I'm Not Dead Yet

Been going through some, well let's face it, shit lately. May's completely sucked. Bring on July! I realize I may be getting a bit ahead of myself but that's the light at the end of the tunnel for me. :)

That's not to say that I haven't been busily stitching away. I have three finished objects I'm just now getting around to blogging.

First up, I've taken up cross stitching. Cross stitching had a bit of a rocky start for me as Bandit devoured two skeins of floss in one night. Let it be known that if an emergency vet ever gives you the instructions to dose your dog with hydrogen peroxide and have him exercise until he pukes that you're in for a long night. >.< This sampler is destined to be hung in our office at home.

Modified "Bite Me" Sampler from the Subversive Cross Stitch book

Also, I've finished the Pinwheel Blanket for Astro Knotts.

Such an easy pattern, but oh so cute and modifiable

Also finished a pair of socks for Mother's Day only 2 weeks after. Loved working the twisted stitch cables in this pattern.

Conwy Socks from Knitting on the Road using Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn

And, I'm over halfway completed with a pair socks for Hubs. Only been working on these since January! :-/

Gionormous Hub Socks

I'm sort of between projects at the moment with only the huge Hub socks to work on. I think I may have to pick up a lace project soon, too.

What the Hell Have I Been Doing?

Finishing things, albeit slowly. This weekend marked the official end to the holiday gathering season - horray! Finally finished the first book of the Wheel of Time after succumbing to the vastness of Christmas knitting. And, getting pretty darned close to finishing a pair of socks.

More Fun with Hubs' Light Tent

Block Party

It's a block(ing) party!

Busy bee me has finished the Faroese Shawl, Monkey Socks, and have gifted Grandpop's Father's Day socks in the past few weeks. Better pics will be forthcoming - best I could do tonight in the dark :)

Sheesh

At this rate, I'll barely ever post to my blog or finish a new knitting project. As of this weekend, I'm halfway there on Grandpop's socks though. :) Second sock is in progress. No other knitting, still licking my wounds from the month or so of futile knitting I had.

Looking kinda baggy on my women's medium sock blocker

Sock Swap Windfall

Most of my day's been spent at a local car dealership having Hubs' car fixed. Nothing quite like coming home to find out that Hubs' car had a bad rattle last night coming from a loose panel over the drive shaft. That did give me 3+ hours to work on Grandpop's socks and read more Dresden Files. :) I came home to a package from Knitchick07 on my front porch. Oh, how spoiled I feel! My socks fit wonderfully and are made from a very soft Targhee wool. I've never knitted a pair of toe-up socks and after seeing how well the short-row heel fits, I have to learn how to knit toe-ups. :)

Diagonal Cross-Rib Socks from Favorite Socks
A few short pages away from the Meida's Socks pattern
I used for her socks!

Mickey toy met Bandit's approval easily :)

Thanks a bunch, Knitchick07!!

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

After my recent lace disasters, I've scaled back on my project complexity for the time being. Enter a new sock on the needles for Grandpop. Knit 3, purl 2 all the way around the cuff. Counting to 5 is all I felt I could muster last week. Knitting these with no particular pattern in mind, 80 stitches around, trusty US1 dpns, and Paton's Kroy yarn.

Plain ol' sock = Good knitting vibe salve

One of my Knitty Sock Swap Pal, Knitchick07, received her sock package last week. I made a pair of Meida's Socks for her from IK's 25 Favorite Sock Patterns. These didn't take too terribly long to finish, mainly because I worked on them while listening to the Deathly Hallows audiobook.

Pattern: Meida's Socks by NancyBush
Yarn: Crystal Palace Panda Wool in "Teal Lake"
Needles: US1 dpns
Misc Thoughts: The cuff and foot repeat was really quite easy to memorize and knit on the go. The honeycombed heel is quite another story. I had to rip these back a few times after getting a bit lackadaisical with following the pattern. Overall, a very enjoyable knit!

