Let the Socktoberfesting Begin!

It's October again (already?!?), so that means SOCKTOBERFEST!^*




What the hell is Socktoberfest, you ask? Geez, knitters, where you been living, under a rock? Started in '05 (an auspicious year, as that is when I met my beloved), it is the labor of love of Lollyknittingaround (who, btw, takes KICKASS photos!). There is (of course), a group on Ravelry dedicated to it, too: http://www.ravelry.com/groups/socktoberfest, as well as a group on flickr. But what IS it? OK, fair enough. From the Rav group homepage:

What is Socktoberfest?

A very simple concept with very few restrictions - Socktoberfest is a month-long (throughout the month of October) celebration of socks. It is a celebration of the accessories that we make as crafters to cover our feet. Think of it more as a festival than a knitalong - people who love something come together and celebrate it!

Basically, Socktoberfest is what you make of it. Me, I'm planning to make it a sock WIP-fest. That photo above? Those are the 3 sock projects I have on the needles, in various stages of un-done-ed-ness. I really neeed to finish these! Let's see if I can finish all three AND their mates. How 'bout a little blog badge action to keep me motivated, eh?

Wanna details on the 3 sock projects themselves? They're in my Rav projects! (L-R): Ziggity Zaggity, Getting Leyed, and Summit Socks. My first colorwork project, my first slip-stitch project, and a project using my own hand-dyed yarn, respectively. FUN! Oh, and the project bags? They're from Celestial Fiber Arts, Heidimonkey, and Chicken Boots!

Are you Socktoberfesting with me?

^* While looking for a link to an 'official' Socktoberfest site, I stumbled across Hubert's Socktoberfest Blog - you MUST see this! It chronicles the adventures of one Hubert the Swiss Sockmonkey. Precious!

An (E) All of the Above Fiber Friday

Torn in myriad directions this morning with no sense of what to work on, I posed the following question to the Twitterverse: will it be a knit day, a crochet day, a spin day, or...? Thea of That Yarn Store indulged me, suggesting "Can't it be an 'all of the above' day?" - brilliant! And so it was.

I started out by knitting wedge #4 (of 5) on my No. 120 project. It is, as my mother would have said, humming right along! Yesterday I dug around in my button collection looking for just the right buttons for the 'closures' in anticipation of finishing soon, re-discovering these insect-a-licious beauties. Not sure they're quite it though, I rode into town yesterday in search of more options. I found 2 candidates: a card of 7 vintage 5/8" red moonglow shank-backed cuties, and contemporary loose 3/4" orange 2-hole standards. BUT, I'm not gonna tell you what I'm choosing! There has to be some incentive to get you back here, right?

Does anybody remember my Pink Pimple hibernating WIP? Yeah, I didn't think so. I started it in October 2007 but set it aside when I ran out of the Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille yarn. Last fall when I was down in Napa, I visited Yarns on First and found some! So I dug out my hook & started in on the crochet part of my day, yielding more 'pimples' for my hat that is inspired by Wooly Wormhead's Spiral Play tutorial.

I can't follow a crochet pattern for shit, hence the 'inspired by' - I couldn't get mine to come out like hers! But I'm pleased with my zit look, & I like the way the chenille obscures the stitches if when I forget how many stitches I've done & make a mistake. Very forgiving yarn. I made another 10 more pimples today!

As for the spinning part of our program, each night this week I've picked up my Jenkins spindle (a Turkish Delight) and worked a bit on the laceweight yarn I've been spinning off and on since last Halloween using a naturally-dyed silk cap from Tactile Fiber Arts. Today I started a 2nd spindle-full!

So my day was filled with a crafty triad: knitting, crochet, & spinning. Not bad! What did YOU do for Fiber Friday?

Tags: knitting, crochet, handspinning, fiber friday

A Sweater for my Head

Just in time for summer, I'm making a head sweater, LOL! Last fall I spun up some AMAZING merino wool top from Forest Fiber Works, her 'Del Sol' colorway - a deep and vivid combination of red, orange & purples. I pulled 220 yards of the plumpest 3ply, COLORBOMB Ménage à Trois™ in 'Flambe', off my Jenkins Turkish Delight spindle.

