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December 30, 2006
Ski Trip
Happy New Year! I'm leaving for Colorado on Monday morning for a short ski trip with my husband and some friends. I've only been skiing a few other times before, so I'll be sticking to the greens and blues. I'm also looking forward to some nice knitting time by the fireplace in the evenings.
I'm going to turn off comments for the week so I don't have a billion spam comments to delete when I get home. Have a great week everyone!
Photo credit to miltonmalone via flickr.
Posted by zarah at 4:54 PM | Comments (0)
December 29, 2006
New Year Meme
I saw this meme at another knitting blog I read, Some Bunny's Love, but I hope it catches on outside the knitting world. It's an interesting glimpse into the past and the types of things I write about on a daily basis. I really enjoyed looking back over my last year of posts and remembering all the stuff I did this year.
Instructions — Copy the first sentence that you posted in each month of 2006. Post it in the following format:
January
I love New Year's Day -- that feeling of a fresh beginning is great, even if it doesn't last very long.
February
A new Magknits is up! (now, with more knitted sushi)
March
It has been nice to have a little rest from blogging (and knitting).
April
Ah, April is finally here and it is sock-yarn dyein' time!
May
Hi everyone - I don't have must time to blog (White House tour this morning) but I just thought I'd say hi from Washington DC!
June
I realized I had never reported on my May round of dyeing for the yarn swap.
July
I hope everyone gets to enjoy a day off, family, fireworks, and good food sometime over this holiday weekend!
August
Non-knitters are an interesting group.
September
Yee haw!
October
Dang it!
November
Yes, I'm alive, although you wouldn't know it from checking this blog lately.
December
I survived my "snow day" - which actually turned out to be just a light dusting of snow on top of a massively thick layer of ice.
Happy New Year everyone! I'll see you in 2007!
Posted by zarah at 6:21 PM | Comments (0)
December 28, 2006
Tis better to give...
Enough with all of my presents already!
Did I actually GIVE any presents this year? Or just GET GET GET???
Remember that sneaky little Christmas knitting project I snuck in at the last minute? Well, here's the big reveal: It's Odessa, for my little sis!
Project Details:
Pattern: Odessa, magknits.com, by Grumperina
Yarn: Rowan Cashsoft DK, 1 ball, Size 6 lavender colored beads.
Needle Size: Denise circular needles, size 5 and 6, one set of size 6 DPNs.
Skills needed: cast on, knit, purl, knitting in the round, yarnover, slip slip knit, knitting with beads!
Pattern Modifications: I added one inch to the length of the hat before starting the decreases. (Otherwise it looked like a beanie!) I also used a size 5 needle instead of size 4 to knit the ribbing because the Denise set only goes down to size 5.
Time to knit: Less than a week, including ripping back the decreases after discovering the hat was too short
Final impressions: I love this pattern, and everyone thinks the swirly pattern is magical. The beads are nice, too. The pattern gives a very nice description of how to knit them in. Oh - do NOT forget to buy a beading needle when you're getting ready to make this pattern. Those beads will not fit on a tapestry needle, and this yarn will not fit in a regular sewing needle!
My sister's husband likes it, too. =) (please disregard the Kansas shirt. My family is all Mizzou grads and yes, we hold it against him for being a Jayhawk!)
Posted by zarah at 7:19 PM | Comments (10)
December 27, 2006
More Knitty Gifts
As if the llama yarn wasn't enough, my mom totally spoiled me with knitting gifts this year. I got three more skeins of Noro to continue working on my Lizard Ridge afghan.
I soooo love knitting the LR squares, so I'm very happy with this gift! I do my best to get very last inch of the Kureyon into a square, so I'm hoping I can graft some of my leftovers onto these skeins and gets 4 or 5 squares out of them. (I'm such a yarn miser.)
Mom accidentally bought one skein of Noro that's not Kureyon - I think it's Kochoran? Is that a thing? It's very pretty, but I think I'm going to try to swap it for my Kureyon at the LYS unless someone gives me a really good idea for something to make with it.