Apart from still being sucked in by the Dresden Files books, I also have painted a new mini for a new D&D campaign. Perpetual cleric player me turned in her wooden holy symbol to play a rogue for this campaign. Rogues apparently wear much less clothing than clerics...

Much sadness ensued when I saw the wear marks on her hair and arm :(

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It's Gencon time! Hubs and I are celebrating the best four days of gaming starting tomorrow with tons of board games, miniature painting and photo classes, and dealer hall shopping. In honor of our annual geeky retreat, we got a new digital camera last night. It's a wee Panasonic Lumix point and shoot camera. I've been eyeballing the Lumix cameras for a few months after reading an online review. Hopefully this will equal out to lots of Gencon photos to share. In the mean time, I've been screwing around with Picnik this evening with a shot Hubs took of me while we were impatiently waiting on hold with our DSL provider. If using Photoshop gives you hives like it does to me, Picnik is a very user-friendly alternative.

Slightly touched up original - fixed red eye, cropped, and auto fixed colors

Same shot with Lomo-ish effect applied. Like how vivid my hair color looks.


Evil Christina in Duo Tone - mwwahahaha!

Right, this is a knitting blog. There has been sock knitting afoot. Hehe..get it! Sock knitting afoot! Eh... I haven't forgotten about my Knitty Sock Swap pals, PixieRiot and KnitChick07. In fact, I finished and blocked the last sock earlier this week. I'm really pleased with the finished products - just hope they like them, too! Hope to get them out in the post next Friday. I knitted an entire 3 rows of the Feather and Fan Shawl Monday night. Only 76 rows into it and it takes for-friggin'-ever to finish a single row. Definitely a long-term project. I started a pair of birthday socks for my mom last night that I've been planning since this spring. I'll be carrying around my Gryffindor Stripe sock that I started at the Deathly Hallows release night through Gencon. Lots of lines to wait through equate to lots of opportunity to knit plain ol' stockinette.

More Socks!

Blogger ate my Movie Musings (not so) Monday post last night on Casino Royale. Instead, I give you another finished pair of socks!

Horcrux Socks

Project Specs
Pattern: Horcrux Socks from ImKnittingAsFastAsICan.com
Yarn: Sunshine Yarns "Hedwig"
Needles: Trusty Crystal Palace US1 DPNs
Modifications: To keep the fiddly factor down, these were knit over 4 needles, not 5 as specified. Also I made the cuff a bit longer. Kinda sad that the fab lace pattern in light yarn is lost against my pasty, pale legs.

Started at Last!

After swatching, winding yarn, and drooling for months, I cast on the Feather and Fan Shawl last night at long last. My summer-time opus knitting has begun!

Sock Machine

Through our week-long plus Heroes marathon, I've been a pretty productive knitter! Last Thursday, I finished the Whitby socks and gifted them Friday night.

Project Details
Pattern: Whitby from "Knitting on the Road" by Nancy Bush
Yarn: Fleece Artist Sea Wool
Needles: Crystal Palace US2 DPNs
Pattern Thoughts: The cable/diamond front was very easy to memorize and even more fun to knit. The Sea Wool was nice to work with, and they knitted up very smooshy. The heel turn was a bit odd with a slipped stitch pattern, but looks very nice.

After finishing the Whitby socks, I cast on a par of Horcrux Socks Thursday night..

And finished the first last night

Yeah! My Mountain Laurel is blooming!

And Now for More Socks!

Finished Whitby Sock from Nancy Bush's "Knitting on the Road"

Lazy Ass Me Brought Out the Tripod for Extreme Cable-y Closeups!

Second Sock is to the Heel Flap

I've been on a big Nancy Bush kick lately - love her patterns! I started the Whitby socks last Thursday evening, and I had the first one finished by Sunday night. Using size 2's and smooshier thicker sock yarn makes me feel like I'm cheating though.

Another Finished Object!

Only a week late for their hoped for Mother's Day debut, I present Fancy Silk Socks!

