Bobbi Bear in Perspective

Here's the picture to show just how big Bobbi Bear is. The pattern does give the final dimensions of the bear as over a foot tall, so to be fair I knew what I was getting into. Knowing in theory and seeing the reality are two different things, though. Here you can see Bobbi with Lincoln. Notice that Lincoln's arm is blurry - every time we tried to get him to sit next to Bobbi he knocked it over.

Next I'll be picking up stitches for Bobbi's arms, knitting some ears, and giving Bobbi a face.

Linda gets tagged, and Bobbi Bear attacks

Okay, this meme has been going around for a while, but I've finally been tagged. I unofficially tagged myself after reading Terri's blog, but I've also been officially tagged by Jennifer. Here's the deal - I'm supposed to tag seven people, but I've always done poorly at games like that so I'm following Terri's rules:

Here are the tag rules (as modified by Terri)
Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves.

Those tagged need to write on their blog the 7 facts as well as the rules of the game.

People who feel that they are tagged after reading this post can feel free to tag themselves and leave a note in my comments section.

Seven Random Facts:

1. I am left-handed, but I golf, knit, crochet, use scissors, cut my food, and do most everything else right-handed.

2. My favorite book of all time is "Emma" by Jane Austin. I've read it several times.

3. When I was little (okay, not so little - even now) I dreamed of becoming a writer

4. I love popcorn and eat it almost every day

5. I had all of my fingers crushed in a shopping-cart accident when I was 3. No permanent damage except my hands get very cold very easily.

6. I don't eat fish, or any creature that spends a majority of it's life submerged in water (eg crab, lobster)

7. I do eat meat. Yum!

Okay, now that that's out of the way I can move on to explaining the somewhat menancing title of this post. I have completed the Bobbi Bear legs, torso, and head, and have commenced stuffing him before I knit up the arms. From the photo on BB's pattern, I assumed he would be a petite bear, even though I had nothing at all on which to base that assumption. Well, BB is *huge*. He is full-teddy-bear sized, and stands at over a foot tall. I knew he was tall, but the full impact of his size did not strike me until he was stuffed. As soon as I have the opportunity, I'll take a photo so that you can see the giant that is Bobbi.

Crouching Fiber, Hidden Hedgehog

I received a fabulous new package from my secret pal this week! It was all beautifully wrapped, of course.
















First of all, I received the pattern and supplues for this really cute Hedgehog. I did not take a photo of the pattern, so you must click on the link to see how adorable these guys are.




I did take photos of everything else, though! There's two balls of Lambs Pride Worsted (which I've been wanting to try) and a ball of Funny, which will become the hedgehog's back. You can also see in the basket (which is my attempt at doing artful photography) a postcard for the Oriole's stadium. My secret pal is an Orioles fan, which is fine with me since our poor Royals can never seem to win a game.






There was also a dishcloth with an airplane motif (my secret pal promises to tell me where she's getting these patterns when she does her "reveal"). Finally, there was a set of four gorgeous stitch markers. I apologize for the blurry photo, but I seem to be having camera issues today.


Thanks secret pal!

Baby Knits

I finished the knitting on this baby jumper a couple of weeks ago, and took my sweet time doing the finishing work. It's for my sister's baby that is due in June. I actually had the side seams completely done using mattress stitch, but I ripped out the entire seam this weekend. The arms were a bit small, so I added a couple of rows to make them wider (that's the blue squares in the armpits), and I just wasn't happy with the way the mattress stitch looked - it made it too "rounded". I decided instead to do a backstitch. It gives it a more "rustic" look, but I think it looks better with the yarn and pattern. The whole outfit is basically knit in one piece from front legs to back legs, so it's really simple.

Here's the details:
Pattern: Baby knit from the Spring Knit Simple
Yarn: Bernat Denimstyle (cotton/acrylic blend)
Modifications: None, except for the yarn sub. I must have made a mistake around the neck, since the arms ended up so narrow.
Time: About two weeks to knit, and a day to do the finishing work.

Repetition Repeated

The Mr. was out of town most of this week, so I decided to treat myself by indulging in some in Jaggerspun Zephyr wool-silk from Sarah's Yarns. Sarah's Yarns is fabulous in that they send you color cards with your first order. Having already ordered some wool-silk from them (and falling in love with it), I had a huge color card at home and spent several agonizing minutes deciding what color to order. I'm terrible with colors, so this was a big deal to me. Finally, I decided on a color called "royal" that was (wait for it!) royal blue. It promptly arrived, I tore it open, and came to a crushing realization...

