Thank You!!

Thanks to everyone that posted comments on my last post! I am glad to see that you were able to post comments and that I wasn't the only person that was having problems. I think that I will look into using HaloScan for my comments. That seems to be the general consensus. I would like to continue to use a free service as saving money for my knitting addiction is of the utmost importance!!

I will post an update on Mariah when I get home from work today. I was kicked off of the computer last night by my DD. She wanted some computer time too.

On a final note, I was thinking about actually posting on a regular basis. Having certain days to post about certain things, ie Tuesdays for knitalongs, etc. Let me know what you think!

Blogger is a PITA!!! (aka-no knitting content)

I have read this on other blogs. I had heard that other people have had lots of problems, but I had been lucky not to. Until today.....I was keeping up on the many blogs that I read through bloglines like I do every day. I was leaving comments ('cause bloggers LOVE comments). I get to a blog that has blogger, click on comments. I can read the comments fine. I click to leave comments. I get a message "The blog that you were looking for was not found." What?!? WTF?!? I was just on this person's blog. What do you mean they could not be found?? ARGH!!

This is most irritating. If you blog, you like to know that there are people out there reading what you have written. That these people have something to say about your posts. But! This is not true today.

Now, I have thought about going to a different service. One that I would have to (gasp!) pay for!! That is a lot for me to say as I am a notoriously frugal person. This does not mean that I do not spend money. Believe me, I spend lots of money. But if I can get something for free, well, why pay for it???

So now here is my dilemma: I can ask those people out there that read my blog to post a comment on what I should do, but the question is can you leave a comment????

While pondering whether posting a comment would be possible, here is some entertainment for you: Punctuation and How to Dance. Both of these links are from blogs that I tried to post comments on today. Enjoy! I will talk about knitting tomorrow.

WIP Wednesday

I have decided that I need to make sure to work on my WIPs. In reading many other knitting blogs out there in blogland, I see that I am not the only knitter to become distracted by other, more fun projects. With all of the new and old knitting books and magazines, I keep finding things that I am just itching to create. I also want to try my hand at designing.......and possible trying out the Master Knitters Program through TKGA. Whew! In order to do all of this and feel good about it, I am trying to get some of the WIPs to FOs. Please help me stay on track!!

I started Drift from Rowan back in October for Tori. Out of all of the knitting patterns that I own, she decides that she wants an almost floor length cardigan. So, I actually got it going, finished the back, then got distracted. So, this month I am going to finish this. Here is my progress so far:

Drift


I have the back and left front completed and have just started the right front. Mind you, these are 48" long, pure stockinette. Fortunately Drift is knitted on big needles, so if I keep working on this, I will have it done by the end of the month, along with lots of other projects. Bad thing: it is getting warm here in Cali, so my daughter probably won't be able to wear it until next winter....if she still likes it.

More incentive to finish projects, I got my shawl kit in from Joslyn's. I am almost finished with Shoalwater, and I got this in the mail today:

New Shawl Kit


I let my mom choose the yarn color back in December. This will be for her when she comes out to visit again in July. That should be plenty of time to get this done. The pattern is Flirty Ruffles from Fiddlesticks. Looks like this one will be lots of fun.

Oh and yes! Nathania is my secret pal....Amazon let the cat out of the bag. I am sooooo excited! She is such a nice person and I have been reading her blog for a while now. Makes it fun since we kinda know each other already!

I also forgot to update everyone on the big TV filming of our Stitch n Bitch group in Sacramento. I was interviewed.....Marin (group organizer) suggested that they interview me. She left a comment on my blog apologizing, but I had fun. It was very kind of her to suggest that I get interviewed. She has done a wonderful job with the group. I forgot my camera last week, so hopefully I will have some of the pictures that she took to post later. I will post more information regarding the show as soon as I get the info from Marin. We should be on the TV magazine show this Sunday.

Now I am off to the Rocklin Meetup at It's A Grind.......Lauren should be here any minute. My husband is starting to wonder if my knitting groups are starting to take over my life!

