Last post of the year!

 Got a ton o' cotton yarn from my aunt for Christmas.  This will come in handy for the amount of bibs and washcloths I will be making this year.  Everyone and their mother is pregnant!  Plus my lovely sister got me three amigurumi books both in knit and crochet.  I will talk about those at a later date, for sure.

 I made a ninja from the book Creepy Cute Crochet, for my friend which will be presented to her tonight at our new year's eve party.  I believe everyone needs a little ninja to help them out when life gets crazy.

 Another gift that will be revealed tonight.  Gotta keep those arms warm in this frigid weather!  I used Lion Brand Amazing yarn in the colorway Olympia and used their Woodland Gauntlets pattern.

And lastly, a Shell Cowl with Buttons for my other friend.  I bought these buttons a long time ago and I am so glad they are getting put to use for this.  This cowl definitely needed some chunky buttons!

I hope you all have a great New Years and sending yarny/fibery thoughts your way for 2012!

Pictures by Ammerican Photography

Goals for 2012

I'm not going to go too crazy like I did last year.  And to be honest I've not even started my 12th project for me or my 12th learned knitting technique.  I'm still on vacation so, it may happen.  But I've been inching to post to the blog world my my two itty bitty goals for 2012.

• spin at least 4 ounces of fiber a month
• try and participate in the Tour de Fleece in July

Did I mention all that spinning will be on my two Ashford spindles??  Did I also mention I have a box of fiber that needs some major attention?  It will be a fibery year for me that's for sure.  I will still be making projects here and there.  I have to make my sister and my cousin some cowls that I'm really excited about but the main focus of the year will be my spinning.  I've been just parking and drafting and to help my productivity, I really need to kick it up notch.  

As for the Tour de Fleece, I'm not sure if that's a goal that will be set in stone.  I'm expecting another kiddo in June so who knows where the productivity and determination will be at that point.  

I think the spinning is also going to help me deal with a loss we had recently.  My little kitty had to be put down.  So this post is dedicated to Chips.  You were a crazy kitteh but we loved you! 

Photo by Ammerican Photography

Happy Holidays!

An unexpected, lovely gift from a friend I made this year on Ravelry

And then...

...it was my turn in the studio:

Cowl for a co-worker

Lion Brand pattern - Yorkshire Cowl

Yarn - Loops and Threads-Haze-Roving

Photos by: Ammerican Photography

Photo Shoot

Some of my projects went on a photo shoot the other day....

Shawl from Hell turned Scarf from Hell

Pattern from Lion Brand - Afghan Squared

Pattern on the fly

I think I have a crush on Jill Draper...

Purchase #1 from Lion Brand Yarn Studio in NYC

Purchase #2 from Lion Brand Yarn Studio in NYC

Purchase #3 from Lion Brand Yarn Studio in NYC

 

 

 

Little luxuries...

Thank you to Ammerican Photography for capturing my yarny goodness.

The bend

http://www.nataliedee.com

I am still here and I am still working on the last of the Christmas gifts!  This whole week was spent  fulfilling my civic duty as a juror.  I got picked right from the get go and I'm participating in a civil trial that will last for about two weeks.  The first week just finished and we are at the half way point.  Because I am not used to a full day of work, being part-time and all, I am finding it super difficult to have time to do stuff I want to do even at night when the babe is in bed.  The whole process is mentally draining and it's all I've been thinking about for the last week.  However, I have been managing to get a little crocheting done since my bamboo crochet hook has gone undetected through the doors of the court house.  I am using a pattern I used in the past for a blanket.   It's going to be way smaller and a little more boyish in color.  I already finished another little blanket for my other cousin's son and got bored with the pattern.  Don't get me wrong - it looks nice but the next blanket needed something to keep me interested.  Once that gets done, I'm counting three more projects to go.  Well, two and a half, because half of one is pretty  much done.  

I hope you are making some head way during your holiday crafting!

BFL, WPI, LYS, and Hexipuffs..OMG!

