UM.......

Grey Wicca. you are the grey Wicca,
soiltary,energetic, and shady. you come out at
ducks to worship the godesses and nagels, and
come out at midnight to worship the moon. you
are the helper of the Death Moon Witch. your
song is "3 1/2"(three and a half) by AFI.



Ok I'm done. I'm also going to look up the grey wicca thing. Yeah, I'm a night person. I hide in the daylight. Did you catch the typos? HEHE! "Ducks"


What witch are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

blog filler

Your beauty lies in your soul.

There are so many unlike you in this world. You're
like a very rare diamond. No, diamonds can't
shine as much your soul.

Your motive:

To help others in need and maintain happiness
withen others around you.

Your quote:

If you fall either I fall with you or I'll catch
you pull you back up.

Your colors:

Silver and Gold

Your song:

Wings of a Butterfly - HIM

"Come on and show them your love. Rip out the
wings of a butterfly."

Please rate and message.


Where do You Find Your Beauty?
brought to you by Quizilla

RIT-tastic!

Yesterday after work, I decided to dye a skein of brown sheep bulky. I've been craving rich dark brown colored bulky yarn. I had already dyed this same skein with variagated koolaid colors. I liked the coolaid colors

Mini Market shopping.

I got out and about this weekend. The weather was still too hot at one hundred degrees. I had lunch with a good friend on Friday, then went shopping. I did chores around the house all evening and went to bed early. Saturday morning I went to the downtown market. I bought a skein of beautiful yarn spun by Lisa Takata. She calls it Greenjeans. I don't know what it will be yet, but for now I'm just happy to have it.

I milled around the market talking to different craft vendors, mainly beaders. I can't wait to sell my own stuff. It looks nothing like what they were selling. I don't make lampwork beads or create jewelry with it. It's pretty, but usually too heavy for the stuff I like to make. Natural stones are nice in small beads, but they are expensive. Another seller at the market made novelty pieces. They were very creative. Anyone, would want to wear her stuff or buy it as a gift. She made dangle earrings from an old fashioned weight scale numbers. She snipped the tin in sections that displayed the metric markings. It was too cute.
I left the market and met the Hartley gang at City Market Bakery. We knitted and ate delicious food. I cheated on my diet and bought a large peanut butter cookie. After that we drove to Jessica's Knits to see Illanna and shop for yarn. It was her birthday. I think she had a good a pretty good one, because she walked around the store in a contented daze just smiling.
Sunday morning, I worked like a crazy person. After work I went to Michael's with my forty percent off coupon. I bought a frame for a photo print. Yep, I actually bought a brand new frame. I didn't "acquire" it away from a Goodwill customer or deconstruct a perfectly good framed print. I can't wait to hang it on the wall.

Cattle Drive

On the way home yesterday afternoon, I tried to get on I-10 at 7th st. Traffic was extremely heavy so I kept driving south on 7th st. I wanted to go east toward home, but I couldn't make a left turn. Traffic moved me south. I was able to go east on Washington or Jefferson. I decided to keep going and go to the bead store in Tempe. They moved. I'd forgotten that Beads International moved closer to Mills Mall. I went to another bead store in Scottsdale since I was so far south already. The store is in the shopping center on the west corner of McDowell and Scottsdale RD. It was closed. It was supposed to stay open until 6pm. They closed early. So I went home. I need eye pins and a few beads. I'm working on another bracelet and Jollygreen dangles. I'll try to find Beads International after work today. It will before the traffic rush, so I shouldn't be forced to detour with the flow of traffic.

Jolly Green Dangles

Well, this is my lastest creation. My creations and technique gets better with each project. I think of my earlier work and cringe. I gave a lot of bracelets to family, friends and coworkers as gifts. They probably thought I was being mean. I know they were just too happy while accepting my ugly bracelets. LOL!
I used pailettes, crystal, silver and glass.

Amazing find

I found the pailettes at SAS yesterday. They have a huge variety of sequins. They charge about 25 to 50 cents for a small bag. They also charge my the ounce. I bought as many large hole pailettes as I could find. I am most surprised by the silver trapezoid. I remember looking everywhere for them when I made that dumb granny hat in the SnB book. The buttons are wood and they were 10 cents each. I'm going back for more as soon as I hit the ATM. Cash works best at SAS.
I made these dangle earrings using sterling silver, Thai Silver, glass and crystal. I only had two glass beads. So I can't make another pair. I don't remember where I bought them.

