Stinky Wool in The House

It really isn't all that stinky and my hubby actually commented and said "I don't smell anything!"... good!

All the pieces are blocking on the guest futon and I feel so good about that right now. Even thought I need to add the braid to all the ends and do icord for the fronts and buy/install a zipper and lets not forget about the seaming. I'm So Close.

Hop On That Saddle

Over the weekend I cleaned (while experiencing the most horrific migraine) in preparation for a Realtor to inspect my home. sigh. I hate the housing market right now. Yet, it's not all bad news but yet it's not all good either. If all the numbers work out then it might turn into a possibility....so, I say: if it's meant to be, then so be it.

After cleaning my home to the finest it's been in I don't know how long, I also worked up my sleeves for St. Brigid and have reached saddles!



This now means that blocking must happen. I will measure to be sure if this it the proper length, but so far Starmore hasn't steered me wrong in her patterns. The blocking of the fronts and back will give me the length on the shoulders in order to properly knit the saddle.

There still is a lot more that needs to be done. Seam all the pieces together after blocking, then attach the braid to the edges of the whole garment... cuffs, bottom edge and collar. Then lets not forget the i-cord edging for the zipper.

Okay, lets not think about all that...here is a picture of miss mac looking too cute!



Now don't you feel better? I know I do;)

Warning: Not For The Faint of Heart!

Let me start by saying thanks for the comments and to answer some of your questions:

Jill asks:
"You know the trick of stitching over the incorrect twist?"

I have never tried this method but it looks very interesting. I guess if I was ever put into a situation where that was my only solution, then perhaps I would try.

Knitterary asks:
"Ouch. I'd be worried about laddering down that particular cable. And about laddering down that close to the cast-on. What are you going to do?"

Well, I figured the best option was to do just that ... and ladder I did:



Scary? I know. It's not an easy task taking this method on, but it is by no means impossible to do. Here is how I worked it out:

I pulled out each ladder until I was down to the wrong cable, switched the order and keep the stitches live on a dpn.



Each ladder represents a row and every fourth row was a cable row.



I use the ladder as if it was my active yarn, making sure to tug on the first stitch. This will keep the cable from being to wonky. I then keep the middle stitches loose which will in turn make the last stitch fairly tight. When everything is said and done blocking will help any unevenness.



After a several long hours my St. Brigid is back on the right track.



Sigh. Now everything is right with the world!

And Then There Were Sleeves

Here is the progress I've made so far with the St. Brigid sleeves. I'm chugging along making the increases and that takes a bit of concentration because it's every 3rd row which means you could be making your increases on wrong or right sides.



Here is a close up of how those increases are coming along. You can see that added stitches then turn into the working pattern.. what a minute. hold the phone. lets look at that top photo again.



OMG!! Oh My Freakin' God!!!



ARE YOU SERIOUS????? {slam head on desk}

Monday Update

I really should have known. For all things that go right, there is then something that must be wrong.



The Tiny Toes that I've been working on here and there seemed to be going okay. That is until I tried it on. If I put the heel in the proper place I'm then left with extra on the toes.



Heels will have to be ripped out to the main foot and taken back about half an inch. That is unless I should give them away to someone with larger feet?

Count Down...

With only 22 days until sunny Florida... I'm abound with knitting dilemmas. (don't laugh) What could be a dilemma you say? Well, for instance... should I start something new for the trip? will I be done with any of my current projects or will I be bringing them with me? I know I'm pathetic.

I'm hoping that I'll have all the pieces for St. Brigid done before I leave. I can't imagine seaming that sucker while at the beach. Ahhhh, the beach.

Maybe a new sock would be nice...or perhaps I should find the local yarn store and cast-on for socks down there! In my mind I've already packed my bags and headed to the airport. Seriously people. I'll be gone for 7 days. So much knitting time and what if? what. if. I. run. out. of. knitting. Oh The Horror!! {faint}

The only good thing about knitting the Nubby Cardigan in Florida would be for the extreme sunlight... although knitting black in the heat doesn't sound all that appealing.



Heck, this project is also practically knitting itself and perhaps I'll be done with this before I go away. Oh Hell.

Top of the Morning To Ya

You can't have St. Paddy's Day without a little corned beef and cabbage!



I cook mine in a pressure cooker and the aroma just fills the house. I then whipped up a little cake and to every one's surprise it was a little different then your average butter cake.



It's green of course! How fitting. The kids got a real kick out of it.

In the knitting department, I finished my fronts for the St. Brigid cardigan and thanks to A at Knit and Run for helping me figure out the neck line decreases. My mind could not picture it properly. I have now cast on for the sleeves and will take sometime to absorb the patterns instructions for increases before delving too far. Thank goodness it's Wednesday and I get to knit with my Snb Gals tonight!

A Closer Look

This weekend I got a lot done on my St. Brigid front panels. I'm already to the stage of my decreases for the neckline. It wont be long now.

One very clear problem I'm having is the curling edges of the front panels:



I kind of expected it and I think blocking will help a little. Yet at this point I believe I'll be adding a i-cord edging once all the pieces are put together. This is the area where my zipper will be attached along with the braids for the bottom and top of the garment. I think an i-cord edge will be a great finish to the fronts and decrease on the shabbiness that comes along when you modify the pattern.