It's a fat worsted weight, about 9-10WPI, and the gauge is right around 4-5 stitches to the inch on US7 needles over garter stitch, according to my patented 'fakey gauge method': cast on some, knit some, measure, unravel, call it good!

My plan was to knit myself a Third Wave Harf, a cute scarf/hat combo by the hot babes at Spincycle, but alas, not enough yardage. But there was another pattern in my Ravelry queue, begging to be knit and perfect for my needs: Headigan, a cardigan for my noggin'!

Succombing to my project ADD once again, I cast on Tuesday night, using the hand-holding Cable Cast-on Video at Knittinghelp.com to walk me through my first time. Easy-peasy!

Right off the bat, as in the first row, you will be working short-rows, the ingenious flying decrease wedge! I use them a lot for sock toes & heels, but if you are new to them or you are rusty, have no fear: this explanation of the wrap-and-turn technique from Knit Wiki fills the bill. Also easy-peasy!

This pattern is a VERY quick knit: I'm already finished with 3 of the 5 called-for wedges, and I'm hoping to finish up the remaining 2 and the ribbed button band today after I go into town button hunting. I'm a weensy bit worried that it will be too long (tall - this puppy is knit sideways), but if so then I think rolling the bottom up & tacking it down will work. I'll figure it out!

Since this is Earth Day, & I'd planned on having a recycled yarn tutorial for you (doh! behinder & behinder am I), I'll leave you with this Squidoo list of links for Making Your Own Recycled Yarn and this one on Reusing Household Items for Green Crafts - Happy Green DIY!

Tags: knitting, Earth Day

Lace Virgin

I've made lace before (see my WedWrap & In a Theater Darkly if you don't believe me), but never real lace. By 'real lace' I mean more than simple yarnovers, something intricate, delicate. But I'm gonna pop that lacy cherry with the Sweet Lily Shawl by Kristin Omdahl and my Lace Shawl Virgin project!

In the Spring '09 issue of Interweave Knits, I found this shawl via Ravelry when I was looking for a pattern to use my new Wollmeise Lace Garn; I was inspired by tausigma's Eleanor Bold Blue version in the shade of Malabrigo Lace I like best: Azul Bolito, which by rights should be called retina burn blue! But I decided that for my first big lace project, I'd try a more budget-friendly yarn, so when Sunni started carrying Cascade Alpaca Lace at YARN-fun, I decided to give it a try; 874 yards for only about $15! I got 'thistle', the scrumptious purple shade.

First I wound my yarn into cakes and placed it in a ziploc bag with a snipped-off corner - instant DIY yarn bra! Keeps it tidy and untangled. I cast on April 6th, trying the prescribed invisible provisional cast-on for the first time; no problem at all if you consult the video at Knittinghelp.com.

But as soon as I completed the garter stitch border and got one row into the chart, I realized I had a problem: blunt needles do not a pleasant lace experience make. Bye bye, Addi Turbos! but I don't have any lace needles, and the Addi Lace needles at my LYS didn't look that much pointier than the standard tips. So, I decided in good make-do fashion to make my own!

I'd hoped to have a how-to tutorial for you today, but didn't get to it - you'll have to check back for it next week!

Tags: knitting, shawl, lace

Help for Cold Boobs

Do you ever experience a bit of a let-down at the end of a project? At the conclusion of a good book, or after you finish a knitting project you really enjoyed working on, do you feel down? Post-project ennui often strikes me, making it difficult to choose my next knit-deavor (and you thought I'm just a good-time girl!).

That's what happened to me Friday when I wrapped up my Color is a Lifestyle socks. I think it was a combination of staying invested in a good knit, & the pressure I put on myself to choose the next 'right' project, the 'best' pattern for a particular yarn, or an 'appropriate'-ly challenging new technique.

Which is, of course, ESTUPIDO. I mean really, I must know by now that there is no 'right', 'best', or 'appropriate'. Which is to say, I spent several hours surfing Ravelry Friday night to find the right project that would show off some yarn in my stash to best effect & give me the opportunity to test myself with an appropriately challenging new technique. 'Cuz I'm just as susceptible to internal pressures as the next guy.

All this is my long-winded way of introducing you to my new project, Spunky Rack Cover, aka More Stripes Vest by my friend Amy King of Spunky Eclectic. It's a steeked vest (the 'appropriate technique' part), designed to show off Noro striping yarns (the 'best yarn' part), & it just feels right.