I got this Lantern Moon knitting basket that I've been coveting PLUS a gift certificate from Simply fibers from my uncle in the "grown ups" gift exchange at my grandma's. The gift giving at my grandma's house can reach epic - and ridiculous - proportions, but luckily the adults have agreed to reserve the insanity for the children and do an exchange among each other. My uncle said I was so easy to buy for - my mom told him where the yarn shop in Springfield was, so he just went in and told them he needed to buy a gift for me. Apparently, I had been there less than an hour before, pining for this very basket, so they just handed it to him and wrote out a gift ceritificate! I think that could be a sign that I spend too much time in the yarn shop, ya think?
And last but not least... the piece de resistance... I also got a ball winder and wooden umbrella swift from Halcyon Yarn! What a great haul!
Posted by zarah at 8:16 PM | Comments (10)
December 26, 2006
Zellama Yarns
One of my many knitty gifts this Christmas was this gorgeous hand-spun llama yarn. Actually, my gift was much better than that. I got to visit the llama farm, meet the spinner, and pick out my favorite yarn!
Once I really started getting into knitting, I was just desperate to go to a knitting festival. Unfortanately, I live in the midwest and all the "big" fiber festivals seem to be on the east coast! So I started doing some research to see if there was anything closer to home, say... in Missouri? Turns out, I had quite the fiber enthusiast right in my backyard. Zelma Cleveland runs a small llama farm called near her home outside my hometown of Chillicothe, MO. She is involved in nearly every part of the fiber process - she raises the llamas, shears the wool (she does send it out for cleaning), cards the fiber, spins it, and also knits and weaves!
She takes her products to various agricultural fairs around the midwest, but she also keeps a little shop set up in her basement. This was my Christmas gift - I got to choose whatever I wanted! (For my mother's sake, I tried to stay somewhat under control in the budget department. Artisan yarn ain't cheap!)
I ended up selected the yarn pictured above - it's about 600 yards of sportweight 2-ply in the llama's natural color. Actually, all my yarn came from the first cut (which is apparently the softest and best) of a single llama, named Brocade. Zelma labels each skein with the name of the llama it came from, so it will match perfectly in case someone needs to get an additional skein later on.
I also got a tour of Zelma's workshop, which essentially takes up her entire basement (and she had some other spinning wheels in storage). She has at least 50 plastic storage bins full of fiber, and wheels, spindles, carders, and other spinning implements everywhere.
Of course, I couldn't get out of there without at least a tiny little spinning lesson. I've always told myself that I didn't want to spin, it would just cut into my limited knitting time, but.... I figure it doesn't hurt to try! The good news (for my husband, who is vehemently opposed to MORE fiber arts entering his home) is that I'm really crappy at it. Perhaps I can blame the freebie spindle, which is made of a couple of old AOL CDs and a dowel rod. But, like a true fiber enabler, Zelma sent me home with a gallon bag stuffed full of fiber to practice with, so I may give it another go.
More Christmas knitting news tomorrow... there's actually a hint in the first photo in this post - can you guess?
Posted by zarah at 8:17 PM | Comments (11)
December 22, 2006
I'm back!
Whew! My server issues have been resolved so Beauty School Dropout is back in action! I'm leaving town this afternoon to start the Christmas festivities, but I'll leave you with some teasers...
- Amy from I Heart Knitting sent me another ball of Kureyon. Will I get any for Christmas? How long WILL it take to knit the entire Lizard Ridge blanket? And, can I win a blue ribbon if I enter it in the county fair next summer?
- Silk shrug, where are you? Last time we saw you, you were blocking on Zarah's laundry room floor. Has she been paying attention to you? Maybe giving you a sleeve? Or just ignoring you like you weren't the most beautiful yarn in the world?