Tuesday is for Knit Alongs

Okay...joining the bandwagon started by Alison. I will just be doing this late at night! BUT! Before I post any updates, look at what was left at my door today:


Look What I Got!


My husband comes walking in the house today with a package from Amazon. I was quite surprised as I haven't ordered anything recently, but had been looking. This is a book that I had wanted for quite sometime. Now I will have to admit, I am a little confused. I received an email late last week from my secret pal saying that I should expect a package. This package did not say that it was from my secret pal, but it did come from someone I know. It was from Nathania! Now, either this is an absolutely awesome RAOK, or Nathania is my secret pal OR she knows my secret pal. Hmm........ Anyway, this is an absolutely awesome gift. I love this. Thank you thank you thank you. (And yes, my Mom did teach me my manners and I will be sending a Thank you note.)

Here is my progress with Mariah. I completed the back on Saturday and started work on both sides of the front today. I plan on joining the yoke this weekend and will hopefully have the sweater completed by the following weekend.

Mariah progress


Once I have completed Mariah, I will get to start on Good Bias. Check out Katy's blog to see her kick off the knit along. Looking forward to getting that shrug completed as it is warming up here in Roseville. Today was 76.....tomorrow will be 78.

Let's get together

We had our Roseville Knitting Meetup last night. Had lots of fun with the gang. That is where I was able to sit and get a lot of work done on Mariah. What I really enjoy about the knitting groups that I belong to is seeing what other people are knitting. There are two reasons that I enjoy this: 1) it encourages me to try new things and 2) watching other learn new techniques. Last night, Marin had waited to continue on her sock so that I could help her on the gusset. I felt very proud that I was actually able to help her. In helping her, I also learned that if I ever want to teach a class, I better learn the different ways to knit! All in all, these knitting groups have been wonderful for the comraderie. All of the people that attend the meetings have a common passion, and we can talk about that passion all night!

Tonight we have Sacramento Stitch n Bitch. Normally, I attend the guild meeting the first Thursday of the month, but tonight, a news crew is going to be filming our SnB. I really don't want to be on TV (honestly, I don't), but I want to make sure that I am there to show my support for the group. I will be bringing my camera again. Maybe Felted Man will be there again??

Late knit along updates: Sorry no update yesterday on Mariah. I have actually finished the sleeves and I am halfway done with the back. No picture today. I will post a picture when I have finished the back and try to get a close up of the cables.

BTW, if you hadn't looked at the frightening ski masks from last Wednesday, Alison found the patterns. I need to make sure that my son doesn't find this out. He wants one???

Beads and a NEW LYS

Saturday I took a Beaded knitting class. The class was sponsored by Camellia City Stockinettes (local guild) and taught by Kaedean. If you check out her blog, she has a picture of what the project will look like when completed. The class taught several different ways to add beads to your knitting. Kaedean had everything set up for us (with the help of several other people), including stringing 592 beads on our little balls of yarn for us. Tori attended the class and completed part of the project. I think that it was a little over her head as it was the first time working with size 3 needles.

Beaded Knitting Class


I didn't finish this as I had to leave a few minutes early since a friend of ours (Pieter) was having a surprise birthday party for his wife (the big 30).

Coming up.... Beaded Stitch Markers

After the party, Tori and I headed over to Michael's to pick up supplies to make beaded stitch markers. I have love working on lace and cables and never seem to have enough of these. I also have been seeing so many people making these, I thought that I should try to make some too. I will just have to wait until Tori gets homework done!

New LYS


There is a new LYS here in the Sacramento area, Babetta's Yarn and Gifts. They have only been opened for a month and I just heard about them last week. So, I decided to drop by there on the way home to see what they carry. I was pleasantly surprised! They have a nice selection for only being open for one month. Also, they were very nice and helpful. As you can see from the picture above they carry Southwest Trading Company products and Cherry Tree Hill. I haven't seen these at Filati, only online. Their prices were also reasonable. Made me very happy. I will be visiting there again.

