MOM Monday: BOO! x2!

Inspiration struck just in time after my hang up following the success of Finsbury Squirrel. My mom loves Halloween, and I thought that a bat would be the perfect project. I remembered Anna Hrachovek's MochiMochi pattern for Boo the Bat, and managed to turn out these little guys just in time for trick-or-treat! Best of all, they were a big hit with my mom!

Sunday Spoiler

I'm waiting until Friday to post pictures, but here's a little spoiler for y'all...

I finished a project today! 


It's something that I've been working on since FEBRUARY. It should not have taken me this long to finish. It is off the needles and has all its ends woven in, but still needs three buttons. It is a gift for my dear friends who are expecting a BABY in a few months. It's a SWEATER.

Any guesses what it is? :P

FO Friday: Sugarbunny Cowl

It's finally Friday! Hooray! This week, it felt as though Friday would never come. I'm pleased to have a finished object to show off this week, even though I actually finished it last week in hopes of posting it then. Oops!
This week's FO is a cowl that I made out of Knit Picks' new yarn: Sugarbunny. When I initially received the yarn, I was a bit underwhelmed. It didn't feel as soft as I had expected from the combination of 80% merino and 20% angora, and the color seemed significantly darker than it had appeared on the website. I cannot fault Knit Picks for either of these, as expectations are subjective and computer monitor colors vary greatly. I cast on without delay, as this yarn is a limited release, and I wanted to see how much I liked it just in case I wanted to order more before it sold out. Upon casting on, I was quickly pleasantly surprised at the softness and loftiness that the yarn had. It has a very nice hand and is a lot softer knit up than it initially felt in the ball. I used a free pattern from the Lion Brand website and had the whole project completed in less than a week. This cowl is unique in that I'm not sure with whom it is going to "live" now that it is finished. With the holidays quickly approaching, however, I am sure that it will find a loving home.

As always, forgive the poorly-lit photos. One thing I really miss about our old apartment is the abundant natural light.

Why yes, I do model. Knitwear.

Cowl made from KnitPicks Sugarbunny Yarn in Hawk

Surprise Snow/Shameless Self-Promotion Saturday!

What a day! We are experiencing a major weather trick from Mother Nature in the form of a nor'easter that has already dumped several inches of snow on us here in southeastern PA. Adding to the excitement, we had no heat in our house because of a problem with the furnace, but after a call to the landlord and a lot of snuggling (not with the landlord), we got the heat turned on and sorted out. Phew! Now if only this silly snow would melt!

In crafting news, I finally took a few minutes to set up my long-awaited Etsy shop! I've had the account registered for months, just waiting for me to take the plunge and put some items up for sale. I'm pleased to announce that my original Key Keepers are now available in a variety of whimsical designs at http://www.etsy.com/shop/k8erpillar!

You know you want one. Or a dozen. There are ones with SHEEP!

 As a special promotion, I'm offering my blog readers 10% off their first purchase with the coupon code: BLOG10. And, if you are local enough to me to arrange for local pick up/drop off, I'm happy to refund the shipping on your order.

MOM Monday?

Dear friends, readers, and fellow knitters, I am stuck.
As I write this, the month of October is more than halfway over, and I have not yet started knitting this month's MOM club piece. Furthermore, I haven't even decided what to knit this month, and I am running out of time.
Maybe I've lost my MOM mojo. Maybe the pressure of having to follow her undisputed favorite creation yet, Finsbury Squirrel, is just too much. All I know is this: I have only two weeks left in this month to make something adorable.
Since Finsbury was such a hit, I am thinking about another Amanda Berry pattern, but I'm not sure which one. I was also looking at chipmunk patterns on Ravelry, because a chipmunk has recently taken up residence in the back woods, but none of them seemed right.
Help me, Blogosphere! You're my only hope!

WIP Wednesday

My recent bout of finishitis seems to have passed, and last week I cast on a new project. I am making a Lola Gilet out of Malabrigo worsted in the Whales Road colorway, which I have christened my "North Whales Road" sweater as a play on both the name of the color and the name of the town where I recently moved. I am making quick progress on this project, and can't wait to wear it. This is my third sweater in Malabrigo, the other two being my Featherweight Cardigan and my Persimmon Cardigan, respectively.


