Kiss My Knits!

[Tvini] You know what I love about DR? I’m working, yet I have my hair up in a little girl’s hair tie in a topknot and I’m wearing a mud mask.
[Liadran] If only our “real” jobs allowed that
[Tvini] They frowned on that when I worked at the TV station.
[GM X] I didn’t get dressed until about 5 minutes ago, and I’ve been working since 830
[GM X] Gotta love it.
[Liadran] Still in my jammies!
[Tvini] I think I should LJ all of this. I love the idea of the entire staff of DR lounging around in their sleepwear.

You know what works for me for small finished projects to learn new things? Washcloths and dishcloths! You can pick up some sugar ‘n’ cream cotton or some other kind of all-cotton yarn at Michael’s or other craft shops for fairly cheap. Then you can knit about a six-inch practice swatch and actually have a finished project when you’re done. And you get to use it every day and think about how cool you are for making this yourself. 🙂 Here’s a site with some good washcloth patterns.

The “Grandma’s Favorite” one on page two was the first washcloth I did (totally lopsided, but I didn’t care), I think, and last month a friend came over and saw it and said, “You made this? My grandma used to make these all the time! Brings back memories!” Needless, to say, it made me feel really good.

On a somewhat related side note, I was going through my stash and noticed I had some duplicate things. I was going to sell them on eBay, but frankly, I won’t get more than a couple of bucks for them. If anybody wants them, holler.

I haven’t gone through it all the way, but so far I see an extra package of stitch markers (you put them on your needle to mark the beginning of a row or repeating pattern, especially on circular needles, but frankly a loop of contrasting scrap yarn works just as well), 16″ long size 8 bamboo circular knitting needles (great for hats) and some size 17 wood knitting needles – perfect for chunky scarves. Also, two skeins ofSirdar Wash ‘n’ Wear cotton dk yarn and no, that’s not my auction. Besides, my yarn’s aqua. This is the dishcloth yarn I was talking about above. It’d probably make great booties, too. I don’t think they even make this stuff anymore, that’s how long it’s been in my stash.

Anyway, I’m off to work on a) a wedding for DR and b) a mystery project gift for a friend. I wish it weren’t in that order, but the wedding’s today, so I want to be sure everything’s perfect before I do anything else. I’ll post pictures of the mystery project after he or she has safely received it!

My back’s been bothering me (old college injury), and combined with allergies that’s been making it hard to sleep. So today I apparently dozed off in the waiting room of my daughter’s speech therapist. And curled up in a little ball on the loveseat. And snored. And they had to really shake me to get me to wake up.

Soooooo embarassing.

I am now totally in love with the patterns from Black Sheep Bags. They were the source for the booga bag pattern, and that went so well that I decided to try one of their teeny tiny bags as a birthday gift for my niece. Here it is pre-felting with a deck of cards for scale. Here it is completed. Yes, I own Star Trek playing cards, I’m that much of a geek.

I think on the next go-round, I’m going to modify the pattern some and also add a button to help keep the flap closed. I’ve learned enough now to change the patterns to my own taste. This is fun!

Okay, so I go by one of my local yarn stores to get a $1 stitch holder (aka glorified safety pin). While I’m there, I’m carrying my booga bag, and everybody oohs and aahs gratifyingly over it. Then the yarn saleslady motions to me and says, “We’ve got some new stuff in the back room, haven’t even put it out yet!” She takes me back there and lets me caress the yarn. Hmm… I come in for a one dollar thingie, and they want me to caress the $19 skeins of Big Kureyon. I’m pretty sure they’re trying to feed my habit. Suppliers are the same everywhere! I’m doomed!

My daughter accidentally got dry-erase marker on her favorite shirt. Does anyone have tips on how to get the stain out?

Here’s a new scarf as a big “nyah!” to the guy who claimed that there’s no such color as berries.

Again, I say, nyah!

Hmm… I wonder if this would sell at Simucon…

Lookie what Tessima sent me! It’s a selection of totally faboo yarns! You’re damn right the picture is huge.It deserves it! I know somebody who’s going to be getting some glitzy duds! Woot!

http://www.freshsensation.com/samorost.swf

At last, I get to work on my booga bag! I’m about halfway done with the knitting. After knitting comes felting, which will shrink it down and give it that lovely firmness and a fuzzy texture. My mother in law bought me the Kureyon yarn, so I’m doing a scarf for her out of Noro Lotus as a thank you. It’s a great yarn, and I’m doing a seed stitch to show off its glitz without getting too complex. Whee! New projects are good!