Fly by...

No time for pics as I went to bed at 10 and overslept. Only worked on Butterfly this week anyway. Maybe I will update with some pics tonight, but who knows, I still have to drive home from VA today.

Jester

My awesome secret pal sent some roving to me over the summer. I had it spun up in July and finished the last of it in October, but I just got around to plying it on Saturday.

Approx 200 yards (a little overspun in a couple places)

14 WPI

JP Kopek roving blend of several wools (the tag is downstairs and really we are lucky I still have it at the point) in the Jester Colorway.

This is not something I would have picked up for myself, but I LOVE the way the colors spun! I am more of a pink/purple girl, so the oranges and blues were just fun to work with!

The colors just POP!

And you should never underestimate the power of knitters to get things done.

Yesterday I stained my niddy noddy. There wasn't anything really to put it on to dry, so Cristi rigged this - 2 ziploc containers taped together. The bottom one is filled with rice to that dowels will sit in them and hold up the pieces while they dry.

Episode 16: SAFF and much much more

Announcements
If you happen to know something about hosting sites, lemme know. pretty please. I am looking at moving both the blog and the podcast to new hosts.

FO
Everlasting Bagstopper from Knitty.com in Organic Cotton and Recycled Soda Bottle Yarn from Little Barn.
Mystery Stole 3 - Swan Lake
December Lights Tam - IK Holiday 2007

WIP
Elizabeth Bennet Cabled Cardigan from Fitted Knits: 25 Designs for the Fashionable Knitter
Butterfly from Noro Knits in Noro Silk Garden Light
2 pairs of socks
Cardie for the niece from Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2007

Yarns
Noro Silk Garden Light in colorway 2032
Debbie Bliss Baby cashmerino in a lot of colors for the tam!
Spritely Goods Roving from Cristi

Sock Happiness!
Thanks to my wonderful TurtleDaddy Sock blockers Tattoo Boyfriend's birthday socks fit PERFECTLY even though I had no feet to measure against!!

Cool Stuff
Tsock Tube from Tsock Tsarina
Snarky Design Yarns!!! from KateyJ

SAFF
Interviews with May and Tina of Spinners Ridge!
Next year Charlene Schurch is booked.

Congrats to the Homespun Helpers group for hitting the 3000 crafted items to charity goal! GREAT JOB! Next year we hope to do 4000 items!

Book Reviews




Oh...Noro has a sock yarn coming out. You can grab it at Charlotte Yarn or online at Knitch once it is available.

HOT HOT HOT

When I was in Orlando in October, Mom bought birthday yarn for me. Since the birthday wasn't until last weekend, I waited to show it off.

Dream in Color Smooshy

The Colorway is Lipstick Lava

Bought at Sip and Knit in Maitland, Fl, where I took Mom for a yarny visit.

Look at that color! It is a vibrant red with little bits of purple.

GORGEOUS!!!

Pretty lights!

Cristi and I had a little KAL for the December Lights Tam!

See our pretty tams!

We have pretty pretty tams!

Look at those floats!

My only regret about this project is that I don't think I picked the colors wisely enough. I love the colors, but I think the pale pink and pale purple together loose the shape of the design a little. Though I love the way the brown pops against the green.

Obligatory stitch shot!

Pattern: December Lights Tam, Holiday 2007, IK
Yarn: Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino - 8 colors. yes, 8.
Needles: Addi Turbos size 3 and Yarn Pirate size 2 - both circs. I magic looped the hat as it decreased.
Gauge: 24 st = 4in (called for was 26 = 4in). Now that gauge is in the blocked top section, there is a portion between that and the ribbing that is 28/4 inches - so it varies. Who cares, it works and it is cute!
Started: Saturday, Nov 17
Finished: Friday, Nov 23
Mods: Oh - and there was a little issue with the number of stitches you end with at the end of the damn chart. There was a LOT of cussing and searching on the interwebs and NO ONE mentioned it anywhere. Cristi was sure I was crazy, though I SWEAR I was not crazy. To get to 5 I S1, K2tog, PSSO, k1 and repeated around somehow - I wanted to make sure the decrease lines stayed all nice and neat and happy. And they did!
Notes: I have a TON of yarn left. This was a quick knit and I really enjoyed it! The fair isle was really fun! This is my first fair isle project since I took that class with Jane Prater at Charlotte Yarn alllll those months ago!

We're so cool.

Oops! I fell down! Hard!

Well, very little has been done on the Elizabeth Bennett Cabled Cardigan, but we have a second button band!

Why? Well, I started a new sock for my mom. Here's a toe in the Rio de la Plata I featured on Friday. And that is as far as I got Friday night.

On Saturday I started a cardie for my niece for Christmas.That didn't last long. I can't remember anything about the yarn or the pattern at the moment.

Because it is Norovember and I bought enough to make the Butterfly.

Silk Garden Light in 2032. Look - I finished the back and I CO the right front! Seriously. Noro heals! I am in total love with this colorway!!! I am so glad I broke on Saturday and spent a LOT of money on 11 balls of this stuff!

Look at those stripes and that color!!! How could I resist???