I've had ten skeins of Noro Akogare in my stash f o r e v e r. Similar to Silk Garden, Akogare is a Bulky weight 45/40/10/5 blend of wool/silk/angora/nylon, & I thought it would be a natch fit for Amy's pattern, which is written for Silk Garden. I had to adjust the gauge for a bulkier yarn, & since I want some negative ease (this is, after all, a rack-a-licious vest), I'm knitting the 36" size to cover my 42" bodacious boobies.

When I took it off the needles about 2" in, to see if I'm on the right track gauge- and size-wise, & it was obvious that it's way too big; I was thinking "Hell. Gonna have to rip it out. Grr." But no! As it turns out, I'm just portlier than I realized! I checked it against the circumference of my favorite old man-styled vest & it is spot-on.

The pattern is written for knitting a front and a back, but yeah... NO. No offense, Amy, but I'm with EZ: I loathe purls & seaming, so it's in-the-round, all the way, baby! I'm also tweaking the way that I work up the striping: the pattern calls for 2 shades of yarn, but I'm only using one, & to get nice, 4 row stripes, I'm switching between 2 balls; but I'm not carrying them up the side, I'm spit-splicing them. The silk in the mix means they don't felt together quite as well, but it seems to be working. Just don't use your beer-swilling spit: it makes the ends sticky. ;0

A note on angora yarn: iz sheddy! Good thing I seem to have lost my childhood sensitivity to it; once upon a time, my eyes would swell shut at the mere hint of any bunny fur (no, really, it happened: in a Bon Marche in Portland, while shopping with my Nana, I played with a stuffed rabbit covered in real rabbit & by the time we got to the car you couldn't pry my eyelids open with a chopstick. Although, I don't know why you'd want to.) Fast forward to now, this stuff may only be 10% of the fiber content, but it seems that every last puff of it wants to escape & live on my fleece pants.

The design itself is a simple 4x1 ribbing; knitting it takes very little effort, leaving lots of brain cells available to contemplate the upcoming steeks. Been meaning to learn how to do 'em; this is as good a time as any to make that happen. The deep-V neck is written as a steek, so that the two sides match up; I'm thinking of doing the armholes as steeks too, so I can just knit a giant tube & then, SNIP-SNIP-voila! Amy promises to hold my hand through the process if I lose my courage.

Took it with me to Sit 'n' Knit at YARN-fun in Eureka (where I picked up my earned-on-credit yarn - more tomorrow!). Look how far I got! Already at 5" after casting on yesterday morning!!

Tags: knitting, Noro, WIP, vest

Monday

A gift of spring, from me to you - I'm guessing this might be particularly welcome if you reside in a still-icy clime (I'm talking to you, Sharkbite Su!). This tulip is a volunteer, or, maybe planted by gnomes in the night? (More likely I planted it & forgot, lol). Whatev, Cole & I were tickled when it popped its sunny head up last month. Me likee tulips!

In knitting news, I'm getting close to finishing Color is a Lifestyle¹ sock #2, BUT... Yep, I made a boo-boo! I decided to add 4 extra stitches at the ankle, just after the heel gusset, but I didn't think through just how to do that, & all of them ended up on the same side - doh! Weirdly, it doesn't seem to affect the fit of the sock, so I decided to call it a wabi sabi socky design element instead of an error to avoid frogging back 3.5 inches or so. Why not, it's my friggin' sock! I started the calf increases last night, so am hoping to finish them before the end of the month rolls around on Wednesday.

This photo is proof that I'm continuing in my newly-renewed spinning jag. I can't even remember when the last time I listed a skein of LoopyDoopy™ yarn (my line of supercoils), but I put one in the shop today! Want to see more pictures? I know you do!

1. COLORBOMB 'Flashback to 1974' handspun art yarn, 2. COLORBOMB 'Flashback to 1974' handspun art yarn, 3. COLORBOMB 'Flashback to 1974' handspun art yarn, 4. COLORBOMB 'Flashback to 1974' handspun art yarn

Want it in YOUR stash? It's yours if you go here & lay down the cash! Better act fast, this one is likely to go quick. ;)

Before I go, I wanted to share this closeup of the fabric I bought on Etsy: stoner deer! It's part of Jay McCarroll's Woodland Series, & Saremy of Chicken Boots is going to make me a knitting needle case with it! And with that, I guess that's it. For today. Happy Monday!

