In which we discuss knitting and dog-related drama

The sockee for hubby still needs a new toe. I was going to do it this weekend, really I was but...um, I get distracted easily. Maybe this week will be the one where he gets his finished socks.

As I mentioned, I'm trying to resist the lure of buying new yarn. My stash is modest, but there is still plenty of it. Its only January and I'm already starting to think of ways I can skirt this self-imposed yarn diet. SweetGeorgia is talking about opening her shop again. Hel-lo! If any of those Joss Whedon-related colors come back, I will have to break down. (Sock yarn doesn't count, right?)

Having been inspired to think about a small project that would involve steeks, I looked through my stash (thanks to Ravelry that no longer leads to yarn all over the floor) and realized that I have very little wool. Makes sense, I'm in Florida and I rarely have a need for anything warmer than a light cotton sweater. But now with the new job and the occasional trips back to the DC area, surely I need at least a couple of wool sweaters? at the very least some accessories, no? Surely, I need some wool yarn to try out my first steeking project?

Did you know about Blue Moon Fibers' Raven Clan? I want them all. I love black and dark colors in general, so those are right up my alley. Sure, it would probably help if I just stopped looking at all the beautiful yarn and stopped clicking on all the yarn sale links but I just can't help myself.

On the other hand, the other day when I was looking for a new travel project I went stash diving instead of buying some great new yarn and a corresponding pattern. Good for the bank account. After looking at some of the patterns in my queue, taking into account I was in the mood for something that would be mostly stockinette, and what yarn I have on hand, I came up with Licorice Whip. Its coming along fairly quickly (for me anyway). Unfortunately, I wasn't paying attention to the fact that because my yarn has less yardage per ball and knits at a smaller gauge, I'm going to need more of it than if I used the pattern yarn. I'm starting to worry that I'll run out before I finish the sleeves. So now I'm thinking, it doesn't count if I buy yarn to finish a project, right?

We'll see how long I can hold out. At least I'm getting a yarn fix every so often with my sock club yarn from Neighborhood Fiber Co. This month's colors are some of my favorites--blues and grays. I think I may restart socks for my FIL from this yarn.

Now for the dog-related drama. For those of you cursing me for living in sunny, warm Florida, think again. Year-round warmth means year-round flea and tick control for the doggies. (Do you see where this is going?) When we got our first dog, we were told that we only needed to worry about flea and tick control during spring and summer but that in the cooler months not to put it on them. That stuff is actually some poison that in low doses doesn't usually do any harm to the dog. But I'm thinking, why do that to them if its not necessary, right? Well, in Oct. I quit putting the stuff on them. By late Oct. I noticed they were getting more ticks than normal. No worries, I just needed to check them every time I brought them in from a walk. Well, come mid-Nov. I start noticing ticks just walking around on my floor. eww! I call the pest control guy and due to scheduling issues they can't come right away. I vacuum the crap out of the house and hubby buys some over the counter stuff to kill the ticks. Needless to say, the dogs were back on flea and tick control ASAP. Things seemed to quickly improve.

Fast forward a few months, the dogs still seemed to have an inordinate amount of ticks on them but the ticks no longer seemed to be all over the house. That sense of security was short-lived. First, what looked like dirt on one of our walls this weekend turned out to be many (possibly hundreds?) of little baby ticks. They were removed and flushed. Then, when we were removing our old rug from our bedroom we found more. To add insult to injury, I found a tick last night actually stuck to my stomach, right at my waistband so that sucker probably crawled up my leg. (eww - that is so disturbing, I kept search for ticks on my body for a good 30 mins after) The pest control guy has been called and he better be coming later this week. (Oh yeah, the joys of living in a small town: although the pest control company is centralized, the workers are independent so they pass along the message and then get back to me.)

So for those of you in cold climates, be glad it gets below freezing so that ticks die. I'm trying to remain calm and not think about how many more are hiding in my walls.

Happy New Year

As I review the knitting year, I have to admit, I didn't do nearly all I thought I would. Actually, (blushes) I didn't meet any of my knitting resolutions so this year I'm not making any. I'm just going to enjoy knitting and try to spend more time focusing on the process and not on finishing projects.

I did knit my first socks and found that I liked the experience. I actually finished socks for hubby so he jokes that I finally finished something for him. Although I haven't maximized my Ravelry membership, I have found that it helps me from making rash yarn buying decisions. I also like that I can see my WIPs--I'm feeling empowered to frog some of them. I haven't done it yet but its on my list of things to do.

This year, I'm also putting a freeze on the yarn buying. That's right, you read right, no yarn buying--at least not until Stitches East. Even if I don't go, I'm holding out until the event. Of course, my Tour of DC yarn membership doesn't count since I bought & paid for it a few months ago. (C'mon a yarn fiend has to have something.)

On the personal front, I'm changing jobs again. Yet again, someone came to me and made me an offer that was too good to pass up. I'm hoping 2008 will finally bring some stability to my professional life and by extension to my personal life. I didn't think it would be so disruptive to have things change so much every few months. I'm tired of it and hope that in a few months my life will settle into a comfortable rhythm.

A little sparkle

I finished the sockees (finally) but I haven't taken photos. Needless to say, hubby wants them blocked and ready to wear. Soon my pretties...

For your viewing pleasure, here is some gorgeous tencel yarn from Just Our Yarn. It is the Almaza yarn in a bright orange/red-orange color (color TTT07-172 but its not on the site).



A little close-up:


I think it was overcast when I took the picture which gives a pretty true color but you can't really see the shine. Trust me, you just want to rub its silky softness against your cheek. This could be one of those skeins that is just beautiful to look at and pet.