I actually bought the Bamboo for a project! Quite shocking! I want to make "A Good Bias" shrug from IK Spring 2005. There is even a knit along for it! I have let the host know that I want to join. I am just waiting to hear from her. How exciting!

Stitch n Bitch

Felted Man?!?


Have you ever seen a felted man??? This was a first for me. One of the group was making him. He is completely needle felted. Here is a shot of his pants in the making:

Making Pants


I think he should be the official mascot of our group. What do you think??

We also had some new group members. Caitlyn from Knitter's Review Forums joined us. It was so much fun meeting her. Her Klaralund is soooo beautiful. I love the colors that she chose and cannot wait to see the finished project. Unfortunately, I took out my camera after she left. So no pictures this time. Hopefully she will show up next week since one of our local news stations will be attending our meeting :) They are doing a piece on knitting groups and Marin was asked if she would like to be part of it. If you are interested in finding out more about the Sacramento Stitch n Bitch group, Marin has started a Yahoo! group. Click here.

We also had another new member. A Man! (gasp!) Marin had mentioned that he may show up and he did! This is Ed!

New Group Member


I love that some guys are starting to see knitting as not just for the girls. Besides, if you are a single guy, what better way for you to meet women than to hang out with a group of them??? Best part is, you would be the only single guy and you can talk their language! What more could a guy want? Also, some of the best knitters that I have seen have been men.

I have spent a lot of time reading blogs lately. I have found one of my favorite reads to be The Casting On Couch. Not only can Rebecca knit, she is hilarious with her stories and pictures. This blog is definitely a must read.

Off to bed. I have a bead knitting class tomorrow given by Kaedean. I get to learn all kinds of bead knitting techniques.

Knitalong Updates

So I said that I was going to update my progress on Knitalongs on Tuesdays. Well, that may not work. Tuesdays are Tori's gymnastics days. This would mean I would be out of the house for about 2hrs. I usually stay at her gymnastics practice and knit. As soon as we get home, my favorite show, Gilmore Girls, comes on and I need to watch that! So, more knitting. By the time my show is over, it is time to go to bed. I have to get up early the next day, so no time to blog. I believe that I will have to have my Knitalong updates on Wednesday, so here goes:

I have finally finished my socks (I was obsessed) and have started working on Mariah. I have gotten about 16" done on the sleeves with only 3" more to go. Here are the sleeves so far:

Mariah

I really like this pattern. The cables stand out nicely even in this dark color. I was a little worried that the cables wouldn't be noticeable, but they do stand out nicely. My DH and DS have even commented that they like this pattern and that they would like cabled sweaters for themselves. Well, since they are not small by any stretch of the imagination, I have the feeling that they will be getting cabled socks instead!

Speaking of projects for my DS, I am currently working on a serape for him. This would be part of the Poncho Along. Since DS decided he loved to wear my poncho while playing video games, I thought that it would be a good idea that he have something of his own. He didn't care if it was a poncho, I thought I should make something more 'manly.' He will also be able to use this as a lap blanket when he is not wearing it. I got the pattern from The Purl Stitch by Sally Melville. Here is my progress so far:

Serape!


(The striping will actually be vertical.)

I had to make this extra long since he is so tall. The pattern is very simple and knitted on big needles. I am using two strands of Plymouth Encore on size 13s. After knitting on mostly socks and shawls recently, those needles feel ginormous! It is knitting up pretty quickly when I actually spend time on it. Just gets boring since it is plain ole stockinette.

As for THING, I really have abandoned it. It sits in my basket next to my desk looking lonely. Wondering if I will actually pick it up and work on it, not just ignore it. I think that if I work on just a little bit every couple of days, it will be done really soon.

Here is something for all you single gals out there.

What Happened to Yesterday's Post??

Sorry! No computer time yesterday as I had a daughter with a science project. She was trying to be on top of things and get everything done a day early. Of course, she did have a three-day weekend in which she tried to spend most of her time in front of the TV! So, I will update the progress of Mariah, THING, Shoalwater Shawl and DS Serape when I get home tonight.