Itty-Bitty-Booty Stash Sale

See this face??

No. Not Travis. The cutie ON Travis. Bitty.

Bitty belongs to one of my favorite people EVER, Alyson and her HILF, Travis. (OK - not really, I am not that kind of girl, but May said it at SAFF and it made us all laugh our asses off! and then Cristi tried to steal him)

Bitty has a little problem and needed surgery today. So, Alyson is de-stashing to help offset the cost. Seriously. Go now! Cause she has some cool ass stuff AND Bitty needed surgery!

Bitty is recovering well at the moment, but her minions are a little worried about how they are going to get her out of hock AND still feed her and Brodie.

Food, Fiber, Friends and Fun!

I have to admit that I didn't get as much spinning done over the 4 day weekend as I had hoped.

But with good reason. It was a busy busy weekend! Thursday was Thanksgiving!

Dinner for one can still be yummy!

Friday we had craft night.

I can haz mai tailz!

Saturday I went to Cristi's after a fun day at the yarn shop. She gave me the best birthday prezzie!!

4 oz. of hand-dyed Merino wool from Spritely Goods!

Colorway is Mazantia!

I can't wait to spin this up. It bumps up to next on the list!

Sunday Rachel (blogless! boohiss!) hosted a holiday card making party. I took knitting of course as I have no ability in the paper crafting.

mmmm...yummy goodies and good friends!

So lots of friends and food and fun this weekend. A LOT of knitting (ummm...I cast on SEVERAL projects this weekend and finished one - look for it soon) and some new fiber to play with!!!

preeeeety!

Christmas comes early

Sort of.

While I was in Orlando, mom picked out this yarn for a pair of socks for Christmas.

This is Rio de la Plata - and I would tell you the colorway name, but a) it doesn't have one just a list of the colors used in it and b) it is downstairs and I am too lazy to go down there, get the list of colors and come back up.

So more pretty pics of the yarn.

It's a really good thing I love her since winding this hank was the biggest pain in the ass EVER.

Not sure what they will be yet, but I should know by the end of the weekend...

Oh - and it is incredibly soft.

Thankful

In honor of the American Thanksgiving holiday, I am thankful today for the Earth we live on. (cheesy, yes, shut up!)

The Guilt-Free Shopping Bag! Take it along and use a little less in the plastic bag and paper bag department.

Yes, these can both be recycled, but the reality is, recycling these cause a lot of toxic chemicals, so I am trying to keep that down.

Now, I will still need plastic bags for kitty litter, so this won't replace all bags, but it will replace a lot. I don't get bags in most places anyway, just the grocery store. So this will replace one or two of those each visit.

Special bonus: It can double as an ice pack holder for those days when you have a wee bit of a hangover!

Pattern: Everlasting Bagstopper from Knitty.com
Yarn: Organic Cotton and Recycled Soda Bottles from Little Barn (purchased at SAFF)
Notions: Chocolate brown ribbon, stringy thing, claspy thing
Cost: Yarn: $1.79, ribbon: free cause Cristi owned it, stringy thing and claspy thing: $1.00 purchased at the Dollar Store in the form of a laundry bag that I ripped it off of. Total: $2.79 (HELL YA!!!)
Modifications: None really. I placed the stringy thing a little lower than a handspan.
Notes: I will make this again. Mostly because it only took one skein and I have 2. someone is getting the gift of a reusable market bag from me! WEEEEE!
Time: Ummm...This was a FAST knit, but I didn't really keep track as I worked on it in between things. I think it was probably less than 4 hours. Really it was 2 nights I think.
Models: May and Cristi last night at knitting group. Thanks, ladies!!!

A special picture for Zonda...that is a bird ornament if you are wondering.

I have gotten a little bit of crap for my special Thanksgiving tradition of Wheat Thins and Diet Coke for dinner. I will have you know that will be lunch today. I am cooking dinner for me. Wanna know what is on the menu? Well...peppercorn crusted pork tenderloin, fresh asparagus with lemon, four cheese risotto, baby greens salad with blue cheese crumbles and pomegranite and blueberry salad dressing and fresh baked wheat dinner rolls. mmmmmm....yummy. And all for me. So yes, I will have lots of left overs for next week.

Yeah, I still have it...

The Cardigan has made some progress. One sleeve and one button band to go.

The sekrit sock?

Well, it got frogged back to the toe.

And the December Lights Tam which I started on Saturday - its coming along nicely.

Cozy

When mom came to visit this summer she asked if I would make her something to hold her cell phone. Then before I could, she left.

Mom's phone fits in this sideways - so it is a little different

I mean, she left within an hour of asking for it, I didn't even Cast on. I didn't even think about it.

Anyway, she got one for her birthday...I delivered it when I was in Orlando in October, and yes, I realize that was a month ago.

I put in purl turning rows so that it holds its boxy shape nicely.

Pattern: from my head (I didn't want to felt anything and I didn't have time - I also didn't want plain SS)
start time: a Sunday evening
finished: Same night
yarn: Yarn Pirate Superwash BFL in Calamity
yards: like 10