Tears 4 Spheres

Here's another finished Tears 4 Spheres bag. Can you tell Steve's a product of the MTV era or what? Really? This time I casted-on 52sts and added more holes for the drawstring. I'm going to add a handle and carry it as a purse. I learned a few things while making this bag. It opened my mind up to the many ways this pattern formula can be applied to kettle shaped designs. Can you tell it's getting close to Halloween? YAY! "Kettle" Get it? Anyway, I'm frogging the whole Winhara Poncho. I'm going to make my niece a sweater with the yarn. The poncho turned out to be a disaster. Details will be forthcoming in the next post.

Forgive the blurry picture. The auto focus was disabled and I couldn't keep my hand steady. I was going though cheese withdrawal.
Also below is an old picture of me. I can't remember how old I am in this picture. Can you guess? Obviously I was taken by surprise. I recall someone wanted to finish of a roll of film. If that picture was taken today, I could've been a boy with long braids. Let me explain a little more about this picture. The day this was taken, is very important to me. It captured a day I remember being happy. Of course I was happy to be at my grandparents house. I'm sitting at their kitchen table working on puzzles from the kids section of the Saturday paper. I remember it took awhile to get settled, because I had a hard time finding a pencil. Some things never change. I'm wearing a t-shirt my granny brought me from her Vegas vacation. It said,"My grandma went to Vegas and all I................." You know the rest of it. I didn't really like that t-shirt but I am wearing my favorite belt. That belt never needed to be adjusted because by this time, I was growing straight up. I'm wearing new jeans. This was the beginning of my love and appreciation for them. My mom had just started buying them for me. I don't know where the candy cane tube came from. It was nowhere near Christmas. Do you see the voter ID card? I remember being fascinated by it. I've been strangely fascinating with them ever since. So If I ever visit, just leave your voter ID card around and you'll make me instantly happy. To my knowledge "Normal" has never been an adjective used to describe me.

Mini me

Here's my finished Tears 4 Spheres bag. I cast-on 44sts. It's kinda small so I'm making a bigger one using the same yarn. It's easy and fun to knit.

Shout OUT!

I was reading the new issue of "The REP", when I came across an old picture of Illanna, Kim and Brooke knitting at Mama Java's. The caption gives info about SnB and our Yahoo link. Don't be surprised if thrill seekers show up to watch us knit or join us.

What! What?

Why didn't anyone tell me that Knitty reveled its suprise knitters. Congrats Steve on a fantastic presentation. I enjoy reading the Numbers pattern very much. I hope everyone else feels the same way.

Oh HORROR!

Sock Monkey Slippers
I have this thing about sock monkeys. They scare me. I don't know the reason but they freak me out! The red lips and red butt makes me shiver from my head to my elbows. My reaction to viewing these slippers doesn't require a martini. Maybe because it's a knitted garment. What's a phobia of sock monkeys called? Sock monkey phobia?

Nice Karaoke

Saturday, I finished sewing in the lining for my pencil case. It turned out as planned and I'm happy with it. I used Karaoke Yarn and Brown Sheep. I knitted it in the round, closed the bottom with three needle BO and felted it twice. Now I don't have to hunt for a pen when I need it. On the flight from Kansas City to Phoenix, I started experimenting with fair isle. This is my first attempt at it. I'm using the same Karaoke Yarn from my pencil case, Brown Sheep, Cascade and forest green Serendipity. I don't know what it'll be yet, but I'm leaning towards a bag. Some sort of bag. I'm unraveling the white part to add the forest green. I'm just having fun playing with it.

Sidebar

Sidebar reorganization time. This will probably take me two days, at least.

