31 posts tagged “yarn”
i have decided to grace vox with my presence. *grins* i never think about updating here when i finish something! But here I am... I will post some pictures of some FO's. I guess I just assume everyone could just look at my stuff on ravelry if they realllly wanted too. but alas, i like reading about everyone else's FOs on their blogs too... and ya'll are just like me i bet! so how about some pictures?
i did a test knit for a yarnie... she sent me the yarn and i knitted her some socks. i'll get free yarn when i decide what i want from her store. which reminds me: *stalks etsy store* I was aggravated with all the patterns I came up with for this sock, and finally Amy came to my rescue (AGAIN!) and I went with the cables, yo pattern. it's a really speedy pattern, i do recommend it for everyone! It's in Sensational Knitted Socks book.
and some in progress shots:
the yarn didnt really do what i wanted, but eh, what can ya do? yarn has a mind of it's own sometimes! I will knit this pattern again for myself sometime.
Hmmm, what else have I finished lately? I made Derek some thick wool socks to wear when he hunts... they took me all winter to make. Ha, oh well! I knitted them toe up so that they'd fit him.
let me see if there is anything else in the flickr album...
And it snowed here the other week or so...and I finally got a good snow picture after messing around with all the settings on my camera... it was snowing soooo much when i took this.
i also have this lacy scarf dealio on the needles.... i saw this pattern (omo scarf) on ravelry and it was so pretty in some cashmere yarn.... but the only DK wgt yarn I had is this pink berroco (cotton) so I went with it...it's not my favorite thing... but it's not for me anyways. I have quite a bit more done on it since this picture was taking...almost thru the first skein. i really suggest you look at the patter in other yarns. maybe blocking this will help some too. HAHA, and if you notice, I was using pretty bamboo needles, that I got for free, on it... but dang! SO SLOW! I have since switched to my knitpicks circs and it's zooming along now.
here is a funky picture of me and derek at the arch, while amy was here. i think at this angle, everyone has several chins! LOL
me and my aya, while she was here visiting! I MISS YOU COME BACK RIGHT NOW!
ok here's some pictures of this past weekend!
on saturday, we spent some time at the arch! it was a really pretty day, we were lucky! amy and i spent most of the time trying to get just the right angle for our pictures.
i was practically on my tummy in geese shit taking this one. it's 633 feet tall. hard to photograph from up close.
amy liked the arch!
and this is what happens when i ask derek to take a picture of me and amy with the arch. but we are in the pic and so is the arch. *rolls eyes*
luckily he was able to get it together before we left
this is me and derek playing around right under the middle of the arch. i think everyone has several chins at this angle.
here is a church in st. louis, i love the lights on it!
amy brought me yarn for christmas and my birthday! it's so pretty! and soft and squishy!
which i started to turn into this sock:
and this yarn too! look at those colors!
writing this entry from the mental institution? :D it was very stressful. Very Stressful. I got mad several times... heck, I even got sick feeling a few times. my tummy was in knots for practically 24 hours. i threw my sock down no less than 5 times. I stopped to take deep breaths. To calm myself.
I'm not even playing... it's probably the most stressful thing I have ever done. I did it right before my knit group yesterday... I worked on picking up all the stitches that i thought I already had picked up. Knitted fabric after it as already been knitted is a odd thing... it's very frustrating. It probably took me 3 hours of working on it constantly to pick up all the stitches and get them oriented correctly.
but yeah, it worked. :D
can you tell which one i cut???
i really like them... they are very comfy! and finished!! :D
yay socks!!
send in the men with the white coat. i think i am still even in denial that i did it. this is why someone should always be online to talk me out of stuff. left to my own devices and impatience things just get out of hand. my heart is beating really hard still. i cant believe i did it. i'm crazy, it's the only answer.
look, i finished my sock. the pair is complete! pretty, huh?
but remember how i hated the ribbing? and i had the idea that i would just undo the cast on and rip out the cuff, lalala. easy.... well it wasnt easy... it's not easy or fun to rip out from the "wrong" end.
you cant see how intertwined knitting really is...but this is after i picked out the cast on and tried to pick out some of the stitches too.
but it wasnt happening fast enough... i was getting mad! and 2008 is supposed to be Happy Knitting. So I thought of something else that might work. It was a crazy idea and could work. Then I came online did some research on the topic then looked online for my knitting friends to talk me out of it. but no one was there.
so i just did it. i am so obviously crazy.
so i just started cutting it off. i had put my needle back in to the stitches so they will catch on my cable.