The color I ordered (in laceweight) was *exactly* the same color of Knitpicks merino lace-weight that I'm using for my Icarus shawl. Ouch!

I have no one to blame but myself, since I used a color card and knew exactly what color I was ordering. I guess I like the color blue. So I think a shawl is out of the question...so what should I make with my blue laceweight wool-silk?

I'd also like to note that for a limited time Sarah's Yarns is offering extra-large samples for swatching of many (if not most) of their lines for just the cost of shipping. I have a sample of the Sarah's Yarns Cashmere DK-Weight and it is heavenly!!

Ribs and Lace

Finally some progress photos! Here's where I'm at with the Ribs and Lace Tank from the Spring '07 Interweave Knits.


'



I am done with the first lace pattern (basically just a feather and fan pattern) and there's one more lace pattern before the "ribs". I want to get this complete because: 1) I want to wear it! and 2) I have my next pattern picked out, and I'm itchin' to start! (More on that later!)

On the needles

I've realized I haven't been posted very often to this blog, and I do apologize. I don't have a lot of photos and/or finished objects to show for two reasons: 1) I'm not a fast knitter (this is the primary reason), and 2) I usually start 2-3 projects at once, and end up feeling so guilty about having so many projects taking up space in the house that I knit a bit on all of them until they're finally all done about the same time. So I'll have nothing finished for a long time, and then all of a sudden have three FOs. Reason #2, I've realized, is also why I don't knit socks (even though I want to) - since I have three "big" projects going on it seems like I'm "cheating" to start another small project while my other projects languish...

Enough of the psychoanalyzing, here's what I have on the needles:

1) A tank (Ribs and Lace) from the Spring Interweave Knits in Cotton-Ease. Yes, I once again frogged my Cotton-Ease to start a new project. Turns out the cotton/acrylic blend wasn't "sticky" enough and the dropped-stitch design on the Fitted Knits tank looked sloppy. I *will* find a good project for this yarn!

2) The "Icarus" shawl from last year's Interweave knit in Knitpicks Shadow. It's my first shawl project worked in laceweight, and I've allowed myself all summer to finish the thing.

3) "Bobbi Bear" from Blue Sky Alpacas, knit in Organic Cotton. Scott bought me this pattern while he was in Seattle (what a Sweetie!) and of course I had to cast on right away. It's a fun knit, and I would be done by now if I didn't stop every so often to work on my other projects.

My Stash

My SP10 hostess is having a contet, and all I have to do is "flash my stash"! So, here is my yarn collection in all its glory:

I keep my yarn in 4 rubbermaid bins - two large and two small. One of the smaller ones is designated as a "sock" bin, although I really don't have a lot of sock yarn.














Here's a couple of example of what the bins look like on the inside - not very exciting, I know. I have a lot of one/two skeins that I bought "just to try the yarn", then of course I didn't have a decent pattern for them. So they languish.

The only part of my stash that I didn't photograph is the "leftover basket", that has all of my leftover skeins from projects. I'm trying to decide what to do with that yarn...since I have a lot of Cascade 220 I'm thinking I'm going to try some sort of patchwork felting project...I just have to get over my dislike of felting first!

Cotton-Ease redux

I've temporarily given up on my Barbara Walker tank in favor of using an actual pattern. What can I say - I can't resist all of the gorgeous patters out there! I've cast on and started knitting the drop-stitch tank from Fitted Knits by Stefanie Japel (aka Glampyre). So far, I'm not entirely happy with the way the drop-stitch sections are shaping up. I'm hoping it improves with blocking... The pattern itself is very simple - just two rectanges stitched together - and so far it's going pretty fast.

I bought the book this weekend when Scott offered to watch Lincoln for a couple of hours while I did some shopping. I spent two glorious hours shopping at the Plaza on my own - which means I didn't feel at all guilty that I spent the whole two hours in *two* stores - Bath and Body Works and Barnes and Noble. I spent a long time in the knitting section of B&N, luckily finding an open chair nearby so I could sit and read. Not only did I find "fitted knits", but I also found a nice reference on how to do mattress stitch in garter stitch (yes I know it's amazingly simple, but I'd never done it before).

Thanks to the mattress stitch help, I also managed to do the finishing work on the "super secret" project I've been working on - and I will post photos this weekend after it is delivered to the lucky recipient!!