In the meantime, check out Elann's new shipment of Peruvian Collection Baby Silk. Yes, I have some of this in stash at home. No, I can't buy anything since I am on a yarn diet and have baskets upon baskets of stash (even more hidden throughout the house!) I have promised DH that I would limit myself since he has left the corporate world and started a business. Maybe I should join Stashbusters??

We Have Socks!

His and Hers Socks


Excuse the mess behind the Socks!! Only place I could get my husband to pose for a picture of his new socks was in his office. I made his sock in a 2x2 rib pattern using Kroy sock yarn in Flax on size 2 DPNs. I didn't really follow a pattern for these. I just figured my gauge (no, I didn't swatch), did the math, and cast on. Once I got the basic sock thing down, it was pretty easy. For my socks, I used the Waving Lace pattern from IK Spring 2004. I used the Sock it to Me from Elann knit with size 1 DPNs. DH wants another 2 pairs for his birthday at the end of next month. I better get going, he has big feet!

Since tomorrow is Tuesday, I will follow in Alison's footsteps and post about the progress of the knitalongs I have joined. Until then, it is late and I am tired.

I Was RAOK'D!

Have to add this quick post. See my new header and button?? Amy made it for me. Sent me an email yesterday and then showed me how to add it correctly. I thought it was a wonderful gift as I was thinking of doing something like that, but really wasn't sure what I wanted. This is perfect!!

Not much time to post today. I need to send out my gift to my secret pal (finally decided what to send) and some RAOKs that have been sitting on my desk forever. Then it is off to the Naked Lounge for Stitch-n-Bitch. If any of you Sac Area people are reading this, feel free to join us for some Java and knitting!!

More Fun Stuff

Presents!!
My Secret Pal sent me a beautiful card and a really cute stitch marker. I was really surprised to see this in the mail. Thank you Super Duper Secret Pal! I love stitch markers!

Stitch Markers from Allena
I never showed the stitch markers that Allena gave me. Now I have a variety of purdy ones, not just the plain plastic.

Shoalwater Shawl
I have been doing some knitting, not just shopping. This is what I have completed of my Shoalwater Shawl. I am hoping to get this completed by the middle of March. That way I will have this completed by the time that the next shawl kit comes in from Joslyn's.

Lace Socks
And last but not least, here are the socks that I started on my way to Stitches. Can't wait to wear these!

I've also been tagged by Caitlyn, so here goes:
1. How much space is left on your Tivo or Comcast Box? We don't own these, but we do have the capability of recording TV on our computer.

2. Have you ever bought a DVD of TV Series and if so, which one? Nope, haven't done this either.

3. What was the last TV show that you watched before reading this message? That's easy. Medium on NBC.

4. List five shows you won't miss? That's easy, I hate reality shows so any of them can go.

5. Name 3 people to whom you will pass this stick. Amy, Allena, and Jen.

That's all for today. Whew! Two long posts in two days???

Edit 2/21/05
Apparently I didn't understand question 4......shows I wouldn't miss as in shows I love to watch. Well, I am a huge Gilmore Girls fan, I have gotten hooked into Stargate and Stargate Atlantis (thanks to my husband) and I like that new show Medium. Those are the only shows that I will actually watch on a regular basis. The only one that I never miss is Gilmore Girls!

Stitches West (Warning- this is long!)

On Our Way to Stitches West!

Don't these ladies look wide awake?? Sarah and the famous hat are on the left, Christina is on the right.

We took Amtrack to Santa Clara. I had to catch the bus in Roseville at 6:45am. This would get me to Sacramento at 7:20am to catch the 7:40am train to Santa Clara. Whew! That was early. Fortunately, I hit Starbuck's on the way out. Amtrack had a special for Stitches, a 10% discount. For those people (including us) that went on Saturday to hit the market, Amtrack set aside a car just for knitters, had gift bags with yarn and Starbuck's gift cards and door prizes. Definitely the way to go! We got to Santa Clara around 10:25am and headed straight to the Market.