- Secret Christmas knitting.... revealed! The giftee will find out soon! Not so secret Christmas knitting... what will Grandpa think about his "Fancy" socks?
- What did I decide to do about the stripey socks for my husband?
- Have I started any new projects since the serve was down? Of course.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, etc. etc. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend filled with light and laughter.
Posted by zarah at 7:23 AM | Comments (5)
December 12, 2006
Stripey sock ideas?
Well, then. I am recuperating from the slew of bad mojo that came my way last weekend. My computer is back in my possession with a shiny new hard drive. I admit to not keeping it backed up like I should, but at least all my pictures are on flickr, most of my music is on my iPod, and my email should still be saved on our server. Now I just need to retransfer everything from my old computer to my new one and I should be back in action! (I'm giving my old laptop to my MIL for Christmas, and I've been bugging my husband for a week to erase the disk so we can give her a clean laptop. Luckily this time his procrastinaton paid off!)
The only thing left to resolve is those socks I had to rip out because they were too small. I could:
(a) reknit the same pattern with more stitches,
(b) pick out a new pattern - I need some ideas for something that looks good with a self-striping yarn,
(c) knit a pair of plain stockinette socks, maybe with a different color for the cuff, heel, and toe, OR
(d) give up for now and start something totally different.
Your thoughts?
Posted by zarah at 6:08 PM | Comments (2)
December 11, 2006
Crapadoodle
Exhibit 1. My hard drive decided to "fry" itself over the weekend. It was working fine on Saturday - Sunday morning, blank screen. I didn't drop it, move it, or anything. It just imploded. (luckily, it's stll under warranty! But everything on it is gone.)
Exhibit 2. The really awesome sock I was working on for Matt is WAY too small. It doesn't even fit over my heel, so I'm pretty sure it's not going to fit him. Rip. Rip. Rip!
I guess the weekend wasn't a total loss, though. I had a really nice time at the Knit-In on Friday at Simply Fibers, and I finally got to meet Tammy! (and eat some kick-ass peanut brittle her dad made - yumma.) I scored some Aurora Bulky from the sale table, and almost bought a Lantern moon rice basket, before I realized that Christmas is right around the corner and someone might want to buy one for me! (Talk to Carol or Maddie at Simply Fibers for details...!) Of course, Tammy won one of the baskets in one of the many generous giveaways that night. (I of course won nothing. Don't forget this weekend was jinxed!)
On Saturday Matt and I went over to Steve and Tammy Kirks' house (different Tammy) for their annual Wine Tasting/Competition. Luckily for me there were relatively few entrants and I got to pay more attention to the delicious food rather than the wine, which just wasn't doing much for me that night. My buddy Greg has an excellent account of the evening here. Steve and Tammy managed to pull off a great party with relatively little cooking - it appears that the key is finding gourmet chefs as friends, who will each contribute a dish. =)
So, all in all I guess it was a decent weekend, but I'm still mad about my computer. Grrr...
Posted by zarah at 5:28 PM | Comments (4)
December 7, 2006
One-armed wonder
With all the exciting super-secret-Christmas blogging going on around here, some of you might be thinking that I've FORGOTTEN about my pretty little shrug, the Blue Sky Alpacas Silk Shrug. Actually, I've been knitting on it here and there, just sneaking in a row whenever more detailed projects get annoying.
The silk shrug might look kinda wierd right now (I'm blocking it to make sure I get the right measurement across the back) but I'm actually coming right along! I just need about one more inch on the back then I'm down to the second sleeve. It will just FLY with the decreases down to the wrist.
You really can't tell from this picture, but it's all just plain stockinette. So lovely... so perfect for when my family (and in-laws) invade. =)
Posted by zarah at 9:57 PM | Comments (5)
December 5, 2006
Another knitty day
The pictureless posts continue... seriously, it gets dark at like 4:30pm these days! I can't take a decent picture for anything. Ridunkulous! (Just say it out loud. It's a funny word.)