In repose after a long night of blocking no flash to show the lace better

Blared with flash for more true to color shot

Project Details
Pattern: Fancy Silk Socks from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks

Yarn: J Knits in "Indiana" colorway
Needles: My old sock standby needles, Crystal Palace US 1 dpns
Duration: May 4, 2007 to May 16, 2007
Project Specs: I worked the first sock in record time and used the first recommended toe which had me decrease to 8 stitches and pull the yarn through to finish the toe. Results were rather nipple-y and awkward. Second sock ended with a 20 stitch kitchener stitched toe with much better results. This marks the first time I've ever ripped out a toe of a finished sock to rework it. Overall, I loved this pattern with the kitchenered toe. When I ripped out the first toe, I found the J Knits to be very splitty, but it softened up to almost a buttery texture after blocking. :)

Another Lost Weekend

Whew, where did the weekend go? Last thing I knew, I was nice and cozy on the couch knitting away for hours watching "Bones". But, oh, what a knitting filled weekend it was!

First off, let me reveal last week's mystery knitting. It's a set of Dashing fingerless mitts from Spring '07 Knitty. They are for my pal, Zoe whose computer is in a cold room.

Project Specs
Pattern: Dashing from Knitty Spring '07
Yarn: less than one skein of undyed Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted
Needles: US 7 Crystal Palace DPNs
Project Thoughts: The Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted was so soft and wonderful to work with. Pattern was clearly written. I was able to finish both in two evenings worth of knitting. But, oh, I stink at making thumb gussets!

First Finished Fancy Silk Sock on the Sidewalk

Friday night, I cast on a Fancy Silk Sock using the J Knits sock my SP, JaynesHat, sent me. Call it a perfect combination of a beautiful, fun pattern and pretty sock yarn, but I couldn't put it down all weekend! Lace + Sock = Knitting Addiction

Saturday, I went to my first ever knitting group, the Lace Group at Stitches N Scones. I quietly observed from the outside for a few minutes, but everyone was so welcoming that before I knew it, I'd been there knitting for almost 2 hours! I definitely plan on coming back next month. :)

Grrrrrrreat Socks

Finished Tiger Socks

After the first sock marinated in my works in progress basket for awhile, I was surprised that I was able to finish the second sock over 3 days. Spurred on by Mother's Day closing in, I was able to finish them off though. For my next pair of socks, I plan on using Nancy Bush's Fancy Silk Sock pattern from "Knitting Vintage Socks". The need for lace is calling to me, regardless of how cute these tiger stripey socks are.

Currently on my needles is a secret - shhhh! Covert knitting makes for spotty blogging, but hopefully I'll be able to finish the second half of the covert project this week.

Knitting Knitting, Who's Got the Knitting?

Yeah, I've actually been knitting! Main work has been on the Opal Tiger socks. I decided that these will be a Mother's Day present, so I better get cracking!

Love these stripes!

Much more lace inspiration lies within!

Since the most recent Knitpicks catalog has been sent, I've been enamored with the Feather and Fan Shawl. I scoured over all the local bookstore and vendor at the fiber fest trying to get my hands on a copy of "A Gathering of Lace". Being the impatient yet cheapskate person that I am, I ordered a copy from Overstock. And waited...and waited...and waited. Finally, it arrived on my doorstep last night, and I've been drooling over the lace projects since. Can't wait to cast on!

Ah Yes, Knitting Progress

Last Friday as I was packing up stuff for D&D night, I found that I had no projects that were at a state to be portable. I grabbed a skein of my long-hoarded Opal Tiger sock yarn and a set of US 1's. Here's my progress after a D&D session and going to the movies Saturday night. Yes, I knitted through the whole movie in the dark. Hubs thinks I have a "problem" now. *scoff*

On the road knitting project

Sunday afternoon while Hubs and his brother were engrossed in a game of Warhammer 40k, I broke out the CSI DVDs and knitted a bit on the North Star Scarf.

Almost 1/3 of the way finished!

I'll be bachelorette-ing it a bit this week while Hubs is in training in Chicago (Poor guy, he's sick, too!) I'm fully expecting at least one night will be spent with this scarf watching Battlestar Galactica DVDs in mourning of no new BSG until 2008.