I CUT MY KNITTING LIKE AN IDIOT! no one cuts their knitting. (well sometimes they do, but not in cases like this) you are not supposed to CUT cuffs off. I cant even believe i did it.
but i did.
i can barely catch my breath. this is insane. i really really hope this works out.
knit stuffs! whooo.
ok so i casted on this sock last sunday... it's the 2nd purple jaywalker in my beloved lorna laces yarn! wee! i casted on about 3 times and then ripped it out about that much too. realized that i am knitty stupid on a daily basis. i'm not getting into it but just know it's about ribbing. stupid ribbing, i dont like you either!
i knit a few inches and then amy conned me in to starting another sock. after casting on so many times, i agreed that i needed some instant gratification and nothing does that like a zen sock in dk weight yarns. she even picked out the yarn and everything! she found it in my stash and i would have never thought to use it for socks!
this is plymouth yarn dreambaby dk yarn. it is light purple and light blue. it's an acrylic microfiber... i think it feels like my couch. LOL but it's soft but sturdy and they fit good. cast on of 54 stitches. it just needs a buddy!
so there ya go! the purple/blue sock only too 2.5 days to complete! pretty good if you ask me! now back to the purple jaywalker grindstone! :D
long time, no vox! my last update is july 4th. oopsy! i'm sure no one even reads this any more, but i am going to write out a long boring knitting post anyways. because i am bored and there is no one online to entertain me. *looks pointedly* you know who you are.
anyways... what is going on the knitty world o' sparkli? a few things. as you may or may not recall, my best friend turned up pregnant earlier this year. i have been trying to crank out the baby knits something crazy, but of course, not as much as i'd like. one of the main reasons is that i am stuck in baby blanket limbo. i have 2 baby blankets on the needles. festive fish and the pinwheel. i have no issues with the fish blanket other than i am kind of tired of knitting fish. i need to remedy that.
i have major issues with the pinwheel. can someone tell me what it says about a knitter who starts a blanket with only 2 skeins of yarn that dont even match? i'm sure that knitter has serious mental problems. that knitter would be me. i started it with 2 skiens of brown sheep cotton fleece... same color, just two different dye lots. and it's not reeeeaaalllly noticeable but it is to me. so after knitting the 1st skein, i bought another skein from a fellow raveler, thankfully, even tho it was a different dyelot, it matched my first skien. so now the pinwheel is 2 skeins big and measures a whopping 27 inches in diameter. which is *not* big enough. so i have this other skein that is a shade (or two) lighter. now in my mind, it's perfectly ok to knit a border with this lighter color... but it is not ok to start in the stockingnette portion with this lighter color. see, issues? so do i just start the border at 27 inches and just make a wide border (and the 3rd skein probably wont be enough for a wide enough border to make the blanket a decent size) or should i just try to procure another skein of this yarn and hope that it matches the yarn i have been knitting with?
what would you do?? i'm going to tell you what i am going to do right now. today, and i mean TODAY, since i have been putting it off for over a week, i am going to put a life line thru about 20 sts of my blanket... then i am going to knit a swatch off my blanket with the 3rd skayn and see what it looks like. so will see how bad it looks, or doesnt look. but otherwise, i am going to have to figure out how to get a skien of brown sheep cotton fleece in sage. anyone??
what else am i knitting? oh last weekend, i knitted up a baby sized center square hat. it's really cute. i used some knitpicks.com mainline yarn i had in the stash. it's navy blue and ivory. i had gauge issues (of course) and completely finished the hat before i finally admit to myself it was way to small, even for a baby. so i ripped it all out, which was fine, because i did a really shitty job on it anyways. you cannot magic loop color work. you just cant. but the second go around was a success. i still need to block it. i did a roll brim instead of ribbing. it's very cute.
i also started another hat with the bits i have left over from the mainline... trying to stretch the yarn, yo! it's just a plain roll brim hat too... blue and white random stripes. just something easy (pfft, i have started it over twice too).