I realized today that this should probably be my last new "for-me" project before I commence with my Christmas knitting. Whether or not it will be, well, that could very well be a different story. With only 74 knitting days left before Christmas (yes, you read that right, 74!), I am determined to budget my time appropriately!

MOM Monday

The start of another new month means the completion of another project for the MOM club. This month's project was my favorite one yet, and I think it's my mom's favorite, too.
I used the pattern "Finsbury Squirrel with Acorn Basket" by Amanda Berry (aka Fluff and Fuzz). I have several of her patterns in my collection but this is the first one that I've made. With the exception of the body, I knitted all of the pieces in the round which helped minimize the making up at the end. I made the basket with DK weight cotton held double, but I wasn't happy with it so I decided that Finsbury could just hold onto his acorn. Here's a picture of Finsbury, all ready to be delivered:

"I'm going to hold onto this acorn until it's ripe!"

FO Friday

This week's entry should be titled "FO Fail" but I decided to cut myself some slack and take a voyage into the FO Vault!



These socks are one of my favorite pairs to date. I made them this past spring, and the bulk of the knitting was done at two professional development conferences that I attended. The pattern, Hermione's Everyday Socks, is available for free and is perfect "autopilot" knitting for when you need to split your attention between your knitting and something else. The yarn is Liberty's Yarn Jabbersocky, which I got from a fellow Raveler's destash.

I don't know why the picture is upside-down. I really don't.

WIP Wednesday

My February Baby Sweater: Coming Soon to a FO Friday near you!

I was hoping to put the finishing touches on my FBS this past weekend, but to paraphrase Robert Burns, "the best laid schemes of mice and knitters oft go awry." On Saturday, I was altogether cranky (TMG informed me that I was, in fact, a "sourpuss"). Our new sofa got delivered (albeit half an hour past the end of our "delivery window") and my family came over to see it. I have to admit that I don't even remember Sunday at all! Ergo, the FBS is returning for what I hope will be it's last WIP Wednesday appearance!
Despite my setbacks, I did manage to finish the body and most of the first sleeve (all but about 2 rows of garter stitch) this week. I haven't gotten the buttons for it yet, because I like to save that part as sort of a "prize" for finishing the knitting and weaving in of ends.
Here it is in all of it's unfinished glory...

FO Friday

I am riding high on the finishitis wave, and milking it for all it's worth. This is the item that started the finishing mojo going: my Simple Knitted Bodice by Stephanie Japel. I started it last September and abandoned it in January with just a sleeve and a half to go - not much work considering that I made the short-sleeved version! I was able to complete it in just a few evenings and now I'm looking forward to wearing it if we can just get some cool fall weather already!

I just committed a major knitting sin/crime by posting a picture of an item before blocking it.

I made several modifications to the pattern as I went. After initially following the pattern instructions regarding the length (even binding off), I decided that it was too short, so I ultimately frogged the bind-off and lengthened the body by about three inches. I picked up for the collar and finished it before starting the sleeves. I omitted the sparkly contrast yarn and just let the heathered raspberry color speak for itself. I ended up using just over 3 skeins of Cascade 220 (about 715 yards) which is amazing considering I added the extra length. I have almost 2 full skeins left over which will make another nice project or two.

WIP Wednesday

Recently I have been working through a bout of "finishitis" (the extremely rare condition that occasionally presents in knitters who have numerous unfinished projects-in-progress, with symptoms mirroring those of it's much more common counterpart, "startitis"). During my recent move it occurred to me how many WIPs I had in various stages of completion, and I was motivated to finally finish some of the languishing items.
This week, I have been working on my neglected February Baby Sweater, which was originally intended as a gift for either of two babies who are each now approaching 6 months of age (fail). The wonderful thing about being in the phase of life that I'm currently enjoying (read: my mid-twenties), is that hardly a day goes by without an announcement from one friend or another that a new baby is on the way. So, I have knit on with renewed resolve to finish this adorable garment for whichever baby happens to come along at the right time.
Here's the sweater in its current state of noncompletion:

MOM Monday

Things are finally starting to return to normal after the chaos of our move and starting our new jobs. The Labor Day holiday gave me a chance to really clean and organize our new home, and unpack a LOT of boxes. I even managed to finish the September installment for my mom's club, only a week behind schedule.

