HELL to the YES!

I HAVE FINISHED KNITTING THE HARRY POTTER SCARVES.

I mean, like just a few minutes ago. Audible sigh of relief here. Now I just have to put the tassles on the last two scarves and the project will be completely finished.

I am going to reward myself and knit on the Rose wrist warmers tonight. I started them at the yarn store on Saturday. This is my first real dealings with a pattern chart...me no like chart, but I definitely like the Berroco Comfort DK I am using to make the project. Fabulous yarn and so soft! I have done one round of the pattern and it looks really nice. Reading the chart and making sure I am on the right row and stitch is a challenge, but I have the time.

I have also started taking commissions to make knitted Daleks for people on the Doctor Who related Outpost Gallifrey website. I have two "orders" right now. Not too bad. I can not sell the Daleks for profit, as the Dalek pattern is not mine and that isn't jiggy in the knitting world. But as long as people can cover the yarn and postage, they can have their own yarn Dalek. That gives me more projects!

In finishing, I just wanted to thank the ladies I knit with once again. Since my last post, a number of you have donated more yarn to me...THANK YOU. All this yarn is absolutely beautiful and I think my stash has now been doubled! No joke. My mind is swimming with the possibilities.

Yarn Gifties

Friends are cool...have I said this before? Knitting friends are even COOLER!

I just wanted to thank the ladies I have been knitting with. You all have been so incredible at a time when I have needed it. I am going through such a hard time in my life right now, losing my job and working on a career change. You have been there with your support and advice.

There have been times when I have been so down during the week and just getting it together and going to a knitting meet-up has made me feel better.

I give myself a hard time about accepting help from others. Not only do I usually consider myself unworthy of such efforts, but I end up wondering if my "need" isn't really "greed".

I think most you who know me, know that I haven't been purchasing a whole lot of yarn lately...I mean, let's be real here...it's bills and food or yarn...uh, no competition. On this unhappy yarn diet, I just want to say how lucky I am to have you all in my life. I have had a couple of the ladies I knit with give me yarn leftovers and skeins of things they have decided not to use.

I tell you all, it chokes me up just thinking about it. That you all would think of me in my time of "yarn need" touches my soul. We all know how exciting it is to get new yarn and think of new projects to do. You all have helped me to be able to do that even when I can't buy my own yarn...you ROCK!

I know, yarn seems like a small thing in life, especially at a time like this when I need to focus on my job hunt. But knitting really is a big part of my life and helps me relieve my anxiety and feel productive. Knitting helps my mental health, ya know what I mean?

Between my existing stash and my yarn gifties, I feel like I have enough fun and varied projects that will keep me busy until that career change takes place. I can't wait until I am settled in and I am able to pay back everyone's generosity.

Thank you all...group hug!

I just can't stop myself!

Before you gasp in horror or disbelief...I am, in fact, going to do MORE Doctor Who related kniting. I know...shut up...it makes me happy.

AFTER I FINISH the Harry Potter scarves (40% left to do on the last scarf and I am DONE) I am ready to begin knitting Rose's Wrist Warmers , because you know EVERY woman who lives in Southern California needs wrist warmers. Yeah, I may wear sandals year round, but I'll find an excuse to wear these wrist warmers. They appeared on the Doctor's companion, Rose, in her now-not-so-final episode. I have to admit, they actually distracted me from the rather tearful and sweet final scene. I mean, you KNOW you knit too much when you are trying to figure out the knitwear a character is wearing, rather than paying attention to the plot line. I found a picture from the episode on the net where you can see THE wrist warmers



You can kinda see them poking out there...and I left David Tennant in the picture because he is a sexy biotch and he is my eye candy...

Anyway, I will probably be working on them at the same time as the Circle socks, because I have wanted to do these wrist warmers since I first saw the episode in what 2006? They will be MINE...

Then, I found some cheap red acrylic yarn in my craft closet this week while looking for some other needles...now I want to make a red/gold/black Dalek like this, from one of the Doctor Who movies:



That way my white dalek will have a "friend"...OK...so I just want to knit another one...they are so evil, they are SO cute! You know you want one, you just don't have the guts to ask me to make YOU one!

Wash and wear!