Marble Magnets

I got the marble magnet idea from a coworker who emailed me the link to NotMartha.ORG. I've been making them ever since. I made some of these last year and I just started making more last month. I cut out images from mostly magazines. I recenly bought scrapbooking tags and used a few of them for marble images.The big marbles are about 2in in length and 1 1/2in in width. I'd like to experiment with small acrylic cabochons(last page), but they are expensive every place I look. I use Goop 2000 Craft Glue. You have to wear a mask to filter out the fumes. It dries clear and has a strong bond. The hard part is smoothing out the bubbles, but I've had a lot of practice.
I rarely print images from my computer. I don't like them. The last time I printed pictures, they were for a special custom request. I made a set of Clay Aiken marbles for a fellow crafter. She loved them.
The dangles were created mostly for gifts. I will make them available for purchase as soon as I've enough made. They are made with recycled beads from a thrift store necklace, crystal, glass and silver. I sprayed a thin layer of polyeurythane so they don't have to be cleaned too often. I need to buy more beading supplies to make more earrings. I'm also trying out a list names to call my creations. I've narrowed them down to seven. I am giving the names to my friends for a vote. It's fun to find out what everyone thinks. Most seem to like any name that's part French.

Unfufu

I made these bracelets last night. They are being modeled by Unfufu my new doll. I used a necklace that I bought from a thrift store. I disassembled it and used the lavender, blue and vermilion beads. The silver beads are round spacers. The brown beads are from Ghana. They are made from recycled glass. I like the rough look but I can't understand why they are so expensive. They cost me about $13 a strand. Maybe it's the import fee. I find it interesting that they are made from crushed glass fired in ant mounds.

Ed-Dee!

Update

Well, I'm back on the A.M. shift now. It's killing me. I set the alarm clock for an 0400 wakeup. I don't actually get up until 0445 or something. I know it will take some adjustment. It's better to be at work on the A.M. shift. I'll get to blog and knit more often. Speaking of knitting, I haven't been doing much of it. I've been making other stuff like earrings and toe rings. I am currently working on knitting a dress for my doll. I'll post a pic of her later. I still have two t-shirts to reconstruct and a skirt to sew. Well, back to work for me. Blog ya later!

Hit Me Baby!

Yes Baby! I've finished the cut-out turtle neck sweater. The yarn is Knit Picks Palisades. I can't remember the color, but that doesn't matter. KnitPicks doesn't sell Palisades or any other super bulky yarn anymore. It's a shame. Palisades was a joy to work with. It feels soft against my skin and responds well to three different needles sizes. It'll keep me warm this winter also. I used the pattern from The Leisure Arts Trendy Tops book. I like it and I'm going to make another one, as soon as I finish the edges on this one. [Deja Vu'?]
And yes, I got sheered. My hair is cut way short. *SIGH*

This is Leigh. He's been getting a lot of my attention lately. I can't blame myself. I like him, but not only because he respects me as a knitter. What more can a girl ask for? Plenty, but he has other admirable qualities too. He's wearing a beanie I made for him. He likes it a lot. I used Lorna's laces Shepard Bulky in Cami print #708. It's the softest beanie that I've ever constructed. Too bad Lorna's is so expensive. Here is another beanie made with Lamb's Pride Superwash Bulky. It's a prototype of my own design. I will publish the pattern for free as soon as I make a few changes.

I just received this in the mail. It's Noro Blossom. It's fabulous darling!

Finally!

My Knitdiva halter is done. Surprise! Kiki and Illanna, I love your halters. I hope you like mine too. I used Berroco Quest in white. It only took three balls. The pattern came from The Leisure Arts Trendy Tops book. I like it and I'm going to make another one, as soon as I finish the edges on this one. I think I should give myself a few more millimeters tho'. Look what the mailman brought me today. It's so soft! I'm going to knit something for my new guy friend and it's not a sweater. He's partial to army green and cami print. I can handle that.

Tah Dah!

Here's the finished rose tote. I felted it twice in my top loader with a pair of jeans. It felted nicely. I would like to felt another bag and use grommets in place of tabs. Maybe leather straps too!

Project Pics

Here are pictures of my current projects. The turtleneck sweater is made from Knitpicks bulky weight 100% wool. I like knitting with it because you don't get a large degree of difference when switching needle sizes. The waistband was done using size 9 needles. My t-shirt was a size too small for me when I bought it. I pulled out my sewing machine and got to work. I added side panels and lace around the collar and armholes. I'm pleased with the results. I'll work on two more t-shirts this weekend. The tote bag is a test knit for SWTC. I'm using their new Karaoke 50% soy silk, 50% wool and worsted weight. It self stripes. They don't have a color card on the website yet. I've managed to get an idea from two other test knitters Allison and Stephanie . I love this stuff. It felts wonderfully. I will post another pic when it's completed.