This project was very special because I not only knitted the project, but I also spun the yarn. I used 100% alpaca roving from my friend Deb's animals. The yarn is about a sport weight (13 wpi) and I held it double on size 4 needles to make the finished product nice and sturdy.


          From roving....                              To spinning...                                 To yarn!

Without further ado, meet Zeke!

Zeke is made from Rebecca Danger's pattern called Zeke the Aloof Alpaca. I have made several of her other patterns before, including a set of Bunny Nuggets and Cecil the Computer Monster. Zeke has a big personality and is already making himself right at home amongst my mom's other critters!

Ta-Da Tuesday

I can't believe I've been away from the blog for 3+ weeks! It has been a crazy time with moving to a new home out of state, leaving one job and starting another, and being away from TMG. I am happy to say that all of the pieces of the puzzle seem to be finally falling into place, and things should be settled very soon.

I don't have photos of the new apartment to share yet (where is that darn camera?), but they will be up very soon (I hope). Same goes for recent knitting projects. I cast on a pair of Endpaper Mitts this week and I'm having fun honing my colorwork skills. I hope to have a WIP photo for tomorrow... but no promises!

FO Friday... Back to the Blog!

I'm baaaaa-aaaack!
Sorry for the week+ of radio silence here on the blog. A lot has been happening in the work and personal realm. I'll write a few sentences about that at the end so that those of you who are here for the knitting can get right at the good part!

Today's FO Friday is a bit of a cheat... I actually had it finished in time for last week's FO Friday, but then the aforementioned "life happens" bit... happened. So, for your perusing pleasure, behold my Malabrigo Mitts!

These mitts are made from a partial skein of Malabrigo Worsted in Shocking Pink that I had left over from my Brattleboro Hat. The pattern is 75-yard Malabrigo Fingerless Mitts and is available for free. Mine only took about 64 yards, but who's counting? If only it weren't nearly 100 degrees this week, I am just dying to wear them!

Now on to other news. TMG and I are going through some major life changes (all good, just stressful). I recently accepted a new job and am working on the transition out of my current job, as well as trying to find a new apartment in PA where the new job is. Meanwhile, TMG has to try to find a new job as well, and is crunching all of the numbers to figure out how we will stay afloat financially in the meantime! The move is very exciting, especially because it will take me closer to my family and friends, but is always stressful, particularly because I start there in less than 3 weeks and we don't have an apartment yet! So, for those of you who are inclined to say prayers, cross fingers, send good thoughts, or whatever, they would all be much appreciated!

WIP Wednesday

I have been working diligently on my Shift Tote this week! Unfortunately, I am knitting at somewhat of a tighter gauge than specified in the pattern, so my bag is turning out a bit more "squat" than I would like. I've read some other Ravelers' notes indicating that they had plenty of yarn left over, so I am going to do one more "repeat" (one more fully stripe to the end of the row) before I start going back the other direction. Other than that, I am really pleased with how it is turning out. The color changes are really beginning to show which is also very enticing to see! So, without further ado, here's this week's project photo:

The photo is not great quality this week because I had to take it with my iPhone, but I think it shows the progress just fine for those of you who are keeping score at home! I hope to have it ready for a FO Friday post very soon!

Sunday Steals

TMG and I spent this morning looking for treasures at The Elephant's Trunk in New Milford CT. While we were there, we saw a camera crew filming a TV show called "I Brake for Yard Sales," but we didn't find anything to buy. Just next door was the Maplewood Indoor Flea Market, where we didn't do much better, but I found a copy of the Reader's Digest Family Songbook (truly a steal since it is now out of print) and a few trade paperbacks, as well as a music textbook to resell for profit (kaching!).
On the way home, we saw signs for a used book sale, and I pestered TMG to go. Luckily, he obliged, and we found a few treasures (vintage knitting patterns for me, vintage video games for him). On the way home from there, we saw signs for another used book sale, but I knew better than to press my luck at this point, so we went home and I went back to that one on my own. Here's a photo of the day's knitting-related haul:

I am most excited about the booklets in the top row on the far left and far right. I think I paid $1 for one of them and 50¢ for the other. They both have great classic patterns and are worth far more than I paid. Some of the vintage patterns in the bottom row are more useful for laughs than for making garments, but I didn't pay more than $1 apiece, and one never knows when these things will come back into style!

