Knitting

The new scarf is getting there! The yarn has a very, very short bits of each colour, and the pattern (The Prismatic Scarf - free from Ravelry) promised to make yarns like this not look like clown barf. I'm rather fond of it, and am sure that I'll get good use of it in the winter.

Motivated

After spending most of the month of January sick, I'm starting to have more energy, and more motivation to get things done. I've been working on these socks for a while - they're in Indigo Rose's "Rhapsody" colourway, which I fell in love with the moment I saw it at the knitting store.

New Socks

I guess when you take a break from blogging for as long as I have, you end up with quite a bit done when you return! I usually knit on the bus in the mornings and evenings, and these socks are the result. I have three other pairs on the go - one that just needs some minor repairs, one that's about 3/4 done and a new lace pair that I can only knit a few rows in before becoming frustrated. All are coming along well, and I should have toasty toes this winter.

What I've been up to....

I started a bracelet recently that I'm quite excited about. I included the pattern picture, as it's mostly just a dark blob that doesn't photograph well. I'm using two different shades of dark blue oilslick beads - a shiny one for the dark colour and a matte one for the light colour, but it all just mostly looks black when photographed.

I also am working on my first non-sock knitted project - a baby sweater for some friends who just had a little girl. I still need to add the other front and to knit the raglan yoke on the sweater.

New Sock Happy Dance

I finished the pair of socks I was working on. Lauralness had gifted me with some of Colinette's Jitterbug in a blog candy draw, and it seemed perfect for a pair of socks. Not wanting to have idle hands after finishing, I made the trek to my local yarn store and picked up some new hand dyeds. Both are being dyed in British Columbia, so are relatively local. The colours she had in were simply yummy. There were two skeins that I couldn't put down, so they both came home with me.

Thank You!!

A few weeks ago, Lauralness had a draw for a ball of sock yarn, and I was so excited when she told me I won. I received the package in the mail last Friday. Of course, when I was trying to take pictures of all of the gorgeous yarn, I had a little `kitty helper` who thought that she also needed a picture. I managed to start into it immediatley (who waits on good things!), and also have progress pictures of the first sock, plus the toe of the second. The yarn is Colinette`s Jitterbug in Copper Beach. It`s *so* nice to knit with, and I may have to buy another couple of skeins....

Ta - Da! Sock Happy Dance

And here are the finished socks - Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn in S40, basic toe up pattern.

An anniversary of sorts....

Today (April 5th) marks the 15th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death. I was never much of a Nirvana fan, and I never really thought much of the band. I do remember the event distinctly because it was the first time that I'd found about the "news" on the internet, instead of a more traditional news medium. While that might not seem like such an event in 2009, 1994 was an era when the most current news was on TV, and perhaps the newspapers. Internet connections were rare, and most of the content was published by "enthusiasts" rather than corporations. Who would have thought that 15 years later I would be writing this blog, and publishing my own content out there.

Some updates:

The second sock is now 3/4 finished:


Egyptian Garden gained one and a half arms of the blue "cross":


And St. Petersburg gained a small building and a set of tiles:

I've succumbed....

I've been knitting pretty much non-stop for two days. Except for a break for work and a few other things, I've just knit. And it's going pretty well - I have most of one sock, knit toe up, with an invisible cast on. I must say that I'm pretty impressed with myself. It's not a perfect sock by any means, but I've managed to shape a heel and a toe, which I think is an accomplishment in itself.

And during all of this, I've watched the first season of "Mad Men" on DVD. The DVD was on USA Today's list of perfect hostess gifts, and it was also recommended by the hostess at a restaurant last week, so I thought I'd give it a go. It's terrific - a great period show, set at a time when women managed the house, and men worked in the city. If you get a chance, its worth catching.

I learned over the weekend that one of the two bead studios in town is closing, or at least shutting the bead portion of their shop. They've had a substantial increase in rent, and can't justify the extra space it takes to have the torches available. The torches are mostly in use on Saturday, and even then, it's not usually that busy, so I can see why they're trying to rationalize. The other bead studio in town charges a lot more, so I'll have to see how often I get up there.