Knitting while sick

I really haven't been able to get much knitting done lately - on Sunday night I woke up with a 102 degree fever. I just didn't have the energy to knit. I did do a little knitting on Saturday, but I can't talk about it now because it's a gift.

Barbara Walker, here I come!

I've had Barbara Walker's Knitting from the Top for quite a while, but I've never actually tried knitting my own design based on it. I managed to snag some Lion Brand Cotton-Ease from Michaels a couple of weeks ago, and decided it was time for me to finally "Walker-fy" meself and try out the Cotton-Ease. Here's what I've done so far:



It doesn't look like much yet, but I've acutally done quite a bit of work measuring, gauging, and swatching. I'm doing a sleeveless sweater, which calls for an invisible cast-on. Barbara provides one cast-on in her book, but I decided to use the fabulous cast-on I learned in my toe-up sock class. You can see in the photo that there is one set of Knitpicks circulars that I am currently using to knit the back, and the other circular needle cable is holding the stitches that will eventually be the front.

I believe that any knitting design should focus on the unique properties of knitted fabric - ie the ability to do lace, cabling, etc. With that in mind, I've been scouring my "Knitting onf the Edge" book to find a nice little pattern insert to do on the front of the vest. I had one all picked out, but when I swatched it I realized that I wouldn't be able to convert the pattern to "in the round" when I finally connect the front and back. So the search continues...

Surprises!

My secret pal spoiled me this week! Take a look at how nicely she packaged everything (also note the really cute bunny dishcloth she knitted for me!):
















I was like a kid at Christmas and made quick work of opening everything:












Inside were lots of knitting goodies - a Knitpicks Chartkeeper (which I have been drooling over forever), some Soak woolwash in yummy scents, and two hanks of Knitpicks Gloss - it's part silk (yummmmmmmmmmmmmm):










Plus there were lots of other treats: There were some kitty treats for Dr. Zaius and Cheetara - you'd think it was kitty crack the way that Zaius gobbles them up.

There were also cute little sheep cards and some Margarita-flavored Jell-o.





Thank you thank you thank you!!!!

Monkey Torso

The Sock Monkey adventure has begun!

This is the torso and legs of the monkey - aka "the easy part". I've cut out and stuffed the arms and ears, and now need to stitch them on by hand (aka "the hard part"). Unfortunately, I realized after I turned the tail right-side-out that I actually sewed it backwards...so I have to redo that. At the rate I'm going, I just hope I finish Mr. Monkey is done by the time Mr. Lincoln reaches adulthood.

Finally an FO!

Here it is - my Wicked Sweater in all of its completed glory!! I finished sewing on the pocket and weaving in the ends on Friday. Here it is before I blocked it:



I decided it was a bit short, so I stretched it lengthwise during blocking, which also made it a bit more form-fitting. Once again, I am amazed at the power of "the block"! Here it is after a wet-block and a couple days of drying:


So here are the stats:
Pattern: Wicked from Zephyr Style - size small
Yarn: Stash Cascade 220
Modifications: I added two short rows across the back to make the back a bit longer than the front
What I'd do differently: If I knitted this again I would do more decreases for the waist shaping. As it is, it's a bit too boxy for my taste, although blocking helped quite a bit.
Final thoughts: A nice quick and easy knit, and it was nice being able to try it on as I went. I liked that the pocket provided some relief from the endless knitting in the round.

Sock Monkey

For a while now I've been eying the sock-monkey-inspired hat and blankie in The Happy Hooker. I never had a sock monkey myself, but I think they're incredibly cute. I vaguely remembering discussing the sock monkey issue with my mother-in-law last time she was in town, and she said that she had made sock monkeys for both my husband and his brother.

Well, last weekend my sister-in-law came home from a visit to MIL, and delivered (courtesy of the in-laws variety store) "official" sock monkey socks. No need to knit sock-monkey wannabees anymore - I have access to the real thing. Given my limited success with knitting toys (witness Frankenhorace), and my limited sewing skills, I am a bit nervuos about attempting to sew a stuffed animal. Luckily MIL was thinking ahead and provided extra socks "just in case". The experiment begins this weekend...

An SP10 Contest!