My Zipper Adventure

In case your not aware, my St. Brigid will be not a pullover as the pattern is written, but a cardigan. Not only that, but a double pull zipper cardigan. It came to me in a dream and thus I can't see it as anything else but that.

Well, if you've ever had to find a zipper then you might feel my pain. I've been to every single store in the south suburban area that carries zippers and the scenario is the same. You'll find a selection of standard sizes in standard colors. Now as for double zippers go, you'll be lucky to find white or black. That is IF they carry it.

I then discovered ZipperStop by several recommendations. I do have to warn you that if you visit the site...they play music. Annoying, I know.

Because I was very interested in picking the right color, I decided to order the color card. I second guessed whether it was worth it when I noticed the price. It's not cheep, but what was I to do. It's an investment especially if I happen to order in the future.

It looks a little deceiving when you see the card on their website, but when you get the sucker in your hands... I can see why it costs so much.



Dudes, it flips open to SIX pages of rainbow goodness.



I'm still deciding on which color to go with. I want to see it in different lighting situations so I don't make a mistake.



The next coolest thing is that the zipper is custom. Pick a color, request a length, select a pull... very cool indeed.

So far the customer service has been excellent. I will definitely tell the tale of how I pick and measure and install this zipper, so stay tuned!

WTF Postal Employees

I come home last night to find this in my mailbox:



What the hell? My ticket to gain entrance to a seminar for my Nikon camera was mutilated. I guess the only saving grace is that all the critical information was still readable on the ticket.

But Seriously? Should I complain, or would it even matter? My only concerns is when I go to turn this bad boy over to the attendee at the seminar, are they going to laugh or cry?



If it makes you feel any better, here is the fronts of St. Brigid.

One Piece of the Puzzle!

Just look at that delicious cable goodness! Yep, the back is off the needles and I've already cast-on for my front. This is going so well, I'm kinda scared. Ya-no, like don't look to close or you'll see that huge glaring mistake that will just send you over the edge.

Loving the yarn, loving the pattern. Not super tricky, but enough to keep me on my toes. I still have to do some final measurements, as it seems a tad small, but I think I'll be okay.

I decided to remove one full repeat which takes 3 inches out of my total length, but I think with the added braid strip on the bottom everything will work out fine.

Better Then Booties

Pattern: Better Then Booties Baby Socks by Ann Budd (click on the link to download the free pattern, who knows how long that will last)

Yarn: 1 ball Dale Baby Ull

Needles: US 1 dpn

Started: February 15, 2009

Finished: February 24, 2009

Comments: Seriously? How can you not resist baby socks! Quick and oh so satisfying. One ball of the Dale Baby Ull could probably pump out three pairs. It was a different construction then I've done before, with a short-row toe that is bound off on top of the foot. A good go-to pattern for quick baby socks.

This fine pair was delivered to a newbie in the world, Asher Samuel. He is quite a cutie and took center stage this weekend with family and friends all around.

FO: Felted Clogs

Pattern: Felted Clogs by Fiber Trends

Yarn: 2 skeins of Cascade Lana D'Oro, 2 skeins of Cascade Heathers, 1 skein of Red Cascade 220

Needles: US 13 circ's

Started: February 14, 2009

Finished: February 25, 2009

Comments: Okay, so this really was a blind hope kinda project. Meaning I pulled together a bunch of left over yarns I had around and I originally thought they were all Cascade 220, but not so. It all turned out okay in the end and my son loves his pair of clogs. There a little fuzzier then my first pair as the alpaca adds that bit of poof.

I might have to start another pair for me, as I would love some warm clogs;) then of course Miss Mac would like to get in the mix.

Friday

I know... boring title. Whateverrrrr. I'm in a mood. That mood is called Get-the-hell-away-from-me-because-all-I-want-is-to-be-home-in-bed.

If my body is telling me this, then I must comply. I simply refuse to get sick. Not gonna happen my friends.



I've been taking advantage of a few walks around the city and I've taken my camera along to get some practice shots in. I'm still only on exercise one, but I figured over the weekend I'll read a little more on the next exercise and try a few new moves. I'm liking getting to know my camera.

I have been knitting up a storm and will give updates on several things very soon. Cheers my peeps and if your in the area soak up this lovely weather we're having.

Smooches!

Entering the World of Exposure

Just recently I purchased a Camera. I say it with a capital C because it deserves that right. This camera was something I've been desiring for many years and since the economy needed a little push, I was happy to helped out.



My Nikon D60. I love it. You might have seen the commercials with Ashton Kutcher at the wedding...he wasn't what sold me on it, but it was intriguing enough to look into.

I've taken a few photos and of course little Miss Mac loves to let me take photos of her.



The hardest thing for me is learning to use a real camera all over again. It's not like I've never held a camera or adjusted my own shutter speed. Way back when I took a class in photography when there was only film at your disposal and yet I feel like a complete novice. sigh.

I do like exploring the settings and testing the camera out. I'm skipping over the auto-modes and jumping right into manual. I took my latest subject matter outside today for a quickie and to try and get a sense of my camera.



Another interesting item I picked up is the book Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson, which was highly recommended from several sources.

It starts out with the very basics of understanding how your camera works and how to achieve the effects our looking for. The above photo was my first exercise in learning manual exposure. I can't wait for the warmer weather and spring buds to start popping... great opportunities to capture some great shots.