Tuesday, September 30, 2008

New Socks

I finished the handspun socks on Friday. I love them.

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Also recorded episode 6 yesterday (been uploaded to thehighfiberdiet.mypodcast.com) and sent off my donation skein for the SAM6 blog group. Yay!

Also I found out this about me:
Who knew?














You are most like:


You are Purple


You are vibrant and strong, and often associated with royalty. Your power may cause other a little discomfort at time, but only because they are weaker than you.


 

Take this quiz: Which Crayola Box of 8 Color Are You?




You are most like:


You are Purple

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Friday, September 26, 2008

And so is Labatt's and Mike Myers




You Are Canada



You are a very tolerant person. You appreciate diversity and consider yourself a multiculturalist.

You are also very community oriented. You think it's important to help those around you have a better life.



You're uniquely you. You have been able to resist bad influences and stay true to yourself.

You are usually confident in who you are, but occasionally you have a little inferiority complex.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

The Faint Strains of Taps on the Kazoo

Hey remember that handspun sweater that I started? Well turns out here's a story there.

Ok, so it started with the back. It's a flared hem, so I had to start out with 206 stitches. It narrows itself down over the first 66 rows to a bit over 100 stitches across. Anyhoo, I was knitting it on straights which I know are not that popular, but I still like'em. Well You have to kind of bunch up the back of a sweater on a straight because it's shorter than the width of the knitting right? No biggie!

Soooooooooooooooooo, after I got to 99 rows, I thought to myself, "Hmm, this does seem a bit wide even for my fluffy butt." so I went into my closet and measured the back of a cardigan that fits me pretty well. The back was 23 inches. Then I tried to spread out and measure the back I was knitting. After a bit of a try, I thought "Oh SSHHHHHIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!", so just to be sure I took the knitting off the needle and onto some waste yarn.

Welp, turns out that the knitting was EIGHT INCHES too wide, just on the back! Now the cardigan I measure fits with some positive ease already, so DUDE!!! This cardigan was going to have upwards of prolly 20 inches of extra fabric on it! Can you say SWIMMING???????

So, without trying to figure out if I could fix it, or what could I do, I frogged ruthlessly! Then I swatched. It's so crazy too because I am a swatcher normally, but probably 80% of the time, my gauge comes out first time, so I didnt swatch. Big mistake - HUGE! So I can't even believe this myself, but when i went ahead and swatched I had to go down three needles sizes. I've never had that before. i know I've gotten to be a pretty loose knitter but holy crap! Here's a photo of my sweater in progress.
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Once I figured out what size needles I need, i realized I didn't actually OWN them. I have size 2s, but only dpns, so i went to Knitpicks and ordered me some nickel plated ones. I know everybody is crazy about the options, but I knit so much faster with those nice smooth nickel plated babies!

So in the absence of a sweater to continue on, I started a sock with some of my handspun. It's just a boring old waffle pattern. Fits my foot just perfectly and I've just gotten three rows up the leg.
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I've decided to do some serious dyeing over the weekend, so better come back and see ;)

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Why Am I suddenly CleverTitleless?

Seriously it's so weird. I can't think of anything even minorly clever :S.

Recently I signed up for a Charity Project that all started on Stitch It podcast. The project works like this: each blankie goes with the needles on a journey. Every knitter works four inches in a pattern with their own yarn ending and beginning with a few rows in garter stitch and three or four stitches on each edge. I got my first blanket yesterday and did my four inches. Then I did the bind off and I'm done! What a wonderful way to help out a good cause bit by bit without a ginormous time commitment.
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The theme was "Tickled Pink". I will be starting the blankie with the theme "Winter Wonderland this weekend so come back to see that soon!

The lace is just a big noodley, lacy mess as usual. Here's a quick pick of Secret of the Stole III.

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I guess you just have to trust me when I say it's gonna be really pretty.

The podcast listeners voted for me to spin up my last four ounces of BFL. Say hello to the new laceweight in town! (Ok not quite all here yet, but I am spinning on it)
picnikfile_YoUFdG

This stuff just spins up beautifully. Now i hold my breath until I can afford a big box of three lbs from Coppermoose.com (dangit!)

And . . . . Drumroll please!

I have finally cast on for my very first hand spun SWEATER!!!
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I'm really hoping it will even out a bit with blocking. It's just kinda bunchy and all that right now. Keep your fingers crossed!

I bet you're wondering why SO MANY updates all at once!? Well I am behind and busy and tired lately. I'm sure I will get more normal on my posting schedule as things settle down. See ya'll later!

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Yo Ho Ho

So I'm frequently late. Yesterday was National Talk Like a Pirate Day, so I took the quiz! I love my pirate name. It's so appropriate!



My pirate name is:


Black Charity Read



Like anyone confronted with the harshness of robbery on the high seas, you can be pessimistic at times. Even through many pirates have a reputation for not being the brightest souls on earth, you defy the sterotypes. You've got taste and education. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Oooooo My mom will be so proud.

Your result for The Commonly Confused Words Test...