Temporary Entry

I've been knitting a lot of stuff lately. I temporarily put down the washcloths. I will knit more later. I'm test knitting a felted tote bag. I'm almost finished with it. I am almost done with a sleeveless turtleneck sweater, and I started my halter top with secret yarn. I have two other sweaters still on the needles and another scarf.
Nothing much else going on except work, and it's you know. Work!
I will add several pictures tomorrow. One picture will include my new reconstructed t-shirt. So come back tomorrow and see it.

Dog Gone

Sunday, I made the mistake of leaving my dishcloth pattern on the coffee table. Abby the Terrier got to it and chewed it into tiny unreadable bits! She only half ruined my paper with the row counts. I was able to salvage that. Oh well it was my fault. She got a bedtime treat anyway.
I was able to log onto the Lily website, signup under a free membership and download and copy of the pattern. I finished the dishcloth last night. I'm starting dishcloth number four.

Evocation

I visited LusciousGracious today. I needed an evocation of feeling. I know art is many things but isn't emotion a by-product of art? Maybe like a catalyst. Even if I don't get it, I feel something anyway. It's made by human beings in the act of expression. I am grateful for the artist in my life. I am privileged to know them.






Cross posted

Dishcloth/Washcloth

I got the idea from my knitting partner. In the past, I thought knitting washclothes were a waste of knitting time and talet. I was a snob and I was wrong. They are quick and easy to create. You can use very inexspensive cotton yarn. They make great gifts. Just make a few to provide a fun distraction from your other complicated works in progress. I'll give these washcloths away as gifts. I used a free pattern from LILY's Sugar N' Cream. They have over ninety colors. The patterns are available at the website (with free membership) or on the sleeve.

Lookie Lookie

I visited Illanna's Blog (all links open into a new window) and viewed her new background design. It's really cute. I browsed the designer Explodingdog.com's website and I liked just about everything. I'm adding one of his t-shirt's to my wishlist. I want this one called Thinking. It's cute huh?

My Flowers

I used and modified the flower pattern in the Knit 1 magazine. I used Plymouth Encoure.

My New Button

Target's "Knit This" Knitting Kit Review

Here is Kiki's unedited review.

Ok, so the knit kit was cheesy. I took it back today. I really, really liked the yarn, but there were NO KNITTING NEEDLES. It was a crochet kit. And nowhere, nowhere at all on the box, did it say "Learn to Crochet". And the dvd was ONLY about knitting. There was a little blurb of specific written directions tacked onto the learn-to-knit pamphlet (which was tucked clear down inside the box) for this particular project that basically just said "crochet the belt". How disheartening for someone who really wanted to learn to knit. They have the yarn, and the book, and sit down with the DVD, ready to go, and think "Why is she using TWO sticks? I only have one, and it is funny looking....."
Also, I think that, judging by the host and the models, they are really appealing to small town Minnesota Future Homemakers of America teen girls. Overweight with acne and longing for something to fill the hopechest Daddy made them. I guess that knitting is no longer hip. The host actually wears (I am shuddering just thinking about it) black stonewashed jeans. And her makeup, which is quite thick, is the same color as her face. Like the no-makeup look, with all of the hassle of using quite a lot of product. Same for the nails. Band-aid colored.
I will say that the instructions on the actual DVD were VERY good and thorough. I found myself slipping into a coma, as she repeated everything again and again, and in slow motion. Like Teletubbies. "Tinky Winky, again, again!!!" And the basics were all covered, except for any mention of crochet at all. It was a little bizarre. And you got to see her pale fleshy fingernails from so many angles, to make sure you really learned to knit by watching another person, which is helpful to many, many newcomers to the practice. What else would help? Actual knitting needles.
It would be like buying a "LEARN TO SCULPT" project, being attracted by what you saw on the box, and then getting it home to find that the kit contained the clay, but a paintbrush to use instead of a chisel.
That is my review. Feel free to post it on your blog. And warn others of the singular evil that is "KNIT THIS!" learn-to-knit kits. I am a little sad that Target, my favorite place in the world, would let something like this slip into the store. I think that to make it up to all knitters, but especially to me personally, they should produce and sell their own lines of high-end yarns in luxury fibers and great Target colors at their awesome prices. I would take a huge $10 ball of Japanese handpainted wool or Irish laceweight with a snappy yarn band featuring beautiful jet-setting young people wearing original designs (free on the ball band, of course). And they should carry Addi's at 20% discount. Hey, I am not unreasonable.