My SP10 hostess is having a contest! All I have to do is talk about my favorite current project. Can you guess what it is? Yes - It's Wicked!! I even have an updated photo:



I really meant to model it but I started the second sleeve before I thought to take the picture, and I feel too lazy to put the stitches on waste yarn. Don't worry, though - as soon as this sucker is done I will model it in all of its wicked glory! The pattern is Wicked from Zephyr Girls (of course), and I am using some stash Cascade 220 on it. I like it because it's fast and relatively easy, and because it's for *ME*!

In other news, sock class ended last night and we learned the sewn bind-off and we got to see (although only one of us attempted it) a tubular bind-off. They are both pretty nifty. I also got some hands-on practice on doing two socks at once, and it's definitely something I'll try in the future.

So, pros and cons of taking a class (since this is only my second knitting class ever):
Pros:
*I learned some techniques I never would have tried otherwise. I don't think I'd go to the effort of learning the magic cast-on, or toe-up socks if it hadn't been for the class.
*I met other knitters and got to share the joy of learning something new
*I got to spend quality time at the yarn shop, and bask in the wonderful-ness of the yarn and patterns

Cons:
*(Obviously) it's more expensive than learning on my own via library books or internet
*I don't do well with someone else's schedule - sometimes I got done with the "homework" a couple days after class and just had to sit longingly at the sock, while other weeks I didn't have time to finish the homework.
*Sitting in a yarn shop for two hours is awfully tempting when you're on a budget!

Overall, though, I am very happy I took this class. I will definitely be making toe-up magic loop socks in the future!

Pocket Progress

Here's the most recent photo of my pocket. I took this picture on Thursday, and since then I've finished the pocket, attached it to the body, and finished one sleeve. Whew - Wicked is almost done!!

As you might have guessed, I've been ignoring my poor sock and therefore decided that I won't have time to rip the heel and re-do it before tomorrow's class.

My First Meme

Here it is, my first meme, courtesy of Lorinda.

In the list of books below, bold the ones you’ve read, italicize the ones you want to read, cross out the ones you won’t touch with a ten-foot pole*, put a cross (+) in front of the ones on your book shelf, and asterisk (*) the ones you’ve never heard of.

*except I did mine in red because I don't know how to do a strikeout! As you can see, there really aren't any books I don't *want* to read.

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. +Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. +To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. +The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. +The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. +The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. +Anne of Green Gables (L. M. Montgomery)
9. *Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. *A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. +Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. +Angels and Demons(Dan Brown)
13.+ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. *A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. +Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. +Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. *Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. +Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Rowling)
20. +Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. +The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. *The Catcher in the Rye (J. D. Salinger)
23. +Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. +The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)

26. +The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. +Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. +The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. +1984 (Orwell)
35. +The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. *The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. *The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. *I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. *The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. *The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. +Bible
46. +Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. +The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
WHAT HAPPENED TO 49????

50. *She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. +Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveler’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
61. +Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. +The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. +War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview with the Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. *Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. *One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo) (The abridged version only)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. *Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. *Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. +The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)

76. *The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. *A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. *The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. *The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. *Not Wanted On the Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. +Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. +Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. *Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. +Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. *The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. *Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. *Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. *In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. +Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S. E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

Knitting Updates and a conundrum

I've gotten to the pocket on Wicked, and it's taking a bit of time since I actually have to look at the pattern line-by-line. Once I'm done with that, though, I should be able to zoom through the seed-stitch band on the bottom. So I am nearing the finish line!

I'm having a bit of a conundrum regarding my sock. After finishing the heel a second time, I've tried it on and it's actually a bit too long. Considering that a "perfect fit" is supposedly on the best features of a toe-up sock, I'm a little torn about what to do. I really have two options: 1) Do a bit of the cuff and wait until after my last sock class on Tuesday to rip it back, or 2) Rip it back right now before class. Option 3) - Do nothing and live with a sock that's too big - is not on the table. I'm worried that if I rip it back now, I won't have enough time to finish up the entire cuff before Tuesday - and yes I'm aware that the longer I stall, the less likely I am to have finished by Tuesday!

Anyway, on Tuesday we're going to go over a sewn bind-off, which is an Elizabeth Zimmerman unvention. I'm very excited! After Tuesday, I'll post my thoughts on having taken a class vs. learning techniques via books or internet, which is how I usually learn to knit...

Some sock progress

Last night was my second sock knitting class. We started on the heel, and it's a bit more fiddly than doing a top-down heel (in my opinion). I actually had the heel almost finished last night, but I was unhappy with the way my stitches gapped around the wraps in the short row, so I ripped it out.