¹Check it out! This link is my first test of the new Ravelry pony feature that allows non-Ravelry members to view Ravelry project pages that allow public viewing/sharing. So although I can't imagine there's a yarn-obsessed person out there who isn't a member of Ravelry yet, there might just be a VWorld reader who isn't & who wants to see my projects. From now on, all my Ravelry project links should be viewable by all! So, go forth & heart my projects at will, Ravelers & non-Ravelers alike! /shameless self-promotion

Tags: yarn, supercoils, COLORBOMB

Craft or Bust Week 11

Where the hell did my week go?!? I haven't blogged since last week's CoB update, so this post better be a darn-tootin' good one, eh? And it's not like I didn't do anything crafty this week, not at ALL.

I finished a sock! Remember the socks I started last Saturday? The ones using the yarn I dyed? Well, it turned out BEE-YOU-TEE-FULL, if I may say so myself. And I do! I adore this sock.

It's a 'plain' stockinette sock, if you can call my spectacular stripes 'plain'. I used Amy Swenson's Universal Toe-Up Sock Formula pattern from Knitty.com - it fits me exceptionally well and uses a short-row toe/heel combo, perfect for self-striping yarn. I hear she now offers a Toe-Up Sock Generator app that does the math for you; might just try it next time, just for kicks & to see if it's different.

I split my yarn into two cakes & knit 'til I ran out of yarn. I was able to get a 9" leg, which brought my massively muscular calves into play, so I tried calf-shaping for the first time. See? Right there at the top? Increases! I tried the TECHknitting Nearly Invisible Increase technique, & it worked like a charm! I did a total of 15 double increases, bringing my stitch count from 60 to 90.

This is the first time I've done a roll-top sock; wasn't sure if it would stay up without ribbing, but I made a nice, tight fabric, and it seems to stay up just fine! I went up two needles sizes to a US3 to bind off, & it's just the right amount of loose. To read all the gory details, this sock is in my Ravelry notebook as Color is a Lifestyle.

For those of you who will inevitably ask, yes, that shoe I'm wearing IS a Fluevog; they're Minis in a color combo from about 5 or 7 years ago. Love x1000!

Now, I'm off to read about other Craft or Busters' week, and then cast on sock #2!

Tags: knitting, craft or bust, handknit socks

Saturday is for Sock Knitting

Yesterday, our power was out. Yep, shut off from about 2:30pm 'til 10am this morning by PG&E, who did some sort of equipment upgrade at the local sub-station. So what's a girl to do when she has an unexpected sunny afternoon, no internet, & loads of sock yarn sitting about? Why, knit socks of course!

My original plan was to work on the purple lace socks I started earlier this week, but they have got me all tied up in knots, making me ask if maybe I'm just not cut out for lace knitting. I even colored in my chart all purdy, see? To no avail. I knit the first few rows of the lace pattern 3 frikken times & the stitch count was all FUBAR. I think the YO at the beginning of the row is what is giving me the headache. Damn operator error, I'm sure.

But it was much too gorgeous a day to let a little lace get me down, so I pulled out the yarn I dyed recently, 'Tarzhay Wannabe', and set to casting on. I was going to give the magic-loop & Judy's Magic Cast-on techniques a whirl, but they look way too fiddly for me. Good on ya if they work for you, but this chick is sticking to DPNs for now, & the provisional cast-on works just fine for me (although I had to look it up again 'cuz I haven't used it in awhile).

Instead of knitting this pattern as planned, I'm using Amy Swenson's Universal Toe-Up Sock Formula; I had such good results when I used it for my Wild Tide Socks, I figured I'd use it again. I already had my foot measurements plugged in, all I needed was gauge for this yarn; living on the edge as I do, I decided to go for it & assume my KnitPicks Color Your Own would knit to the same gauge as the BMFA Silkie Socks That Rock I used for Wild Tide.

While I had daylight, I finished the toe! And this is how I worked last night:

I was able to knit 4" by the light of the candles last night. The US1 needles are making a nice, dense fabric of this yarn, just like I like. I like a very tight fit on my socks, and I think my no-gauge gamble is paying off - just right!