I agree with Kiki. I bought the Knit This Wine Cozy Kit. The price is right. It is much less expensive than the overpriced Lion brand scarves and hats kits, which cost around $19.99. Target's Knit This kit starts at $9.99 to $15.99 for a variety of projects like bikinis and belts. I really liked the yarn. My kit came with a set of four, size ten, unfinished bamboo DPN's. I was very disappointed with the condition of the needles. The tips were flushed! Yep, that's right. The tips were not rounded. They were flat, blunted and utterly useless. Who, at Target, came up with this poorly constructed kit? Any person who crosses their heart with knitting needles would not have allowed this kit to be put on shelves as is. Target single handedly created frustrated first time knitters. Now, we fellow Stitch N' Bitchers, have to pick up the pieces, and be the shoulder to cry on for all of the first time knitters, that were led astray by Target. GEES!

After that I need a Martini. Thank goodness I found this tumbler set for one buck a peice. Isn't it cute? Target's .99 cent bin is great! The shot glass is freezeable.
Cheers!

Hum Drum

I got a great surprise yesterday. I got tulips in the mail from my coworker Debra. They came with a spring green vase and a stuffed bunny. I love them. I'll post a picture later. I emailed her a big "thank you" and a promise to knit some fine little baby duds for the new family addition. I get to knit baby stuff for the first time! I briefly entertained the idea of knitting a vest for the bunny. Maybe some other day.
Not much going on here at home. Brenden and I went for coffee then ice cream last night. It felt good getting out of he house. We were like to old ladies when it came to driving over bumps. We both ached and moaned over our recent surgery wounds. LOL! I did some paperwork today and I need to fax it. I was going to drive down to Kinko's, but the car wouldn't start. It looks like a dead battery. GEES! I don't need the car for much these days, in fact I probably shouldn't be driving. So you'd think It could at least get me down the street and back? I called Brenden he will fax my stuff for me and fix my battery later this week. Meanwhile I'll continue knitting my green sweater and my tote bag.

Cross posted

Intervention

Ok, While watching bravo this afternoon, I saw the preview for the show Intervention. And yes this is an entry about knitting. Ok, Intervention is a new reality show. They record the lives of people receiving intervention for things like drug and sex addiction. Heavy HUH! Anyway, not to make light of other peoples serious problems, there's something that been bothering me lately. Finishing my knitting projects in a timely manner. Now, is there an intervention for that sort of problem? I'm actually begging for one.
Self analysis:
Ok granted. I usually put down a project when it becomes a problem. Like I have two scarves in tangles and two sweaters that have hit a very minor snag. But that's all it took for me to put down my green cardigan so close to completion. It was so easy to put it down and pick up something new. Especially since Illanna brought me a new project book for my birthday. She made a cute stripped felted tote of her own design and I want to create one and put it in my new book as the first entry. See, the green cardi can wait. Right?! Oh well. Life's about compromise. So, that's what I'll do. No intervention needed. At least not for sex, drugs or unfinished knitting projects. Yarn buying maybe. UGH! Anyway, tonight I will finish the bottom of the tote bag, then pickup the green sweater and finish the sleeves. That's the plan. I'll tell you how it goes tomorrow.
KIKieeee!! I've been home one day and I'm already going nuts. I want to thank you guys for a wonderful birthday. I tried to get Anthony to try the Nutella. He screwed his face so tight, I thought it would get stuck. It was too funny! MEN! If it ain't steak and potatoes(or Illanna's cookies), they don't want any part of it. LOL! Anyway, I'll meet you poolside as soon as I'm physically able, maybe sooner. **SIGH**
Oh, Illanna, Anthony tore through your cookies like the tasmanian devil. He brought me one and ate two. I kicked him OUT! Can you believe it? He said he couldn't help it, he was listening when I made the comment about real butter. Don't worry, he'll be back. **another SIGH**

Not a cross entry.

Kansas City

I'll have to make this a quick one. I'll go into more detail later. I vistited The Studio yarn store in Kansas City Missouri. It was definatley impressive. I'll be back. This is me outside the store and this is what I bought. Trendsetter Shadow Metal, Diakeito,and Plymouth Yarns Dazzlelash. OK, I needed FLASH! I didn't make it to Knit Wit. It was closed on Monday.
My mom loved her knitting kit. It didn't occur to me to take a picture. Maybe I can ask her for one. Night!