English Genius


You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go!


Thank you so much for taking my test. I hope you enjoyed it!



For the complete Answer Key, visit my blog: http://shortredhead78.blogspot.com/.

Take The Commonly Confused Words Test at HelloQuizzy

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Insert Clever Title Here

I got lots of stuff going!

One Limonape sock down, one to go (has been cast on even)
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Finished Clue 2 of MS4. It is in doubled, cobweb weight natural silk with gold beads
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(the beads are really only visible if you go to the flickr account and look at the photo in all its bigness). I do like this pattern but the slowness of so many beads was discouraging.

More than halfway through Clue 5 of SOTSIII. That is the current clue, at least until Friday!

Also, Episode four of the podcast was made available this morning. There will be a vote on the shownotes to help me decide what to spin next. You have three days to vote, but I don't think the ShowNotes are up yet. When you have time, toddle on over and vote, won't you?

I dyed some roving yesterday and plan on dyeing some yarn this evening (you know, while the Chief is at Boy Scouts and number 5 is at his Dad's). I'll be listening to Duma Key and dyeing up some yarn. what could possibly be better?

Come back tomorrow to see the roving I dyed yesterday. It's still too "drowned rat" to show today.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

This just in!

Yesterday, my laptop finally bit the big one. It's been limping along for awhile, but we were always able to restart from the CDs even if it didn't keep going for too long. Can't even do that now! So, the Chief did some research and I picked up a new one yesterday morning. It wasn't in the budget for this month, but at least the money was there to do it.

The bad news is that I lost the nearly edited fourth episode of the podcast. I was almost done, dude!!! And I bet you're thinking, "Well Bams! Why the hell didn't you back it up?" The short answer is: I did. I saved the files on a thumbdrive, and they're there, but the data files (needed to actually PLAY the project aren't there. I will definitely back up again, but next time I'll export the files as an MP3. Then there aren't multiples and frankly I don't know how that happened. It was seriously weird!

Good news: I'm getting close to finishing the first clue of MS4. Which is very pretty and I'm knitting it in cream, silk, cobweb weight (knit double stranded) with gold beads. I may go ahead and dye it later, but we'll just have to see. If I do dye it, I'm thinking navy, but there again, I won't commit myself until I actually plunk it in a dyepot.

Other good news: First Limonape sock is almost done and Clue 3 of SOTSIII is complete. I'll be working on Clue 4 as soon as I complete Clue 1 of MS4. Clear as mud?

Other news neither good nor bad: I may be in over my head with this much lace KAL, but as I've mentioned, it's like crack to me. I never wear any of it, but I always have lace going. (WEIRDO)

Let's see what else. . . I decided to repeat week 3 of the Couch potato to 5K program, but I upped the speed in orer to make it a little more challenging than just a flat out repeat. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to move up to week four, and I think I probably made the right decision.

I'm tired and my house is a wreck! That's not really news though.

Sorry about the episode, everyone. None of you are more disappointed in my doofusness than me. I promise.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Ham it Up Much?

So about a month or so ago, I did my first stranded project. It's a hat modified from We Call Them Pirates. I made it for number 5 (the floats are a little too tight so he may have to get a new one) but anyway he loves fingerless gloves, so I charted a design for them and there ya go!

CIMG0965

Such a goober. Oh and we camped over the weekend! I'll talk about it in Episode 4 (recording today) and I have the laundry caught up. It's only noon on monday and it's done. How many can say that huh?

Edited to give a better view for Zoebert
CIMG0965

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Whole Lotta Shakin Going on

First of all, did I mention that

SCHOOL HAS STARTED!!!????!!!???

Teachers rock. My son has two teachers who jobshare (5th grade) and I'm already planning what I'm going to spin/knit them for holiday gifts. Every time I see them, there's a haloish glow around them. That's how much I love the hell out of teachers right now!

I've been knitting a lot.

Finished Cascade BFFs
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They already went to my mom. See I've bartered for painting. She likes to paint (rooms too) and we have two kids rooms that need it. I will be trading 8 pairs of socks for two painted rooms. People PUHLEASE! You know I got the better end of the deal on that one!

I finished Clue 2 of SOTSII, but have been working on other stuff and haven't started Clue 3 yet. This is knitting up so nicely and quickly for me, that I figure I can finish up clue 3 while camping this weekend.
CIMG0915

You know how I feel about the photos of unblocked lace. Trust me, it's going to be beautiful.

I've also finished the Filatura Di Crosa Ice Queen I knitted for my middle sister.
ice queen
If you click on it and view the large size on flickr. You'll see the wee little sparkling beads.

See? Super busy! Oh and I am working on a pair of gloves for number 5 to go with the Modified We Call Them Pirates. I used a fingerless glove pattern by J. Campbell which I love and have made a bajillion times and charted myself up a pattern modified from the hat for the back of the glove. Done and done!

Photos coming soon. Only one glove is done and I hate all those damn ends to weave in, but the kid seemed to love them, so that makes it worth it!