I kept circling this yarn at Stitches East. I figure I'll use it for a scarf but really, I bought it because I couldn't resist it. Pam and I kept cruising by the booth and chatting it up with the ladies there. (They are funny and sweet and their yarn is absolutely fabulous. You should go check them out. There might be another yummy JOY yarn coming soon.)

Cold color, soft feel

Didn't mean to leave you hanging. We went out of town last weekend and I've been busy sitting on my arse.

Any-hoo, here's what you really came for, some yarn baby.

This is some lovely bamboo from Habu.



2 skeins of fingering weight (or maybe laceweight?) bamboo, 1148 yards of steel grey lusciousness.



The color is more grey and not as blue as it looks on my monitor. Its the color of some medieval weapon, dark but catching the light to reveal greater depth. Can you tell that it pulls me? I think it will one day be a scarf but for now its enough to just take it out and pet it every once in a while.

Taking it easy

Well, our guests technically left today. However, they spent the night at my uncle's house last night since he's closer to the airport and they had a 6am flight. I really appreciate the fact that I did not have to get up before 4am to get them to the airport on time.

Since the week was pretty mellow, I actually did not do that much knitting. I did more quilting but I have yet to figure out how to take pictures of those projects so they look good. Anyway, I should be done with the heel flap on sockee #2 for hubby by tonight and I'm hoping to have finished socks for him by Friday (his birthday).

For your viewing pleasure, more yarn from the Stitches haul:



This is some "Super Socks & Baby" yarn from Tess Yarns in two different colorways (no names on the label). The one on the left is a combination of fuchsia, raspberry, and violet (maybe the Peach Melba color?). The one on the right is mostly fuchsia with hints of violet. The plan is to make an EZ's Baby Surprise Jacket holding the two yarns held together. I think the two colors will work well together. I always love the Tess Yarns display. Even though the ribbon yarn calls my name, I resist because I don't really know what I would do with it. Since I couldn't walk away empty-handed, I think these made a practical purchase.

Amusing side story about the dogs if you are interested:

Background: my dogs are not allowed on the furniture because if they did get on the couch there would be no room for the humans. While Stella, the dachshund, was visiting, she was only allowed on the couch if she was on someone's lap--didn't want my dogs to get jealous. So yesterday my husband, the man who swore up and down that we could not get a small dog when I insisted on getting our first dog because he doesn't like little dogs, was laying on the couch with Stella on his stomach.

Me: I see that Stella has made herself comfortable.
Him: She just looked up at me and then jumped up. I couldn't stop her.
Me: Oh really? Are you trying to tell me that you might want one of your very own?
Him: I don't know, maybe.
Me: I guess I know what to get you next year for your birthday.
Him: Christmas is coming up.

Looks like we might become a 3 dog home if we can find a miniature, long-haired dachshunds that is as cute and friendly as Stella.

V

V is for visitors. Apparently, I had nothing to worry about because Genny, my shepherd mix, loves the long-haired datsun. They have been running around chasing each other like maniacs. Genny is loving my brother & his girlfriend since they keep giving her treats. I'm a little concerned that Cam is not too keen on the the datsun but so far he gives no indication that he's going to lash out at her so I guess its ok. Oh yeah, my brother's girlfriend seems like she's pretty cool so it should be a nice week.

I'm baaaack...

(cue spooky music)

OK, I went to Stitches East again this year with the very lovely Trillian42. You may have seen her wearing her very fabulous, bright green crochet shawl. (Even Doris Chan complimented it.) I was one of the lucky people who actually got one of Mel's ravelry ribbons. Mel (and everyone else at the Webs booth) was super nice.

I took "The Art of Knitting Backwards" from Candace Eisner Strick. Candace is funny and a great teacher. As for knitting and purling backwards, it is pretty mind-blowing. As she mentioned, she originally worked out the methodology just to be able to move quickly through the edging for a shawl. When I think about how much easier it would have been to get through an edging without turning the work, well, I'm just glad I know now. I'll be able to use the method when I do the heel flap on my next set of socks. hee hee.

The second class was "Lapland Hand Garments" with Susanna Hansson. Susanna was great and brought some wonderful examples of the Rovaniemi mittens. Of course, I have no need for mittens but I was totally intrigued by a method that promised no tangles and no carrying yarn while working in the round. The method will be detailed in Piecework magazine in Jan. Which is just as well because I'm not sure I could really explain it. My only complaint was the 000 metal needles. ooph. It will be a while before I finish the pair.

I have taken pictures of my loot from the trip but I'm going to pace myself this year and let you glory in one yarn at a time. Let's suffice to say that there were some favorites this year, such as Habu and Neighborhood Fiber Co. I was able to be more restrained this year than last year...but there was still plenty that came home.

First, I did lots of knitting on the plane and finished the first of hubby's socks and immediately cast on for the second.



Even though the pattern is simple, it is not boring. I'm still enjoying it.

Next, here's some thick and thin yarn from Neighborhood Fibers. It is the Victorian Bulky yarn in ...not sure about the colorway. The tag doesn't say and I can't find the color on any of the sites. Karida, who is just wonderful, had a sample purse in this yarn and color that just kept calling to me. The pattern isn't on the site, but trust me it was super-cute.





My brother and his girlfriend are coming for a week. I'm more than a little stressed about it--my younger brother doesn't usually visit me, and they're bringing their dog. My brother is a man of few words so my real concern is whether or not I'll get along with his girlfriend and whether or not my crazy dogs will get along their dog. A week is quite a long time to be together if we all get on each other's nerves.

It could mean a whole lot of knitting time...we'll see.