Today is my Friday

I start my vacation today then off to Kansas city tomorrow. My family hasn't started spring break yet, so I'll spend my mornings shopping for yarn. I've already noted the address and directions to the nearest LYSs. Coincidently KnitWit is a few miles from my Mom's place. The Yarn shop and more is also in Kansas, a few more miles from KnitWit. It's about a twenty minute drive. There is also a shop in the city that looks pretty good The Studio. None of these have a coffee shop, so I will get some elsewhere. I hope make the sale today at South West Trading Company. I've never been there before. I added a new button in the margin. Check it out!

Sidebar

OK, I got my sidebar working again. That quiz was 600px wide. What blog or journal can handle that? I also added more buttons and links. I wish I know how to embed blogger into my website. So I have to host my own?

Sundress

I want to knit this sundress. I already have the pattern. Needful yarns pattern book No.200. Now I need get the yarn. Gelato

UGH!

Damn! What happend to my sidebar? It wrapped?

This week

I've been away from my journals lately. I have a lot put down but I haven't. I had Thursday and today off. It's been a long time since I've had two days in a row off from work. It feels great.
I've been working on my logo and spend a lot more time on my PC, Knitting, cleaning, organizing and I haven't had that "do nothing" moment yet. Oh well.
Here we are knitting at BnN on Wednesday. We had too much fun! I asked a guy to take our picture and the camera flash was off. But then the auto focus is disabled as well. I tried to fix it a little bit. I think we all took nice pictures despite the blurriness. I want another camera!

Webpages

I have visited some very interesting knitting webpages today:

The Yarn Lounge (nice site but links are busted on the links page)
Lambspun(bulky club)
Coats and Clark(sweater pattern)
Mag Knits(t-shirt pattern)
Carolina Homespun(warp board 45bucks?)
Knitting Software Inc.(how much for a whole package? not that I'm buying.)
Kaspareks(cool stamps)
Miss Fitt & Co(cute felted hats)

Recycle

I wore my new red cowl neck sweater with sleeves that bell below mid-forearm. I received complements and a question. My admirers asked me if I knitted the sweater. I said no but I could have. It got me thinking. The sweater looks as if the yarn could be recycled without too many breaks in yardage. It was a bargain eight dollars at last chance. They had a ton of them in the same color. I will go back this week and buy another one to recycle. This will be fun, especially since the sweater will be new. Can you imagine, unraveling a perfectly new sweater for the yarn? I can. If this sweater was at the thrift store, used, it would cost upwards of twelve dollars!
I will update this post with a pic later :)

DOH!

I finally switched my cable programming. I dropped the movie tier, (western, romance and true channels) and added the variety channel. I am a lot happier. I get the BET Jazz channel and drums please! The DIY channel, including the show Knitty Gritty! YAY! I was going to tape my first episode today, but I forgot to set the VCR while watching it. DOH!

Amen!

You scored as Lower Class. You're stressed over money and unfortunately you're 'maid' to work hard for little money. The only wealthy people you know are the ones who make you clean their floors. Just like the upper class, the government doesn't listen to you either. Lower Class 67% Upper middle Class 67% Middle Class 63% alternative 54% Luxurious Upper Class 50% What Social Status are you? created with QuizFarm.com

Too Familiar?

Here is a knitting journal entry that I found. LYS Rant. MWAH HA HA!

New Fiber

I just received this in the mail. It was an E-bay purchase 5 bucks a skein. The heather yarn is Barlett and the rest is Cascade 220. I'm going to make a new felted tote bag. I don't know what pattern yet. It will come to me.

Project Runway Crafts?

I watched the last episode of Project Runway last night. It was really good. Jay WON! He was ABFAB! I think the Judges picked him because of his originality. He hired knitters to produce a poncho and scarves. He hand dyed leather and used it to make a quilted coat. I never thought I'd see a quilted garment on a fashion runway in New York. He has a great fondness and respect for quilting. He says that his sister is a quilter. Each ensemble was one shade in the spectrum of a rainbow. All of his models walked the runway in color order. Each outfit reminded me of Kureyon. As if Kureyon was striped in a rainbow, fading in spectrum order. I think Jay waited until the final show to reveal his true capabilities. I will keep an eye on him. I can't wait to see more of his craft inspired designs.
Kara's collection was her usual brilliant self. Her designs were inspired by the determined, driven nature of Howard Hughes. She saw the recent movie about him. I think she lost the competition because Michael Kors thought the metal hardware on her designs resembled Gucci. I was thinking Channel myself. But anyway, you know what they say about the losers of these reality shows. That they often become the most successful. Her designs were more marketable and desireable than Jay's, but his collection seemed most likely to start a new trend.