Boo for DST

I've lived my entire life in a state that's never sprung forward on DST during my lifetime until last year. Losing an hour of sleep doesn't feel any better this year, either. Yuck. Only two benefits to DST that I can see, later hours for dog parks that close at dusk, and later sunsets so I can take yarn pics with waning sunshine.

Cherry Tree Hill Potluck sock yarn from Windsor Button

Progress on Hubs' Socks
Using Madder Rib pattern over 80 stitches

Elegant Ribbed Stockings
Looking very unelegant covered in dog fur


That's better.
Pardon my pasty calf; I'm semi-translucent this time of year.

Love Is

Using your long-hoarded Socks That Rock yarn for socks for your beloved. What, you didn't expect me to say something profound, did you?

Tonight, I'll cast on a bigger version of the Madder Ribbed Socks for Hubs from STR "Beryl". I love the colors of this yarn, but they're manly enough for man socks. Means I'll get to buy more Socks That Rock to replace this skein, right?

Also actively on the needles is an Elegant Ribbed Stocking from "Favorite Socks" that my SP sent me. I'm using Dale of Norway Heilo in navy blue. I only have one of the three sets of DPNs required to make these socks, and I got to the point where I'll need the size 7 DPNs. Cheap excuse to go to the yarn store this week. My attempts to photograph my progress thus far were really poor, so no pics tonight.

Should I be concerned that all my finished objects so far this year have been socks?

My Socks

Last night, I finished a second pair of socks for me. This is the first pair I've kept for myself since my first pair I completed last winter. They're mine, all miiiiiiiiine! *cackle*

See how well they match!

Ignore the pasty white legs and focus on the socks

Project Specs
Pattern: Oak Ribbed Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks
Needles: US 1 Lantern Moon DPNs
Yarn: Opal's Rainforest Line in "Fish"

I enjoyed this pattern, even though I did screw up the heels. The Opal yarn didn't seem splitty and was pretty easy to match to each other. I was pretty paranoid about breaking another Lantern Moon DPN, but they all stayed in one piece. I liked the way this toe was worked over 28 rows with a series of K2TOGs. No sloppy SSKs on the toe of my socks :) They kept my feet nice and toasty today, too!

I Me Me Mine

Knitting progress this past weekend was all about me. I did brave the snowfall Saturday morning to mail Grandmom's backup socks. Other than that, my knitting time was all about me, for me.

Hubs put the brakes on my late night shopping spree for solid color sock yarn from Knitpicks. Instead, I'm working through some of my stashed sock yarn which happens to be mainly earmarked for projects for myself. First up is a pair of Oak Rib socks from Knitting Vintage Socks. It's Opal Rain Forest yarn in "Fish". My attention was pretty lacking when I knitted the heel and heel turn and was 4 stitches shy of the pattern. Eh, design feature as long as I can duplicate it on the second sock.

Eh, not so fishy really.

Saffron Cables afghan also got some knitting time attention.

Up to row 41 on the first pattern repeat

Apparently, there's a mispring in the pattern. It calls for 3 75 row repeats, but it needs 4. *sigh* That means I'm only 13% completed on the cabled section. I could really have used a bulky weight wool/alpaca blanket this winter. I think I've opened another cream-colored blackhole!

Tonight's Bandit cuteness!

Bandit hanging out under my desk

Ah, yes.

Proof I am still knitting.

Second Pair of Madder Ribbed Socks

Surprise, surprise. As soon as I finished my first pair of Madder Ribbed Socks, I started another. This pair was completed using Lucy Neatby's Celestial Dream Merino on US1's (back to my trusty Crystal Palace DPNs). These are destined for Pennsylvania for my grandma. They were started as a back-up pair in case her first pair were lost in the mail. :) All the packages that I send will have tracking on them from now on. Can't be too cautious with handknits!

Wii've been enjoying the we. :) Some of the mini games can give you a hell of a workout!

Kris playing Raving Rabbits tonight