My dye job is knitting up differently than I anticipated: the yarn is much more variegated than I expected. As you might recall from my dye post, I was anticipating nice bright, solid stripes, but these are more muted & a bit disharmonious; & I'm not sure I like the colors together due to the variegation. We'll see, maybe they'll grow on me. I mean, it's not like I hate 'em or anything. But I do want to work on obtaining more even color saturation for next time. What do you think?

Edited to add: I took another picture that better shows the variegation I'm talking about. And I must say, I'm really starting to love this yarn, this sock!

Tags: knitting, socks

Stash Enhancement 101

I was given 2 skeins of this Trendsetter Yarns Voila in neon at Midnite Madness last Friday, and thought I'd better take a picture and add it to my enviable Ravelry stash page. That prompted me to dig around in the mess that is my work table & root out the yarn that has been laying around, un-photographed & un-uploaded, but not unloved.

There's the skein of Knit Picks Palette in 'Edamame' that I received as a gift from a KP staffer who likes my blog; it came in a kit to make a Christmas pickle, along with a pattern from Nina Isaacson and a jar of real pickles! In case you were wondering, it's a Christmas ornament, a tradition of dubious origins. Me, I just want to be able to say that I knit a pickle!

Then there are the 2 'flats' of Coinjoined Creations Flat Feet sockyarn that I got in a 2-for-1 sale at my friend Morgaine's Carolina Homespun booth at the California Wool & Fiber Festival last fall. I'm thinking his-and-hers socks for me and Cole. Guess which one is for me?

And there's the 2 skeins of Crystal Palace Chenille that I found at Yarns on First in Napa, CA last September when I was down visiting with my friend Brooke. I ran out of this yarn and needed more to complete my Pink Pimple hat; how serendipitous to find some! That's what spending time with your friends will do, bring good things into your life, that's what!

Finally, how about stash-stalking on Ravelry for a pleasant way to spend an evening? I highly recommend it! I picked up these 2 skeins of Knit Picks Essential Solid (now called Stroll) in 'African Violet' that way, for only $6 --including shipping!-- from Xandermommy's stash. Now they are in MY stash! I purchased this yarn specifically to participate in the SolidSock Group March/April Mystery Sock KAL, using this pattern (a FREE Ravelry download!) by verybusymonkey. I'm even using the same color as the designer, but not intentionally; They're in my notebook under Mystery to Me. Wanna see 'em? I knit the 1st cuff last night:

Tags: yarn, knitting

Penultimate Prep

Only 1 more day, just over 24 hours, remain 'til the lighting of the Olympic flame, & you know what that means: RAVELYMPICS!! Keeping busy around here with preparation for the big moment. More on that tomorrow.

In the meantime, I've also been plugging away on my In a Theater Darkly stole, in anticipation of putting it away during Ravelympics. Only new projects & WIPs not touched since before Jan. 7 are eligible for Ravelympics, so this one will be temporarily retired for the duration of the competition.

Having reached the 30 inch mark (~30% of the 88" total eventual length), I'm liking how it looks: this dropped-stitch pattern really shows off the colors of Noro Kureyon Sock to best effect. But I'm having a bit of a problem with inadvertent dropped stitches; one about every 5th row or so. I can't figure out if it is the needles I'm using (round/blunt tips) or my general lack of experience with knitting lace, but either way it is definitely operator error; it's a simple, well-written pattern (called One Skein - A Stole! by Katja Jordan, & it is available as a free Ravelry download).

See you tomorrow for my first 'real' Ravelympics/Knitting Olympics post!

Tags: knitting

Craft or Bust Week 4

Somehow this week slipped RIGHT through my fingers, blog-wise anyway. Fairly crafty, though, despite my lax posting. Busy with Craft or Bust! instead, dontcha know. ;)

These crafty projects I wrote about earlier in the week:

• created TWO new Velma Signature cocktails: Sweet Surrender and Rob's Wanton Sister Velma Roy (links have recipes!)
• spun one of my Tufty™ yarns: 'Spruced Up'; more pics here, here, & here, in my shop here
  
• made a BOMBits custom colorway for Team COLORBOMBer members

But that ain't all! I started a new knitting project, something to do while I knit in the dark at the Arcata Theatre Lounge. 'One Skein Stole' by Katja Jordan, and I'm knitting it with a skein of Noro Kureyon Sock I picked up at Sock Summit last summer. I chose this project, which is my Ravelry notebook here, because I wanted something to work on while watching sci-fi in the dark and I needed somthing that I could use my KnitLites to work on.