Today, I picked up a few things from my favorite local yarn store, the Yarn Cupboard, with Hazel.  Thankfully,  Hazel seemed to be very into the button containers and I was able to pick out some rainbow-esque blue-faced leicester from the Great Adirondack trunk show.  I also picked up the Beekeeper's Quilt pattern by Tiny Owl Knits along with some double pointed needles and a WPI (wrap per inch) tool kit to measure up the yarn I spin!  Here are the goods:

Let my hexipuff craze BEGIN!

Some BFL from Great Adirondack

The BFL from another angle..

Whooooo???

My last swap

I got sucked into one again.  Good thing I had a little extra cash lying around from my birthday or else I'm sure Michael would've been a tad mad at me.  It was a round robin swap because there was an odd amount of swappers so I sent to my wonderful friend Denise, in Seattle and I received a gift from Heather in Iowa.  Here is what greeted me in the mail yesterday when I got home:

Some nummy gummy bears and chocolate and two skeins of Knit Picks Capra DK in Harbor and six skeins of  Knit Picks Palette in Verdant Heather.  I have been wanting to try Knit Picks in the worst way and thanks to Heather's ESP, I'll be able to! :-)

November for ME!

 I was debating whether or not to keep this yarn I spun for me or not.  Then I realized that I am very attached to it.  So, therefore, it becomes my November for ME!  This is the first time since the beginning of the year that I've been a little ahead here on this goal.  That leaves only one more month and one more thing to make for me.  The fiber is from Spinner's Hill Top and I purchased it at, where else, but the Yarn Cupboard.  I named the color, "Blue Jay Way," after having a particularly Beatle-y day.  This is my second yarn I have ever spun and I am enjoying the thick and thin appearance which wasn't intentional.  I also learned a lot from this fiber.  Such as, since I don't have a wheel to help me ply, that the method of making a center pull ball is the best when you want to make sure you have an even plyed hank without any wonky little balls left over.  Hence the other teeny skein in the background.  I don't want to waste any little bits of singles because I have no clue what I'd do with them.  I don't have a WPI guage yet so if any of you wanted those details - sorry!  But I would consider this a bulky yarn.  I love me some bulky!

Oh and let's not forget this hank wouldn't have been made possible without the help of my lovely birthday present from my husband - a Kromski niddy noddy.

Now?  On to finishing those Christmas gifts!  Tally HOOOOOO!

October for ME!

Something little for me and to quench my Owl Obsession.  This is from Ysolda Teague's hoot! pattern.  It took me the WHOLE month to do the cables.  Luckily, I have very nice friends at spin night at the Yarn Cupboard who have lots o' patience.  Thank you, Julie!

Had to edit to include my learned knitting task of the month and you guessed it; it's cables!

Wasted time..

After having lost a day of valuable knitting or spinning time due to phone apps such as Words with Friends and Hanging with Friends, I've decided to tackle a little project to get me back in the groove.  Unfortunately, this teensy project is kicking my butt.  I just can't seem to wrap my head around it!  For some reason, my needles get all fiddly and I lose my spot or direction.. arrg!  Luckily, I have a few hours today to figure it out.  I've got YouTube videos up and ready and my knitting help books surrounding me.  I'm equipped with the necessary tools.  I've no distractions.  Here I go.....!

September for ME!

Yeah, yeah.  I'm behind.  Whatev...

I made the Zen and the Art of Stash Diving scarf from Robyn Chachula in Berroco Vintage.  This was the first time I crocheted with a DK weight yarn.  It was light and fluffy the whole way through.  I just did the row repeats until I could wear it the way I like to wear scarves. 

Oh and I'm still spinning up some fiber from Spinner's Hill Top:

I still have a bunch of fiber left to spin.  Now I can see how much yardage some people can get out of 4 ounces.  Wow!  I'm prolly going to two-ply this to have as much yardage as possible.  I'm not yet confident in my singles to leave them alone.  Again, this is a wool-merino blend.  I find that as I'm spinning, I've been dropping the spindle more than I have in the beginning.   I'm not sure if my spindle is getting too heavy because I'm getting good and don't need such a heavy spindle (it's the Ashford students spindle) or if it's because wool and merino tend to break more?  I dunno but either way I'm in a groove now and there's less dropping going on.