Thursday Thank-Yous!

I have been incredibly blessed over the past few weeks by the kindness of my fellow knitters. I said to TMG the other day that the kindness of knitters restores my faith in all of humanity, and I truly meant it. The last few weeks have been difficult and emotional due to a variety of things, and I have been overwhelmed by the kindness (How many times can I use that word? Yikes!) of total strangers. From words of encouragement to knitting patterns, to handmade stitch markers and even delicious sweets from across the pond, I can't adequately express my gratitude to those people who lifted my spirits with their kindness (there I go again!). But, I'll try. This week's Thursday thank-yous go to (in no particular order):
Crystal
Diane
Susan
caps4queers
Penny
Polly
kementari

I wish blessings for all of you! Thank you all so much :)

WIP Wednesday

Not much knitting progress to report this week, as we spent a few days visiting PA for the holiday weekend. I did spend some time last night working on my Shift Tote, which is pictured above. It's tough to see in the photo, but the yellow stripe near the far left is starting to change color to green. I'm doing okay so far with managing all the bobbins, which was quite a challenge at first.

Tour de Fleece Tuesday!

I'm getting back in the swing of things today after a wonderful (and very busy) holiday weekend. TMG and I drove to Pennsylvania to visit with my family for a few days and had a great time. Highlights included mini golf, numerous games of Solitaire Frenzy and The Game of Things, a cookout in the woods, and lots of good food! Believe it or not, I did not do any knitting the whole time we were there! I did, however, deliver Cecil, who was a HUGE hit. Here's a picture of him in his new happy home:

While we were away enjoying all of the fun and festivities, July 1st marked the beginning of the annual Tour de Fleece spinning event. For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, the Tour de Fleece runs each year concurrently with the Tour de France bike race. Wheel and spindle spinners alike participate in this event for fun and prizes, and post photos of their daily progress. Many spinners participate in different "teams" to enhance the fun! I must admit that I am far behind the peloton this year, as I have not yet made it to the starting line, but being able to go at one's own pace and set one's own goals is part of the fun. Here is what I will be working on first:

The photos just don't do justice to this beautiful Miss Babs BFL! I am going to spin it as a 3-ply and, as visible in the second photo, I already have one bobbin finished. I don't remember offhand what the colorway is, but I purchased it at Stitches East last year. I hope to finish spinning and plying this sometime this week, and then start on something else!

FO Friday

Happy Friday everyone!
It has been a crazy week and I didn't manage to finish any projects this week. So, for this week's FO Friday feature, we're venturing into the recently-finished project vault!

Make sure to duck your head; the ceiling is a bit low!

 This week's featured FO from the vault is my handspun Citron Shawl. I spun the yarn, a laceweight single, from some roving that I bought on eBay from Frene Creek Farm last spring. This yarn was begging to be a Citron from the moment I started spinning it. I added an extra section and extended the ruffle in order to use up more of the yarn. I think it's such a shame to waste handspun. In the photo, it is unblocked, and remains so. If anyone has any good tips on how to block a Citron, please let me know!

Thursday Thank-Yous!

A big thank-you to MissHSoo for my very first blog award!
Part of the fun of this award is that each recipient is supposed to list 7 fun facts about him or herself, and then pass it on to eight other blogs that s/he believes are worthy. Read on for some links to the blogs of others whom I wish to thank today!

Seven fun facts about me:
1. In 2007, I toured Hawai'i playing jazz cowbell.
2. I once assisted with a dental surgery on a dogfaced puffer fish.
3. I am a board-certified music therapist (MT-BC).
4. I once won $1000 in a "name the celebrity milk moustache" contest.
5. I remixed and choreographed my wedding dance with TMG. The video has over 6,000 views on YouTube.
6. I didn't get my driver's license until a month before my 20th birthday.
7. I haven't eaten any part of a mammal since 1996.