Yep, they light up! I purchased them at my LYS Handmade Memories a couple years ago with knitting at campfires in mind, but hadn't gotten around to trying them out yet. They work great! There is a small light in each tip, and turning on just one is enough to illuminate my knitting adequately. I don't really care for knitting on straight needles, but in this case I'm willing to compromise.

As for the pattern, it is an easy one that isn't too much trouble for low-light knitting when I'm distracted by a movie. Yarn overs and simple multi-wrap stitches create a simple lace pattern that really lets the yarn shine. Once blocked I think it will be a real looker.

Tags: knitting

Socks, & Books, & Collages - Oh My!

Doh! Look what I did! I muffed Cole's socks. Compare the heel on the right to the one on the left. Notice anything? Yeah, well. I forgot to knit the 2nd one in my preferred K1S1 pattern (for reinforcement), instead going balls-out in stockinette. That's what I get for knitting while I'm on like 4 cups of coffee! Oh, well - if I don't tell him, he won't even notice. All that's left is Toe #2!

Day 19/365

Books, yep, we got books. Last year, you might recall, I signed on for 30 Books in '09, the brainchild of Knittering.com's Sinta. Guess how many I actually read last year? 2. Seriously, only two books read in 2009. In years past I have averaged more like 2 dozen/year. But I'm back on a reading jag, and although I'm not making any predictions on my numbers this year, I know it will be more than 2, haha! I just finished Second Chance Pass by Robyn Carr, a gift from Mia. Right now I'm finishing the two books I left unfinished last year, blink and World Light, & I started The Black Book by Orhan Pamuk a few days ago. You can follow along with my reading progress in 2010 if you want at Goodreads.com, where I do all my updates/reviews/&etc.

Between sock knitting, & reading, & the accompanying blogging of these activities, I made this photo-collage of my UFOs for Craft or Bust. Thought it might just inspire me to keep on plugging away at my finish or frog goal. I'll leave you for today with one final photograph: Day 18 of 365 from yesterday, which I didn't blog about here, but which is posted on my 2010: A Year in Pictures, A Work in Progress blog. Can you figure out what it is? No? Click here to view the whole thing.

Glow 18/365

Tags: knitting, 365, craft or bust

My Trip to India

Ghostly Knitter 14/365 YIP

Guess what I did today? Among other things, I spent 3 hours online in a live chat with a tech from Symantec while he dug around inside my computer from afar. Me in California, him in Kerala, India; how weird is that?!? Magic. My Norton AntiVirus has been causing untold problems (no, really; some I didn't even know about), but now my laptop is all better! And I'm freshly prophylactic-ed, safely surfing teh internets and opening documents without fear of sudden infiltration. Bots & spyware & trojan horses, be gone with you! Thanks, Abhilash!!

In between answering Abhilash's questions, I knit a bit on Cole's Xmas socks. Somehow I captured this ethereal photo of me knitting; I think it was the low-light setting that gave me the dreamy pink pic. I like how it looks like I'm knitting with 8 needles! I didn't knit long enough to get very far, but I am working on heel #2, so the finish line is in view.

Now I'm off to finish COLORBOMB shipping for tomorrow and watch the premier of Archer. Ta!

Tags: knitting, tech support

It's Not ALL Earthquakes Here

But it is a lot of earthquake - 10/365

In case you didn't hear, we had a 6.5 magnitude earthquake on the Northcoast yesterday, centered right here in our own Humboldt County. Here in Arcata Cole and I fared just fine; no damage, nothing even fell down. I spent the 15-second temblor under our 6' wooden table while Cole looked on from a nearby doorway. Knocked the power out for about 5 hours, but the worst part for us was being out of beer, haha! Not so along Bar Row downtown, as you can see if you watch the Plaza Cam video posted on CNN.

No power means earthquake romance.