Top 10

Why I love the Yarn Cupboard ever so much:

1.  The owner.  She's awesome!!!

2.  The location.  10 minutes away from home!

3.  mmmm....fiber....

4.  SPIN NIGHT!

5.  Knit night...which I plan on going to one of these days!

6.  The people I've met during spin night

7.  The selection of local yarns

8.  I get to try out spinning wheels

9.  Once I make the final selection for a wheel, I get continued support.

10.  Did I mention I just love Susan, the owner?

Here's what I picked up the other day with a gift certificate from my darling sister:

Another Ashford spindle

Some sock yarn minis to join in the hexipuff craze!

Some progress

Yeah!  I finished the drop stitch scarf last night while on a mini 'Roseanne' marathon.  So, now, watch out u-neck vest.  You're next!  I also started my next 12 for Me! project and it's not too bad.  Robyn's pattern is easy to read however, my project doesn't seem to matching her photos...  gah!

Learned knitting thing of the month:  decreasing stitches  or was it increasing?  Either way, I can do both!

I need a fire under my bum.

I haven't been doing much of any crafting lately because I've been a little busy and I'm trying to finish up a book for the Ravelry group I am in.  There was about three days this week where my wrist was on the outs due to an unfortunate mopping incident (out damn spot!) but it's fully recovered now.  I'm also experiencing project guilt.  I have to still finish that drop stitch scarf for my friend but I really want to finish that sweater vest for me.  Or, I really want to spin but I should continue on with the Christmas gifts.  Oh and the 12 for Me! for September is going to be way late!  WAhhh!  So, rather than feel guilty, I haven't been doing anything.  

I'm such a wimp!

Thank goodness it's Friday tomorrow.  Maybe I will find some motivation after the school day... and if Hazel lets me have the time!

Supposed to be.

 This was supposed to be my August for ME! project.  But somehow, I lost steam.  This is the back of the ribbed u-neck sweater vest I'm making from Vogue Knitting Winter 2004/5.  This is going to be my August for ME!  instead.  Wasn't my original plan but I am still keeping with the goal of making 12 things for me this year.  To be honest I can't wait for it to be over.  I'm already pumped about my 2012 goals which will be revealed at the end of December.  As for my September project, I've been eye balling another pattern by Robyn Chachula but hopefully it won't end in heartbreak like the last...

 It just keeps going and going and going....

I've come to the conclusion that once I know I can conquer the stitches involved and the shaping, then I subconsciously know it's done in my mind.  And so the never ending battle of: am I a process or product crafter?  It changes daily but today it seems I appear to be process.  But then again I'm still slogging away on that dropped stitch scarf and I am almost half way done!  Yea!  Product?  Oh and my fiber keeps calling to me and I'm feeling torn!  Ahhh, process??

Happy weekend!

Night, night!

Hazey and Foofa <3

Full Moon

 One of the last fiber purchases of the day was at Stone Edge Fibers where I bought 6 oz of variegated wool roving for less than a $1 an ounce!  Woot, woot!

 A visit to Cloverleaf farms to pick up two braids in the colorway of snapdragon and sunflower was the very last purchase.  The last time I bought something from them it was two skeins of pretty purple yarn at Rhinebeck back in 2009!

 The crazy pink and blue and this foresty green fiber was the very first purchase that I found in High Bid Farm's bargain bin.  I couldn't resist.  Especially since I wanted to get something kind of funky and different.

 The fluffy, irradescent roving caught my eye at Pear Tree's booth along with some clearanced fiber in my hometown's colors.  The roving above the 12 oz bag was so soft that I couldn't tell the difference between where my hand began and the fiber started.  So cozy!

My sole non-fiber purchases of the day (besides a sad slice of pizza and a Mountain Dew) were these old issues of Spin-Off for $2 each.  I'm very excited about reading the articles and drooling over the fibery pictures...  So, how do you think I did?