So last Saturday at the San Diego Wildfire Blanket square joining meeting, I wore my finished Jaywalker socks for the first time. WOW is all I can say. I mean, I have heard people make over homemade socks before, but I thought, really, can they be ALL THAT?

The answer is YES...those socks ROCKED, they felt so good and soft...NICE. Now these are the first socks I have knitted, I have been making these winter socks you wear around the house out of Cascade 200, but none out of nice sock yarn.

I can't wait to finish more socks! I am down to the toe shaping on the first of my circle socks, but all other knitting has been put aside to finish the mind numbing Harry Potter scarves. I have 8 more rows to knit on the second Ravenclaw scarf and I will be done (except for putting the tassles on). I can get back onto the re-worked Hufflepuff scarf...I have about 80% more to do. I WILL finish!

Anyway, I washed my Jaywalker socks in the laundry today, as they are superwash wool, I am supposed to be able to wash them in the machine. So with a fearful heart, I put them in the machine with my other bright colors, closed the lid and said my goodbyes. But they came out of the wash fantastic. I didn't want to press my luck with the dryer, I couldn't remember if they could take the dryer...so they are drip drying right now...and I swear they are even softer!

Avoidance

I have been avoiding my knitting lately...I think we all know why...because I WANT to work on my socks, but I HAVE to work on the scarves. I have worked on the scarves some, that's good, right?

I decided yesterday to get down and dirty and knit some scarf while watching Doctor Who and Footballer's Wives. I ended up sitting there and watching the shows like a zombie instead of watching AND knitting. By the time I went to bed last night, I think I sprained my Who watching muscle...I really over did the Who yesterday.

Today I am DETERMINED...I have no band practice tonight and absolutely NO excuse not knit. It is already noon and I have been up since 9 and I have not knit yet. There it is, the scarf, sitting on my end table in the basket that holds my remotes...looking at me.

I bet, if I start knitting on it after lunch, I can have this second Ravenclaw scarf done by the time I go to bed tonight if I just jump on it.

This is when I wish I had a knitting machine...

Circle Socks

Here is my in progress picture of my pair of circle socks:



Sadly, you can't really see the circle detail on the leg of the sock in the picture. Maybe if I get a picture of me with the sock on when it is done?

It is moving really fast, which pleases me.

I really want to work on it this afternoon, but I am feeling the pressure of the Harry Potter scarves. All five must be completed by April 8th. I have to admit, I am totally over making them and I wish I didn't have to finish. But I have made a commitment and it is too late now. Three are completely finished, two are halfway done.

OK, I will put down the sock and work on the scarves.

Sock-o-rama

I did it! I finished the Jaywalker socks! HOORAY! They look good and I lurve them...Now I gotta wear them!

I immediately started a new pair of socks. They are called Circle Socks And they are so cute! I am making them out of Bebe Lang Color fingering weight yarn in a bright multi-color variegated colorway.

This is the picture that comes with the pattern:



I have changed the pattern a lot to fit me. I have added a number of pattern repeats and gone up a couple needle sizes. I totally re-wrote everything below the leg of the sock so that I am making the sock with my favorite heel and toe type using the magic loop method. We shall see how it goes.

UGH, Jaywalker curse!

I am having such a hard time finishing my Jaywalker pattern socks. UGH



Operator error on my part, the pattern really is easy. What I don't get is, I am having such a problem with the SECOND sock, usually it is the first one. I have ripped the heel out THREE times...sigh. I really want to finish these socks. I can't wait to wear them. I have tons of sock yarn hold up, along with a number of patterns I am waiting to do, but I refuse to start a second pair when I am still working on these. I do not want second sock syndrome.

I WANT THESE JAYWALKER SOCKS DONE BY THIS WEEKEND...there I said it.

Another FO

OK..so I have been avoiding it...sewing together my Noro silk garden cable purse. I don't think I am the best at sewing, but I really wanted to finish my purse tonight.

I blocked the purse last night, so there was no excuse not to complete it. I try about three different ways to sew the seems and was unsatisfied with the results. It was just very visible and me not like. Finally, I just decided to backstitch the seems. It looks OK. Found some buttons I thought went well with the bag in my sewing box, it is done! It is even, I just didn't lay it out very well for the photo.



I should line it but I am too cheap and too lazy. I will do a test run, maybe tomorrow and see how it is without the liner.

I love the colors they are beautiful and should go with everything!