Our neighbors to the south in Eureka didn't fare as well: windows are out, a few historical buildings have been red- and yellow-tagged due to damage, several blocks are cordoned off, my friends Garth & Claire have a busted water main beneath their house... Sending out hopes to everyone that they escaped unscathed. BTW, if you felt it, be sure to visit the USGS website and share your account on their Did You Feel It? page for this event. And for a chuckle, here's a YouTube music video my old boyfriend Chad created - a the tongue-in-cheek recount of the Great Earthquake of 2010:

A note: We joke around here about these things when nobody gets hurt, but my heart goes out to the 20,000 people left homeless in the wake of a 5.0 earthquake in Tajikistan on Jan. 2nd and a 7.2 quake + a tsunami in the Solomon Islands on the 4th. Please send them your thoughts.

In other news, it's the end of week one of Craft or Bust 2010, and I used it to get my organize on! I let my inner librarian run amok, & organized my knitting/crochet WIPs, complete with photo-documentation of looong abandoned projects. I dug around and found 10, count 'em ten!, UFOs that I'd forgotten all about. That brings my total number of partially complete projects to a whopping thirty! Geez. So, let the cataloguing begin!

Bags:

1. I'm Not Old Enough...
2. 'Mater Vine
3. Bobbles Bag
   

Hats:

1. Inflated Ego
   
2. Bucket O Sheek
3. UFO of the Damned
4. Q-Tip
5. Vintage Fez
6. Helloween Hat
7. Valentine Elf Topper
8. 'Til Death Cap
9. Pink Pimple
10. Wrong Number
11. Matchy Matchy
12. Hatsie
13. No. 120
    

Socks:

1. Veltrelac Socks
   
2. Xmas Socks '09
   

Sweaters:

1. Troubleneck
2. Twinset on Fire
3. Sour
   

Wraps:

1. Saddest Project Ever
   
2. 100% BSG
3. World Record Scarflette
   

Other:

1. Bean's Bear
2. Hanging By the Chimney with Care
3. The Beast
4. Can You Hear Me Now?
5. LYS Sample Mitts
   

Now that I at least have them all wrangled and documented, I can begin setting to the brutal task of culling. There are a couple here that have been hanging around my neck like fibery albatrosses since 2001! Ridiculous. I don't want to see any of these lurkers come next year!The goal here is FINISH or FROG! There will be some of each, I guarantee (your time has come, UFO of the Damned! I have no time for seamed hats such as yourself). Decisions, decisions...

Tags: earthquake, Humboldt, craft or bust

The Day I Saved Shepeter's Butt

My friend Rebecca is a good egg, but apparently she suffers from procrastination-itis just like me. See, three Christmases ago she gave her mom a bag of lovely yarn and a pattern, promising it would come back to her in a new form. Well, that was xmas '07, and in the interim Rebecca decided the felted hat pattern was beyond her current knitting capabilities; that's where I come in.

I took on her project. And although it was a simple fulled hat pattern, there was a yarn sub involved, & the pattern itself didn't suggest a gauge, & the needles provided were too small, & finally, my ego got in the way. I was convinced that, as written, the result was too small. So, in my infinite wisdom, I did what I thought was one extra round of increases but what was in fact two extra increase rounds.

And THIS was the result: Velma channels Mushmouth. Clearly, no amount of felting would have salvaged this monstrosity of a hat. Unless Rebecca's mom has a head the size of, say, Rush Limbaugh's - it would never fit. So, back to square one.

Well, it may have taken my 3 tries, but I think this will do the trick. I think it will be quite lovely, in fact! Here are the specs:

Pattern: Felted Hat by Arlene Williams
Needles: US 11 / 8.0 mm
Yarn: Cascade Yarns Eco+ (bulky 2ply)

As it is a top-down pattern, I started with DPNs (Brittany Birch) and then switched to circs (Addi Natura Bamboo). I quite liked working it top-down; I plan to try that method again soon. Time will tell how well this yarn will full; at my suggestion, Rebecca plans to do the felting as a project with her mom (I was worried that if I did it, it might not fit as well).

That's Rebecca herself topped by the pre-felted hat. What do you think: America's Next Top Model? Check my Ravelry project page for updates & (hopefully) a photo of the finished product.

Tags: knitting, hats