Tryyyyying....

To get back to blogging. Dang. The only things I'm more behind in are email and bloglines. I believe I have been a shitty communicator the past couple of months. And now I've got one whole hour to try to catch up. ONE WHOLE HOUR. Wow....that should get one blog post and my bloglines down to about 2300. Doh! It doesn't help that Little A is always trying to get on my computer as much as I am lately. Those darn webkinz.

So anywho, what brings a blog back to life better then a contest? (Besides frequent posting I mean.) So, remember this cute, cute hat:

Yup, I put the pdf up on etsy and I still love this hat so dearly that I'm dreaming of seeing it sprout up on lots of little ones on other's blogs. So, I'm gonna give away 1 kit for this hat, and 2 patterns. Here's the deal. Little A bought me a Webkinz so that we could virtually communicate because who wants to ACTUALLY talk to their mother when they can send messages. (I'm still wondering if she's catching on that her birthday could be all virtual gifts this way....) So, guess what I named my Webkinz (And I do realize that this could possibly be the lamest contest ever, but cut me some slack ok). If someone guesses the actual name, they get the kit. Otherwise, I'll randomly select the winners from everyone who enters...one guess per person. The patterns will be emailed in a pdf file. The kit will be snail mailed since its still a little challenging for me to figure how to email yarn. Knitters....have you figure this out in my absence? The contest ends Thursday at 9:00pm EST. Please post your guesses as a comment to this post. Ok? Did I remember everything for bloggy contests? Probably not. I'm so out of practice!

In other news....the store is going pretty good. The best part is that I've got rockin' peeps who hang out with me a lot and are so helpful and supportive. I love knitters. Its such a totally different atmosphere from my previous hellish job. I mean, I would just as soon be at the store than at home. It's just....nice.

I've got a ton of FO's to post....knitting my little fingers off you know. A lot of them are store samples, but I still have lots going that are just for my own insanity.

Ok, well....I've only got 40 minutes left to knock off some of those bloglines. So, I'll sign off! Enter my contest! :)

The tragic Koigu and Clue #2

Look, I rhymed! I'll try to stop that, I promise.

A while ago, my excellent pal from SP9 (It was 9, right?) asked if I had gotten to play with the long-coveted Koigu that she so generously sent me. Indeed, I had! I cast on some socks, toe-up because I wasn't sure exactly how far Koigu goes, on size ONE needles. A little insane, I should say, but...I wanted them to last forever once they were made, so I figured I would suffer through a little tight knitting for such a goal. I got just about an inch away from the top of the first...

That's a split rib, or something...it's a stitch pattern from Sensation Knitted Socks, and though the picture may not show it, these socks were quickly (HA! Quickly...on size ONE needles...as if...) turning into a thing of beauty.

As I was admiring them one day, I turned the sock around and found this:

Can you see it? IT'S a HOLE!!!! A hole?!?! I have no idea how it came to be, but it is almost halfway down the foot. I don't know how to darn, and though I'm sure I could learn how, I don't want my beautiful new Koigu socks to be darned even before I wear them....like some old stinky socks. I'm pretty sure I just have to rip them back and start over. Its truly tragic. I'll probably move up to size 2's this time though because the 1's were really driving me out of my damn mind. And I need no help with craziness these days.

Clue #3 for the Mystery Stole is due today...here's what I have, up to Clue #2 in the recycled cashmere. Using this yarn makes me realize I really have to get out to some yard sales and find myself some more cashmere sweaters to rip apart! It's really lovely to hold.

Oh...and I'll write a little about this more, but I seem to be lacking good books lately. Having been on a reading ban for a while because of that damn thesis, I'm a little out of the loop. I need some help...what's the best book you've read this year? Or last year? I'm going to the library tomorrow and I need a list. I've been disappointed twice in the last two days by two totally different books. I need no more dissappointment in my life these days. Blah!

Polar Opposites

Yuh know, on any given day, its hard to know what I'll be working on. Today, these two are the winners. The top? You guessed it. I took the plunge. It's mystery stole #3, clue #1. I had resisted this mystery stole thing for a good month or so when I first heard a woman talking about it at my LYS. I kinda wanted to, I kinda knew that I had far too many things already languishing, unfinished, in my apartment. And so I resisted. Last Tuesday, at knitting, the dirty scoundrel, Cyncyn, started talking about it again. I really tried to ignore her. And I probably did it well enough that she was unaware that I was listening at all (diligently weaving in mitered ends, and all). I still had restraint. Because? I hadn't seen it. I still was able to remain strong because I had no visual coaxing. And then?

Stinkin' Harlot. Just had to show off how beautiful it is, didn't she? Argh. So, I joined, and knit clue #1 last night. I'm not using the beads, as they are optional, and to be honest I find beads and knitting a little icky. It's just a personal thing. Like strawberry fluff. Blech. The yarn is a recycled cashmere sweater from Lord and Taylor. I plan to dye it at the end after the whole design has been revealed. It's a little too yellow for me. I'm sure it will end up a dark red or dark purple since I like most things to be dark red or dark purple, but I guess we'll see how the design goes.

The bottom piece is the front of a new dancing bag for Little A. I was gifted some yarn recently. Actually it was a little more of a donation than a gift which means I can say I don't really like it, right? The giver knows this, but seemed humored to see what I might come up with for it (and several others that included a horrifying amount of ORANGE). I was playing around with it last night, muttering about how I didn't like it when Little A began to express her undying love of its pure beauty. (Ick.) She's needed a new dance bag for a few months now, so I asked her if she would like it for that. It's damn sturdy, let me tell you. Even if she starts wearing steel toed tap shoes, it should hold up for quite a while. I plan to make it even more ghastly and girly, so just you wait. That Easter puke up there is just the beginning!

So there you have it....the fine, meticulously patterned beautiful knit lace and the bulky, hardy, Easter puke wing-it bag. Polar opposites.

Knitter HELP!

I'm looking for a felted knit pattern for a hat along this style:




I feel like I saw one recently, but now have NO idea where. You'd think it's really hard to click "add to favorites" wouldn't you? Ack! Does anyone have any ideas?