The Market is huge. That's my only word to describe it. Lots of people, lots of vendors, yarn and accessories everywhere. Some vendors were having sales. I picked up lots of Wildefoot sock yarn from one vendor. Also picked up some Manos from another. As you can see below, when yarn is on sale, knitters will come.

Manos on SALE!
I was able to find some Mountain Colors Bearfoote too. I am really into sock yarn right now. I know that I am suppose to be on a yarn diet, but I have been purchasing some here and there. Hi, I'm Violet and I'm a yarnaholic.

Brooks Farm
Many of the vendors are specialty vendors. Above is a picture of some of the hand-painted yarns from Brooks Farm Yarn. We were able to pick up hand-painted, 100% kid mohair (Each of us bought some!) from Brooks. Absolutely beautiful. The picture above is a sample of what they offered. I would recommend looking at their website. Great prices and gorgeous yarns.

Sarah and Her Famous Hat

She Sarah's hat? Sarah's hat is famous....at least at the Market it was famous. The hat pattern is from Stitch-n-Bitch and looks absolutely great on Sarah. The hat is great as I was able to easily spot her if I wandered off from the group (also helps that she is 5'8" and I am 5'2"). The hat also had quite a following. Knitters were constantly asking her about the hat: Where did you get that pattern? Where did you find the sequins? Is it hard to make? What kind of yarn did you use? She was quite good natured about it. It also came in handy when I met Nathania! I told her to look for the girl with the shiny hat!

Still Here?
From left to right: Christy, Sarah, and Marin.

At about 3pm, we were completely beat. I was at the point of not being able to focus my eyes. We decided to take a break, rest our feet, and figure out what we wanted to do before we had to catch the train home. So, we made one last round and hit the places that we felt we should see again.

Marin and Her Bounty!
We finally got back to the train and headed home. We tried to knit, but were so tired by the time we on the train. So instead, we decided to look at all of the wonderful yarn we bought. Marin is pictured above. Marin is the organizer for the Stitch-n-Bitch Sacramento group.

Look at What I Got!
Here is my wonderful yarn. Lots of sock yarn (all the Wildfoote) and some fun hand painted yarn. Took me all of Sunday to recover from the trip. Would I do it again? Definitely. Next year, I am taking time off and taking some classes!

Been so busy...haven't had time to post

The past few days have been so busy.....Tuesday is Tori's gymnastics day, Wednesday was Rocklin Meetup, and tonight is Sacramento Stitch n Bitch. Whew! And this Saturday is Stitches West! All of this leaves very little time for blogging. This Sunday will be blogging day. I will post pictures of Stitches and of my purchases.....Yes, I will try to control myself.

Day Late......

So much for posting yesterday. Got home from work and forgot that we were going out to dinner with our friends Doug and Kathy. Doug had decided that he was going to try sushi for the first time so we went to Mikuni's, a really delicious and fun sushi/Japanese restaurant. If you are ever in the Sacramento area, and you love sushi, this is the place to go.

While I was sick, I was able to finish my Sockapalooza socks.

Sockapalooza Socks are Done


So, what do you think? I hope that my sock pal likes them....I do. I also worry about fit. They fit me, they fit my daughter.....worry worry worry. I am going to wash them tonight so they are nice and clean. I also think I will add a surprise in the package for my sock pal. Any suggestions?

Finished Shawl


I also finished this shawl last night. I decided to go much longer than the pattern stated. It is about 68" long and the pattern only called for 52". I wanted to be able to wrap this around me since the guys at work love to keep the office cold. The changes with the colors in the yarn really bothered me at first. You can really tell when the colors changed or when I changed skeins. Oh well, it is really soft and warm so I love it anyway.

I have just barely started Mariah. I hope to work on that this weekend along with Drift for my daughter and my THING. I really have been ignoring my THING. It just keeps staring at me from my basket saying, "I'm still here! You can't ignore me!" I can't figure out why I keep avoiding it. I learned so much when I first started it....but now, I really don't want to continue. Is it because it is arcrylic (ew)? Is it because I am working on other fun projects? Hmm.......maybe I can work on it International Pajama Day????