IKEA

Well,
I went back to IKEA after work yesterday, to buy plants. I left with plants plus! I bought a lamp but got the wrong bulbs, a cutting board, foam bulletin board, metal strips, paper magazine storage boxes, tension curtain wire with clips, fabric swatch, a dish brush and rubber gloves. I wanted a certain desk lamp but it was on way way backorder. I will not return to IKEA until I settle on a color scheme for my living room and dining room. I don't want to return any items that won't match my decor.
Knitting:
Well, I am behind in several projects. I have three unfinished scarves, two unfinished sweaters and one beanie. I want to start a pair of socks. I need more time off work so I can finish my stuff. I also have to finish my braided towel rug for the bathroom. I need to construct my sculpey needle point protectors. And prepare my bedroom furniture for painting. There is a lot more but the task list is already heavy. My moms surprise scarf knit kit is almost complete. I need to write the instructions and buy the correct needle size. I will put it in a nice clear plastic bag. Maybe, a mini backpack like kids carry to school. My mom does everything at the kitchen table like, pay bills, fold laundry and watch TV etc. I know the kit will end up on the kitchen table. I want her to see the unfinished scarf every time she walks into the kitchen. Anyway, I gotta get back to work. I have a trainee shadowing me. **sigh**

Comparison

Last night I tried again using my Kodak. I used the flash and the zoom feature. I wonder which one is better. But they both look pretty good.

New Projects

Here is a pic of Brenden's Muffler. This is the very first scarf that I started. It took forever to finish because I got bored with the double seed stitch, then switched to garter.

Lana Grossa sweater front panel

I spent last evening with the nicest and most fantastic people. We met at BnN Desert Ridge for a SnB meet. I even remembered their names. It's because I wrote them down. Cynthia, KiKi, Steve and Kate with their daughters. HA! There's two more, but I didn't write their names and so I forgot. DOH!
I learned how to take better pictures thanks to Kiki and Steve. Kiki found a book called Ebay Photos That Sell: By Dan Gookin and Robert Birnbach. I thumbed through it at BnN and wanted to take it home immediately. It was too expensive to purchase. So I'm searching for a better price.
Here's a sample of what I learned just by reading those few pages. I could not find enough batteries for my Kodak digital, so I had to use my Fuji. The Fuji disables auto focus when the flash is turned off. For the background I taped a long sheet of white shipping paper in front of a box. I used a daylight simulating bulb as a spotlight. The bulbs are also called full spectrum light. I was using it for my plants. Anyway, it allows you to see the true color of your object. I need lots of practice. This will be too fun. I gotta get batteries today! I'll stop by the store on my way back from IKEA.

Needful Accessories

Friday, my friend Brenden came in from Denver for a weekend visit. He brought Wilma, a friend. After getting them settled into my apartment. We drove through the Biltmore Estates to show Wilma the mansions. Wilma works for Starwood Hotels. She wanted to see as many Starwood resorts as possible. Her company has a regional office at the Phoenician. She wanted to see that too! Then we walked around the shops at the Biltmore. I wore my confetti scarf from the SnB book and received a lot of complements. The Macy's sells clerk could not believe I made it. I love amazing people. I came away from Macy's with a Lesportsac L.A.M.B. bag.