 And now, eight blogs worthy of this award (in no particular order):

1. TMG (http://themarriedgamersblog.blogspot.com)
2. Christine (http://www.ourcurioushome.net)
3. Jasmine (http://jasminescrafts.blogspot.com/)
4. nursenikkiknits (http://livingsmall-lovinglarge.blogspot.com/)
5. Mrs. H Knits (http://mrshknits.blogspot.com/)
6. Paula (http://knitandseek.blogspot.com/)
7. Faith (http://faithfullygeeky.blogspot.com/)
8. Sandra (http://sandra-cherryheart.blogspot.com/)

Thanks again for the lovely award, and please do check out all of these other lovely blogs if you get the chance!

WIP Wednesday

On Friday I cast on for a new project: the Shift Tote from Knit Picks. Having sought the advice of my fellow Ravelers, I was confident that I could complete the tote as my first intarsia project. I finished the base on Saturday, and then waited rather impatiently for my bobbins to arrive so that I could start the colorwork section.
The bobbins arrived yesterday, and, as it turns out, I should have ordered the larger size. But, in true Project Runway fashion, I decided to "make it work."

So far, so good... I've only had to post one question on Ravelry, and I've only had to tink back 3 rows after I got smug and thought I could do without looking at the chart. It's not much to look at yet, but I'm addicted to this project, so I think it will be coming soon to a "FO Friday" near you!

Tired Tuesday

Short post today - I am exhausted from an unbelievably busy day at work. When I got home, my yarn bobbins had arrived from Knit Picks and I was very excited. In retrospect, it seems that I should have ordered the large ones instead of the medium sized ones. I think they will still work okay for the project, just not as tidily as I had hoped.

Here's a (poor quality - sorry) picture of my bobbins all filled with colorful, soft Chroma yarn. More about this project tomorrow for WIP Wednesday!

M.O.M. Club Monday

For my mom’s birthday this year, I gave her a set of little knitted birds. She went NUTS over them and casually mentioned that she would love to subscribe to a sort of “club” from which she could receive a similar cute knitted item each month for a nominal fee. Thus, the “M.O.M.” club (Madeforyou Ofthe Month) club was born! You met July's shipment, Cecil, on Friday, so I thought I'd show off some of the other installments.

The May club installment was a set of Bunny Nuggets by Rebecca Danger. These were all made out of leftover yarn from my stash. The pink and turquoise bunnies are made of Cascade 220 and the brown bunny is made of Debbie Bliss Rialto Aran. Their oversized, fluffy tails are made from some of my very first handspun, which gives a great character.

June's club installment was a Socktopus, also made from leftovers. His body is made of the same Cascade 220 as the pink bunny nugget, and the other two bunny yarns also make an appearance in sock form. Also featured is some lime green Elsebeth Lavold Baby Llama, blue Lion Wool, Malabrigo Worsted in Ravelry Red, and some funky Katia Danubio in a rainbow colorway.




What will be next? Stay tuned... and feel free to submit your suggestions!

Citrus Sunday

I think I need a 12-step program to get over my citrus coaster addiction. I woke up this morning at 7:30am, bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and ready to knit more coasters! Including the one that I knit while watching "The Adjustment Bureau" with TMG last night, the coaster count is now up to four.

Saturday Sewing

A few days ago I found these adorable citrus coasters from the Purl Bee. They are made out of felt and hand-sewn. I immediately fell in love with them and knew that I just had to have some for myself!
This morning I headed to Wal-Mart and picked up some felt. Not the best quality stuff in the world, I know, but I didn't want to invest in better yardage unless I knew I would be successful.
This project took no time at all, and I am hooked. Good thing I have several other colors of felt; I plan to make a set of six: orange, lime, lemon, pink grapefruit, red grapefruit, and tangerine!

FO Friday

It's Finished-Object Friday! This week I finished the latest installment for the M.O.M. Club (more about that on Monday). This cute little guy is "Cecil the Computer Monster" from Rebecca Danger's The Big Book of Knitted Monsters. This is the second of Rebecca's patterns that I've knit; the first was a set of Bunny Nuggets that I made for M.O.M. in May. One of the things I love about Rebecca's monster patterns is that they work with any weight of yarn! This guy is made from two skeins of Spud and Chloe Fine. I will definitely be making more monsters in the near future.

Thursday Thank-Yous!