I was planning on taking a super up-close picture of the secret Christmas knitting, but since that didn't come out very well, I will give one clue - the cheerleader's hometown on Heroes. If you figure it out, don't tell! It's a secret, remember?!
In new knitting news... Matt has been asking for a scarf to match the hat that I made him earlier this year. The only problem is that I bought the yarn in the super discount bin and I'm pretty sure I won't be able to find anymore. Plus, it's pretty fuzzy so that stitch pattern doesn't really show up in it very well. So, what do you think - new hat AND scarf? Or just try to match one of the colors in the multi-colored hat?
Oh, we finally got the Christmas tree put up in our house! We bought it over the weekend, but we had to let the ice and snow melt off of it in our garage for a few days before bringing it inside. I got lights put on last night, and hopefully I will be able to hang all the ornaments today and tomorrow. I just love how a fresh Christmas tree smells.
Posted by zarah at 6:06 PM | Comments (5)
December 4, 2006
Winter Wonderland
There's nothing like snow to make you feel like knitting, is there?
I started a couple of new projects this weekend... I meant to take pictures yesterday but it just didn't happen. First up, a pair of socks for my husband, who I realized is the last person in my family to get any hand-knitted socks from me. I'm using a self-striping fingering weight superwash wool that I received in the great Project Spectrum Hand-Dyed Yarn Swap of 2006. It was from the "neutrals" month, and is in appropriately manly colors of black, gray, beige, and white. Right now I've knitted a ribbed cuff and I'm trying to come up with a pattern that shows off the stripes in an interesting way. I have a plan, but I'm not sure how it will play out.
My second project will have to be kept SECRET until after the holidays, since I'm sure the recipient reads this blog. (Hee hee - that will have my mom and sister guessing!) (I know I said no more holiday knitting, but this is a really quick project and I am really enjoying it. I would probably be making it for myself, but the bargain yarn was not in my colors.)
A few weeks ago I mentioned that I started teaching knitting at the local Boys & Girls Club. They've been getting together every week since then, and we have a good group of about 4-5 girls each week. They've all learned to knit and almost all have learned to purl. I've noticed that they get bored very easily - they are not interested in "practicing," they want to know "What are we making?" So, I decided it was time to start a simple project. I know most people start with scarves, but honestly I don't think they've got the patience for it. So I decided a good first project would be a simple hat. (I'm using the Hot Head pattern from SnB.) This will be a challenge, but I think that's good for them. What time like the present to learn to read a pattern, learn to make ribbing without a million yarnovers, and learn to count rows?!
Posted by zarah at 6:01 PM | Comments (5)
December 1, 2006
Digging out
I survived my "snow day" - which actually turned out to be just a light dusting of snow on top of a massively thick layer of ice. (lovely) Right now it's cold and clear, and I think I should probably go into work, but our shovel won't go through the ice coating our driveway and our street hasn't been plowed yet.
We had another couple stay with us last night because they lost power at 7am yesterday and it still wasn't restored by the time it started to get dark. Needless to say, it was getting a little chilly over there. Apparently lots of power lines were down because there was so much ice on them that they broke - luckily that didn't happen at my house. But I know the power near the college campuses was out, so hopefully all the students found a warm place to sleep.
In the meantime, I guess I should show you my progrees on Lizard Ridge. Last month truly was Norovember for me... six squares blocked and another one finished. I really enjoy knitting this pattern, and the squares are small enough to knit up fairly quickly. I don't think I'll have any problem finishing this project as I get new balls of Noro here and there. (PS - I got 7 squares out of 5 skeins, plus about a third of a skein leftover.)
I am trying to remember which ones are the Frankensquares... I'm sure the bottom right is, and maybe the bottom center one too. I tried to match up the colors when I was joining leftover bits so it wouldn't be too noticeable.
Happy Friday everyone! Hopefully I'll be able to leave my house today!
Posted by zarah at 7:55 AM | Comments (11)