I previously searched the Lesportsac website for a cami print L.A.M.B. bag but everything is sold out. E-bay has them for almost fifty percent more than the retail price. I grabbed a bag then Wilma grabbed another and we beelined to the checkout counter. They were fifty percent off! What a deal! I wanted to buy more to sell on E-Bay but my budget was already busted from buying yarn. The clerk also said that Gwen Stefani may not design for Lesportsac's next collection. She was right. Lesportsac has it's own collection this season called Remix. It's nice. I didn't see any of these at Macy's. Their buyer is slacking off!
Later, Wilma told me that women have scarf parties in Denver. She says the scarves sell for seventy-five dollars! I was shocked. She loved my scarf and wanted one of her own. She refused to give me her address. She wasn't willing to wait for me to make her another scarf. So, she offered to buy my scarf for fifty bucks. I agreed. I don't miss it. I can make more. Fifty bucks buys a lot of Trendsetter eyelash on E-bay.
I want to go to one of these "scarf parties." I need to ask Wilma to find one.
I also finished Brenden's muffler so he could take it back to Denver with him. He loved it! It's bright red. I used Lamb's Pride worsted in red baron. I will have a picture soon.
Last night, I wanted to go to the SnB meet at Coffee Rush, but I didn't feel up to the drive. I may attend the meet on Friday because it's early enough to avoid traffic.
I started my sweater jacket last night after reading the Translated instructions numerous times.

It is Lana Grossa Basics Modell No.2. The picture color is a little off. It uses Basics fancy print and Venezia yarn. It should knit-up fast. It requires the crochet poodle loop stitch. I absolutely need to learn how to crochet if I intend to use non-U.S. patterns. I have Canadian and German patterns that combine crochet and knitting. They don't seem to write patterns specifically designed for either knit or crochet as if it didn't matter.
Anyway, Lana Grossa has redesigned their website. The English version is much better.

cross posted in Ginean.

How to Knit Socks

Now I want to knit socks. Knitting socks didn't interest me until I tried to decide what to knit a friend for his birthday. I want to give him something personal and endearing so it will make him cry in front of our coworkers. I am evil. But anyway, I thought about a tie. Then again he only wears ties at funerals so I will knit socks instead. Since he shops carefully for his own socks, he will love a handmade pair! He's fond of the thick cotton, ribbed hiking type of socks. Now I need to learn how to knit a pair of socks. I don't have time to learn it from a book and my video doesn't cover it. I thought about attending a sock workshop at Jessica's but she doesn't have one scheduled anytime soon. I need another video or DVD so I Googled. I haven't found any sock videos or DVD's yet, but I found this website. It will open in another window. KnittingHelp.Com It's fabulous! It has video instruction clips on techniques that I've never heard of. I can't wait to go home and watch more of them. Until then I'll shop for sock yarn and a pattern. I can at least handle the tube part for now.

How to

How I Learned to Knit

My Learning to knit process became a quest. First, I had to find a learning resource and then use it to learn knitting. Whenever I need information that I can absorb in a relaxed enviroment, I get the book. I searched the public library catalog system for knitting books. None of them were beginner basics. Shannon told me to get a copy of Stitch N' Bitch. I was delighted with the book, but it's difficult to learn from a book. Shannon helped me with casting on and garter stitch. I also became a member of the Phoenix Stitch N' Bitch group. I got help there. Learning was frustrating and I began to lose momentum then stopped knitting. Sometime later, while planning to be homebound for a several weeks, I decided to try again. I went back to the library and found Bobbie Groome's knitting video. I loved it. It was a great help. I Kept the video for a long time. I kept it so long that the library figured I had lost the video or bought it. My knitting was going great because of the video. So, I returned it and looked for a copy of my own to buy. I found one E-retailer that was selling the video for sixty bucks. I wasn't prepared to pay that kind of money.

So I kept searching until I found a video on E-bay for 9.99. The seller's page listed the features, but didn't add any photo previews. I wasn't concerned. I just wanted the video. I lost two auctions before I won myself a copy. My knitting skills made a huge light year leap to intermediate. Learning from the video made it easier for me to read instructions in books. I highly recommend using an instruction video to began knitting then keeping it as a reference.

How to knit socks?..................

Progress Report

This is one finished side of my Winhara Poncho. I had one side finished, but It didn't look like it would fit me. So, I made a few adjustments and this is the result. I am sure it will fit. I used the Tahki bunny from my frogged tube shrug. I ordered the pattern from NeedfulYarns Inc.




This is my mini tote. It's the Scull and Crossbones felted tote from HelloKnitty.com. It looked unfinished and boring, so I added the flower. I used yarn from Serendipity. I dyed the golden yellow yarn using Rit. I got the felted poppy pattern from Magknits.com I can't wait to knit another one. I need to dye more felting yarn first. Maybe I'll do that after work today.