's time to cast one on!

I'm thinking I'll make Intolerable Cruelty, as I've wanted to make it for a looooong time. I found a good deal on WEBS for some bamboo yarn to make it. If I buy some Madil Eden, I can get the right amount of yarn for only $40.

But what color should I get??

Here are my choices:
Clicky!

What do you guys think? I'm leaning towards the chocolate brown at the bottom (color 631).

Sorry for the brief hiatus! After MDSW, I had a busy week of work, followed by a weekend out of town, followed by a busy couple of days! Not much time to blog, or even knit for that matter!

Still, I'll try to give an update anyways. :)

MDSW was really fun, although it hurt my wallet! I got some good stuff, but I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more really unique or unusual yarn. A lot of the stands carried stuff that I could buy at my LYS or online. Still, though, I did get some good stuff:



I got a sweater's worth of sport weight alpaca, which I'm really looking forward to knitting with. It's really soft and smooshy!



I couldn't really get a good representative photo of this, but it's handspun Navajo Churro wool. It's a little rough, but I couldn't resist the color. It's a gorgeous chocolate brown. I'm formulating an idea for a hat to use this yarn.

Both the alpaca and the churro are undyed, and I was really drawn to the natural colors. I was big into earth tones when I was shopping that day, I guess. (Still am!)



This beauty is a wool/bamboo blend that I bought from a booth being run by some company in Texas. It's so spongy and soft and wonderful. I have no idea what to make with it, but I'm thinking a wrap or a shrug because it's really the type of yarn I want touching my skin! I love it!

Yarn-wise, I think I got a pretty good haul. I also got to pet some wooly animals, which is always a plus!




This sheep was my buddy! He's one of the only ones that didn't run when we tried to pet him!


Alpaca! If I didn't want one before, then I really do now! Nathan had better hope we never have a yard big enough!

In the weeks following, I haven't gotten much done in the way of knitting. I'm about halfway through the foot of the Baudelaires I cast on. I'm using the panda cotton that I've had forever, and I'm really liking this yarn. It's got better stitch definition than I was hoping for. Plus, it's surprisingly soft for being as sturdy as it is. The only problem is that if you rip out a stitch and go to re-knit it, the yarn gets a little splitty, other than that no major problems so far! I'll get pictures soon.

UPDATE:
No sooner did I post this than did Nathan walk through the door with my belate birthday present (it didn't arrive on time for my Tuesday birthday). It's the Rock Creek Yarn that I wanted! It's the Simply Sock Yarn Cherry Blossom colorway. He got me two skeins and it is SOOO soft!! Yay!

I finally finished my Noro socks! Oh how I love them!

I'm so excited, mostly because they're my first pair, which brings with it a certain sense of accomplishment. It also helps that I love the Noro yarn. It turned out surprisingly springy on my feet, and they're extremely comfortable. I'm in love!

The Inox needles turned out to be really nice, too. I knit much more quickly with them than I did with the wooden needles, but then again, I tend to not usually knit with wooden or bamboo needles on wool. It goes much more slowly. The next time I to use wool on DPNs, I'll order some Inox needles to do the job. :)

So yeah, on to the pictures:

I know the picture is a little blurry, and the color representation isn't the best, but my boyfriend has terrible lighting in his house.


I think I love them more for not matching, makes them cooler!

I'm done with my classes for two weeks! WOOHOO!

I'm really looking forward to two weeks with only work. That'll be awesome. I'll be able to veg on my days off and knit and read and watch movies and TV...so looking forward to it! I broke my knitting out of it's hiding place, but unfortunately I have to go to work in 10 minutes. I stupidly agreed to come in today to make up some hours that I'll be missing on Thursday. D'Oh! Well, tonight I plan to finish that Noro sock and be done with it!

On second thought, it's probably better to have a half day at work today and be off tomorrow, so I can sleep in and waste my day on TV and yarn. Good times!


On the needles:
*Noro Sock #2 75%
*Tilted Duster 60%
*Hawaiian Dishcloth/Washcloth ~20%
*Yellow Booty #2 25%

I told myself no knitting until after my final on Monday. Of course the day I said that, my Inox needles came in the mail. I'm wondering if the six inch needles are going to be a bit too long, but they're not that much longer than my Lantern Moons, so we'll see. Loopy Ewe didn't carry a shorter size. They did send me a cute little gift along with my order, and they wrote a note thanking me for my business.

I love Loopy Ewe!

So, of course, instead of knitting, I'm just going to blog about it, instead. My Noro sock is staring at me sadly, but I really should be studying. :(

The day BEFORE I cut myself off from fiber-y goodness, I worked on my Tilted Duster a little bit. I finished one sleeve, and am halfway through the second. from there I think it's just seaming, the skirt and some finishing. I don't think I'll make big chunks of progress on it this summer, but I might pick it up here and there. I was really only working on it because my new needles hadn't come yet, and I really wanted to knit SOMETHING.

Maybe blogging about knitting not knitting is a bad idea, because it's only making me want to knit more!

Crap!

Well, I guess I'd better go study.


On the needles:
*Noro Sock #2 75%
*Tilted Duster 60%
*Hawaiian Dishcloth/Washcloth ~20%
*Yellow Booty #2 25%

My So Called Scarf is finished! I finished it last night when I met up with some of my knitting gals. I'm really happy with it! I'm just bummed that it's not cold (which is weird for me, I hate cold weather) so I can't wear it.

The scarf is nice and fluffy, and I love the way it feels.
Hooray pictures!





It's a little rough looking around the edge, and I'm hoping blocking will make it look a little more clean, but I'm not counting on it due to the nature of the yarn. Anyways, once I make the matching hat, any scraps will be made into tassels. Yay!

I'm happy to see how quickly my list is dwindling now. I'm not going to lie, the Tilted Duster and wash cloth are probably going to keep hibernating so I can get some summer knitting done (why torture myself?), but I'll leave them on the list in case I feel like making the list go down even more. I might work on them while waiting for some replacement size 2s to arrive (on Jess' recommendation) I ordered some Inox needles from the Loopy Ewe, and they've already shipped, so I shouldn't be waiting too long. :)

I need to get in touch with Lantern Moon about replacing my broken needle. :( Broken needles are sad, but I've heard that the company is very forgiving. Hopefully once the Inox needles arrive I'll have that sock done pretty quickly. I mean, I love the Lantern Moons, but wool and wood makes for slow knitting!

On the needles:
*My So Called Scarf
*Mom's Gloves
*Noro Sock #1
*Noro Sock #2 75%
*Tilted Duster 50%
*Hawaiian Dishcloth/Washcloth ~20%
*Yellow Booty #2 25%