For today's Thursday Thank-Yous, I'd like to thank everyone who has followed my blog and left comments on my first few posts! I am so excited to be starting this endeavor and I really appreciate all of your support. So, THANK YOU :D

WIP Wednesday!

I have several works in progress to showcase today for WIP Wednesday! Without further ado, here are the aforementioned vacation projects in their current varying stages of completion:

Project #1: Crevasse Socks
These were the socks that I furiously cast on in preparation for vacation. I didn't end up working on them during the trip, but I did put in some time with them this weekend while watching movies and while visiting my in-laws on Sunday.

Project #2: Haruni Shawl
I started this project back in February and woke it from hibernation for the trip. I worked on it for a few hours at the hotel while watching Deadliest Catch, Cake Boss, and various baby shows on TLC. Now that I'm home, it will likely go back into hibernation until another time when I can really sit with it and focus.

Project #3: Clapotis
Most of the knitting that I did on vacation was on my Clapotis. I cast this on just before the trip and made substantial progress on it. I worked on it in the airports, on the flights, in various taxis and towncars, and outside and the hotel. TMG noticed (and texted me about) a young girl with a flip cam watching me knit at BDL while waiting for our first flight :)

Tuesday Tips and Tricks - Travel Knitting

As you may know, TMG and I recently returned from a trip to the west coast. In my last post, I detailed the process by which I chose projects to take along. I am not ashamed to admit that I spent more time planning and packing my knitting projects than I spent on packing clothes and other “essentials.” This effort was not misplaced and, as it turned out, ended up making the difference between a relaxing vacation and a miserable trip. Here are some tips and tricks to ensure the same for you.

1. If you are flying, make sure to check the airline’s policy about knitting needles and supplies on flights. This is especially important when flying internationally. If the airline permits knitting needles on the plane, print out a copy of this policy from the website and pack it with your knitting in case you encounter an overzealous TSA agent at security.
2. If you are unsure whether needles will be permitted aboard, or if you like to be extra cautious like me, I recommend interchangeable needles such as Knit Picks Options. In the event that you are stopped at security, you can remove the needle tips from your project and discard them, keeping your project securely on the cables, and then put it on the extra set of needle tips that you’ve packed once you arrive at your destination. Sure, no one likes to lose a set of needle tips, but in my opinion, it’s far more devastating to lose an entire project.
3. Pack extra copies of patterns and charts - one in your carry-on, one in your checked bag, and, if possible, a digital copy on your electronic device (I use my Kindle). Remember, photocopying for personal use is well within copyright law, and will save you the agony of realizing that you left the only copy of your pattern on the plane when you arrive for day one of your vacation.
4. Cast on your projects (yes, that’s plural for a reason) before you leave home. It is easier to manage an established project than to try to wrangle a long-tail cast-on midair, especially in coach.
5. Bring more knitting than you think you will need. In the event that your flight is delayed, an outdoor activity is canceled due to inclement weather, or you end up waiting in a long line, you will be glad you did.
6. I like keeping my patterns and charts in plastic sheet protectors while I work from them, especially when I’ve printed them from my inkjet printer, because the ink smudges and smears if it gets wet. In order to mark my place, I use highlighter tape. It is easily repositionable, but doesn’t become unstuck or get lost as easily as a post-it note.
7. If traveling with dpns, check out these handy WIP tubes from Knit Picks. They are a lifesaver when it comes to protecting your tiny needles from bending and breaking in transit.
8. I always take a tiny roll of dental floss in my toolkit. Because scissors are still a no-no on most airlines, the little cutter comes in handy. As a bonus, dental floss is great for placing lifelines or holding stitches!
9. Before you go, look up an LYS near your destination. If you run into a problem with your project, realize that you left an important tool at home, or need a new project for your return trip, you’ll already know where to go.
10. Finally, be prepared for questions and comments from others while you knit in public on the plane, at the airport, and at your destination. If you are inclined to spread the “good news” about knitting to others, consider taking cards with your Ravelry user name or other contact information along. There is a great template available for this on Ravelry. Vistaprint.com is another resource for free or low-cost business cards.

Til next time, happy travels!

Vacation Knitting!

Last night at around 6:30,  with report cards written and submitted, session reports locked, and voicemail messages changed, TMG and I set our work emails to "Out of Office" auto-responders. We are officially ON VACATION!