THEN, i casted on a baby sweater on friday night. kipling. it is SO cute. well the one on the site isnt THAT cute, but i have seen other pictures of other people's and they are V. CUTE. so i started that with some of that vanna yarn from lion brand. that yarn is CHEEP. like 2.99 a skein and it is sooooo soft. it's acrylic, but really... with babies, it has to be washable... and they are just going to grow out of it anyways, right?? so i knitted about 3 inches on it... logged on IM saturday morning to discuss it with amy and then she conned me into not working on it til next week and she will knit it with me. so now it's laying here and i keep petting it. :D i'm trying to be patient.
hmm. and i still have 2 second socks hanging around... i really should cast one of those on. but again, i wouldnt say that i have issues with them, more of road blocks. one is a jaywalker and i have been thinking for months if i want the 2nd sock to have 1x1 ribbing like the first one...even tho i dont like it. i suppose the should match, but eh... i dont like it. and the other sock is just a zen for my sister...but i did a picot edge on it instead of ribbing... and while a picot edge is really cute, it's a pain in the arse to do. and i was thinking about it last night and i cant remember if i did a 52 or 54 stitch cast on. Amy?? it's pretty bad when i know that my friend will know my knitting details when i dont myself. what would i do without her? be pretty lonely and have long drawn out knitty conversations with myself, i guess. :D
i'm trying to think if there is anything else hanging around on the needles. i dont think so... i think that is all. there is so many things i want to knit. but no time or i dont have the yarn that i need or i have other things i need to knit first. and i dont like to have a ton of things on my needles either... so i need to deal with some of the issues in this entry and get moving on some stuff. because the knew knitty came out and i really like several things in it... one day... one day! i need to find them on ravelry and put hem in my queue to help me remember.
and in addition to all this knitty stuffs, i am moving from florida to st. louis, mo in just a mere 2 weeks. we have been working to find a place to live and stuffs. but we are about to uproot our lives and move to some place we have never been again. twice in one year! it's ridiculous! i'm really in denial about everything that still needs to be done... i just want to hide under a blanket with a flashlight and knit.
ok! i am off to deal with the pinwheel blanket, once and for all! so atleast i will know either way about the other dyelot. oh and the reason this is one long knitty post with no pictures is that my camera died a few weeks ago. hopefully i will have one on loan soon and can take some pictures of stuff.
ok the thing about ravelry is that you spend time on ravelry and you dont want to knit. it's just click, click, click and then hours have passed and you are just overwhelmed with everything you want to knit and yarns that just look fabulous. it's really a great site... when you get your invite make sure you add me as a friend... it's sparkli over there too. it's just amazing over there.
another reason i am slacking off in the knitting area is that i'm stuck on sheldon the stupid turtle. i have everything knitted. the directions say to single crochet 2 rounds around the part that holds the turtle in the shell. when i do that it's making that part too small to fit the bottom of the shell. i have redone it twice now and ripped it out twice too. it fits fine if i dont crochet it. it probably doesnt help that i am using a hook that is about 3 sizes smaller than what the pattern calls for. but i dont want to go pay money on another hook either. (but i probably will if someone tells me this is a very important step) otherwise, i am thinking about just trying the applied icord with that part with out the crocheted rounds.
and that is another thing! applied icord! i have read the directions atleast 5 times and it sounds so freaking complicated and i dont even understand it. i am hoping it's one of those knitty things that when you actually just *do* what the pattern says that it will work out. because if it isnt, then i am screwed. and it's july 4 and it needs to be IN tennessee by the 10th. pffft.
here, i will leave you with pictures.... but you better give me some freaking turtle advice... i dont know what i am doing over here! :D
and a sock i knitted for my sister.
this is from saturday evening when we fishing at a pier close to our apartment. i really love this picture alot.
it's me! i'm sparkli! this is me posing with the clappy. doesnt look that great with tshirt and shorts. my car back there in the background!
first off, the clappy in all it's blocked goodness. it just looks so different! i meant to crop my ass out of this one but i forgot. oh well.
+
my mom really liked it. i'm glad for that.
Remember how I wrote about the first baby hat for my best friend's new baby not yet born.... here out to be called, "little timmy" ... and if it ends up being a girl.... well i'll figure it out then. but this hat is the one i was talking about it being random and wierd. it's so odd how all the white lined up on the 2 sides and the other 2 sides has perfect stripes.
and here is the 2nd hat... it's a bit bigger... babies need hats in many sizes. and it's normal!
close up
and here is my newest sock in the lorna laces that my amies got me... the purple lornas laces jaywalker that i started... i'm not too sure about it right now tho. i'm going to work a bit more on it and try it on and decide.
i really love the yarn tho. it's so squishy!
and here is my loot from [kemma]! i love this purple alpaca! it's so awesome! and more sock yarn! i was running low! thank you again, kemma! you are the bestest!
here is the little fishie that i caught on saturday!!!
it took me over 2 hours to write this entry! got on the phone with candice and i havent talked to her in forever! but there ya go, pictures!!!
shoo. i havent wrote in over a week....and i have a good reason... because of this:
I worked on it every single night last week after i got off work. i finally finished it yesterday on the drive to disney. FINALLY. it was like never ending. so this morning i weaved in the ends and am now blocking it. (blocking: to let soak in water and then stretch out to dry) i am curious about what blocking it will do to the yarn.
so:
started: eh, i dont know... a month ago??
ended: may 12th... a day late and a dollar short
pattern: clapotis from knitty.com
yarn: andean silk from knitpicks.com
needles: sz 8s knitpicks options
what else?: hate the yarn i used... it's ugly. hopefully my mom likes it.... usually she likes things i think are too ugly anyways. it was never ending and i will probably never make another one ever again.
I'll post more pictures of it when it's dry and before i mail it... i had to call my mom on friday and tell her the present was going to be late, because i'm a procrastinator. she said, "it's ok... you get it honest" LOL
otherwise!!! we went to MGM yesterday... my first time there! we will go more in june when they have the star wars weekends. we had fun... i still like magic kingdom the best. but i saw the most characters i have ever saw at mgm yesterday. we left the house about 11 and went to bass pro shop in orlando first. then disney!
honey! i shrunk the kids! this was FUN! we were a big too tall, but that didnt stop us from crawling all over this ride and sliding and stuff. we totally freaked out one little girl but she loved it. we were in one of the ant caves peeking out of these holes. we kept "psst!" "psst!" and she kept walking closer and closer to the wall. she had the funniest look on her face when i said, HI! she ran in with us and started "psst!"-ing at her mom.
we missed most of the indiana jones stunt show.. but what we did see was pretty cool! here's my very own indiana derek!
also!!! there WILL BE NO HIGH FIVING on the rides at disney!
i was taking random pictures of derek while standing in line to have my picture made with minnie mouse. i'm leaving out the pic i took of his nose hair. you are welcome.
me and minnie mouse! i am making a funny face because she freaked me out... as i walked up, she just grabbed me up and kissed my cheek... then she threw her arms around my neck for the picture... THEN as soon as derek took the picture, she ran over to him and hugged him and kissed his cheek!
derek wanted to have his picture taken with the wicked queen from snow white.... but when she walked by us i was too intimidated to ask her for a picture! she is good and scary, yo! her make up is so awesome too.
i love the topiaries!
I LOVE DISNEY!
if you havent heard, the state of florida has been pretty much on fire. it's been so smoky here lately even tho we arent really close to the wildfires.... you can kinda see the haze in this picture.... the picture doesnt do it justice...it's alot thicker than this.
i have had a running joke thing with derek for a couple of years. i love magnolia blooms... and i always ask him to get me one... but magnolia trees are huge and you cant really reach the blooms. last night, he ran to walmart for some stuff and came home with this for me
isnt it pretty??? and it smells SO GOOD.
well anyways... that's about all that has been going on. patton had a seizure friday night. he's not had one in about 2 years... it seemed that it lasted about 2 minutes... felt like forever. but he seems to be fine... i am going to call the vet on monday and see about getting him seen... he's due for his rabies shot anyways. poor baby... i feel so bad when he's having one.
i am going to go knit... probably a baby hat. i need some instant gratification... bad. then i will start some more socks! my knitty life can go on now!
it was a long, dramatic weekend. thursday my sister was in a really bad car wreck, but she's fine now and at home after a 3 day hospital stay. friday and saturday derek and i drove down to ft. lauderdale to visit with his uncle, bro and SIL. i just sat on the couch and watched tv and knitted on my mom's shawl all day on sunday.
is everyone is aware of carrie, right? carrie is my best since kindergarten, nary a fight in all those years. we are BFF. i knitted her that shawl for her wedding, remember? well she called me last night. *grin* she's pregnant!!!!! i was totally in shock at first... actually i probably still am for that matter! they havent told brooklyn (her daughter) yet... i cant even imagine how excited she's going to be... she's been carrying around this life like baby for 3 years and it's name is "baby brother" LOL they are going to wait til carrie gets into the doctor and everything before they tell her. i just keep trying to picture what this baby will be like... what he will look like. they want a boy, and i am pulling for a boy too. when she was pregnant with brooklyn (10 YEARS AGO!) i was the only person in friends and family that wanted her to have a girl. and i got what i wanted. lol. i just keep trying to picture her pregnant again.. its so hard to imagine!