We are heading to LA on Monday so that TMG can attend the Electronic Entertainment Expo (aka "E3"). I am excited for our first trip to the "Left Coast," not only because we are going to Disneyland on Friday (!!!), but because I will have four days of uninterrupted knitting time while he gets his geek on at the convention center.

Today's agenda involves doing laundry, packing bags, and, most importantly, deciding on what knitting projects I will take on the trip. I got to thinking about what criteria the perfect project(s) would have.

First, I decided that I needed a project that would be simple or repetitive enough that I could pick it up and put it down from one moment to the next, without worrying about losing my place in a lace pattern or chart. Ideally, it would be something with a memorizable pattern or, at the very least, one that could be neatly summarized on a 3x5" index card. It needed to be small, so as not to take up all of the precious space in my carry-on luggage. As it is summer and we are heading to California, I also decided that a plant-based fiber would be more suitable than wool.

A quick scan of my Ravelry queue led to a serious "duh" moment when I realized that I still haven't knit the ubiquitous Clapotis by Kate Gilbert. I have a skein of Blue Heron Rayon Metallic yarn that I got in a swap some years ago that is PERFECT for the pattern. First project - check!

The second project I decided on is the Haruni Shawl pattern by Emily Ross. I cast this one on back in February as part of a KAL, but I only got a few rows into it before getting distracted and relegating it to the UFO basket. This will be a great project because it will only take one skein of sock yarn, and it is complicated enough to keep me busy during the days at the hotel. The yarn is a wool blend, but the lacy pattern and circular needles will keep it from pooling up in my lap and being too hot. Second project - check!

I decided that a sock project was necessary because, well, a sock project is always necessary. I started knitting the Farmer McGregor Socks out of a skein of J. Knits Superwash Me Sock in the Connecticut colorway two weekends ago, but ended up frogging them because the yarn and pattern just weren't playing nicely in the sandbox. I have decided that the Crevasse Socks will be my next sock project, and I am thinking about trying them with the J. Knits yarn. I saved the cuff from the other sock, so I will be trying the Crevasse pattern this weekend and seeing if it is a better match for the yarn. If not, my plan "B" is a skein of Knit Picks Bare yarn that I dyed with Easter egg dye last weekend.

Now that my knitting projects are planned (and I've printed a copy of the "Yes, knitting needles ARE allowed on airplanes" document from tsa.gov, I suppose it's time to start thinking about what else to pack, like, you know, clothes. What can I say, I have my priorities!

Best Anniversary Gift Ever!

So, remember how I said I'm married to a guy who calls himself TheMarriedGamer?
Well, tomorrow is our first wedding anniversary (yes, yes, thank you very much!) and TMG (as he will henceforth be known) commissioned an amazingly fitting work of art to celebrate our respective passions, as well as our love for one another.
Without further ado, I present "Portrait of a Marriage":

We just ordered a poster-sized print of this from www.posterbrain.com. I'm really looking forward to getting it framed, hanging it over the couch, and re-creating the pose in real life right under it.

Cast On

I have been thinking about starting a blog for some time. In retrospect, I don't know what kept me from doing it for so long. I suppose for a while I was hung up on needing a name, no, not just a name. The perfect name. Each time that I thought I had it, I would log on to blogger and find that, alas, it was already taken. Back to square one. Then, I thought I had settled on a name, even going so far as to register it on another blog hosting site. As I continued to mull it over, I realized that I hadn't settled on a name, I had settled for it. Back to the drawing board again.


My husband has been an active blog writer for over a year now. He writes about his passion, video games, under the persona "The Married Gamer" (you can check his blog out at http://themarriedgamersblog.blogspot.com). I thought about how I often talk about my hobby, knitting, in terms of his, and vice versa. When I compare spending $50 on yarn to his spending the same amount on a new game, he understands.

So, back to the quest for the perfect blog name. As I thought for the umpteenth time about aligning my blog with my hobby, my thoughts wandered once again to my husband's. And then it hit me: if his online presence is as The Married Gamer, wouldn't it make sense for me to assume the role of The Married Knitter? I raced to my computer, fingers crossed that this time, the perfect name would be available.

This time, it was.