but you know what makes me the happiest about this?? i have a reason to knit baby things again! i have all year to knit baby things. yay!!!!
ok next topic. you know what is amazing? internet strangers that are so kind and so generous. it amazes me and it made me cry today. you all know that [aya] is my knitty girl... we can talk on end and then some about knitty things... well thru aya, i met ames... me and ames have been knitty friends for a bit now. well today when i opened my mailbox and ames and aya made me cry. the generosity, yo! last week, ames got to go to the lorna laces factory and get some awesome yarns for CHEAP! usually this is an expensive yarn. esp. for my poor budget. and she posted pictures of her beautiful yarns... she bought some for her mom and for aya. they all got very pretty yarns. and did i whine because i didnt get any? nope. i was totally supportative of them and happy for them!
but i opened my mailbox today and there was a package for me. it was yarn from my knitty friends! they are so the greatest! i cried! and then i sat on the stoop and petted it til derek got home. :D then i made him squish it LOL i was just flabbergasted that complete strangers love me so much that they got me yarns... pretty yarns! i'm so happy!
if you read all that you are allowed to look at the pretty pictures... but only if you read my novel!
isnt this the most perfect yarn? colors are true in both pics.
here's my mom's shawl now... it's got a bit more on it. 5 dropped sts. now
h8 it! but whatev. i'm done whining about it. (probably)
i was working on these socks... but of course with the new sock yarn in the house, these will be put on scrap yarn so that i can use those needles! LOL i just have to find the perfect pattern for my new yarns!
it's a twisted 1x1 rib
oh yeah, and i got sunburned while at the beach. i applied sunscreen THREE times that day... and still! it's finally feeling better today! pffft... h8!
and since i was in front of the mirror... might as well snap a few.
ignore my hair wings... it's been a rough weekend LOL
and the best shots of the beach i got.... it was so clear...i was in water up to my shoulders and could look down and see what color my toenail polish was. freaking amazing.
and here are some more yarny pics of yarns i have gotten recently because they were very much onsale. and i couldnt leave them at the store. lol
this is some paton's sws... i had 2 50% off coupons for joanns... i have decided that this is the yarn that i'm "collecting" LOL i only have 3 skayns, i think. but i'm thinking entralac something or other at some point in time.
ok... there was a hancock fabrics store going out of business and i drove by it. 50 to 90% off.
the orange/yellow are microspun... i have another skayn of one of them...enough for sheldon the turtle.
also the green is some chunky... i have 2 skayns of that... i'm think baby sweater, maybe...who knows! it was ONE DOLLAR! and i bought 5 skayns of the heather grey and 2 of the darker grey... i'm thinking tori! for it. probably will swatch and see. i'm very excited. it's LB woolease, i think. washable = good.
this is the nature wool... it was one of my orders from knithappens sale. have i posted pics of this?? cant remember. anyways, this is supposed to be yarn for thick wool socks for derek...i'm not sure i have enough... i was shorted yardage in the the skayn on the right. but i'm not sure i'd have enough anyways. i'll probably try it and see.
this is the atacama alpaca (the purples) from knithappens as well. i really really wanted to do tori! with this yarn, but i dont have enough and who knows when i will be able to get more. so we'll see what happens.
the other hidious blue yarn is from knitpicks and is TOTALLY NOT the color on the screen for knitpicks. it was going to be a hat for my friend april but it's too horrid... it will marinate in the stash and we'll see what happens. lol
and i havent posted pictures of this either! remember the baby sweater i knitted? here it is in action with it's new owner! isnt he freaking adorable!? he's only 3 months old!
and the cute hat too!! he's so posing! :D
ok that's enough pictures!
but i wanted to thank my amies again for my very pretty and nice yarn. i was so freaking surprised! i love it so much... you all are just the greatest... i just cant get over how nice you all are to send me some. i was just flabbergasted! i love it and it's completely perfect and soon i will find the Perfect Pattern for it and knit it up. however, i have to work on the horrid mother's day shawl from hell for now... MD and my mom's bday are just 2 weeks away! but thank you so much... you all have just touched my heart... it's one of the nicest things anyone has every done for me. srsly. thank you!!!!!
