limedragon :)

Keen Overload

I got myself some new shoes this week!

This is my first time with Keen shoes. I read the reviews on Zappos and ordered a half-size up for the Newports. I’m glad I did that, even though the opening can be a squeeze when I put them on. Otherwise, they fit very well. The Antiguas are, on my opinion, on the wide side (but then, I have narrow feet). Mom tried them on, and I thought they looked great on her wide feet. But the top caps (which is why I got these sandals!) were too small for her. I might break them in for her. I didn’t order a half-size up in the Antiguas, because I had an inkling they would be otherwise too big.

I looked through the Stitches Midwest class listings. There were so many (this is the overload part). My first instinct was to cram my schedule full of classes in every possible slot, but I narrowed it down to one morning or afternoon class each day. There were four full-day classes that I would’ve loved, but they were all ON THE SAME DAY! Sigh. I contacted Knitting Universe beforehand about disability accommodations and received a positive answer, so I went ahead with registration. I hope I get my first-choice classes. Nevertheless, I’m still in a state of shock about the whole thing. I’M GOING! I have only 3 months to get used to the idea! :)

I’ve been working on my Sixth Sense socks, and have completed one garter short-row heel and am nearly in the middle of the second. I tried to snap some photos but they didn’t turn out very well, but here’s a (slightly bright) close-up.

Long day, but nothing to show for it

Knitty, Spring 2006

The short-sleeve sweater on the cover, Mesilla, is fun and playful. If I make this for myself, no embroidery. The stripes and picot on the cuffs are the perfect decorative touch.

Anatolia is awesome. I like the fit and the color pattering—it’s detailed and interesting enough without being overdone or fussy. The name fits perfectly too. It immediately brought to mind the motifs I saw in Istanbul and Turkey about 10 years ago.

I wonder about the shaping or fit of the armsyces of UnGranny Smith. I’m a cardi girl (really, any sweater, but cardis and jackets are handy!). But the pose could be throwing me off.

I like the scalloped edging on T Twist Tee, but the sleeves aren’t to my taste.

I don’t know which I liked more, the handsome model or the Jamesey! Perfect guy sweater, easy care, even! If I made one for myself, i’ll make it shorter.

The Jardin Anglais really appeals to the girly in me. However, I think I’d rather omit the sleeve colorwork on and narrow the sleeves a bit (maybe a slight bell?), and keep the color accents on the cuffs and collar.

Possible double-knitting process/practice project in Exchequered.

Tendrils: beautiful, beads, Sivia. Do I need say more? :)

Reid is a perfect girly girl sweater (and the photos prove that you don’t need girly colors for a feminine sweater). Double Scoop’s also cute. And Tiny Tether? How practical! Now, if only I could find more kiddos to knit for.

It’s not always cold here in Minnesota, but sometimes in the late spring or even late summer, we need warm coverings for our feet. But what’s a girl to do if she has a pedicure scheduled? These Pedicure Socks are the perfect solution!

Cookie A has a new sock pattern, Hedera. I probably would prefer a solid color with this pattern (as the photos show). I wonder of a limited/monochromatic variegated could also work…

Next time I’m in the toy mood, I’ll have to remember Nautie.

Apologies

Orange and Yellow, some of the time

I wanted to post this yesterday, but couldn’t… my wireless connection with Comcast was acting up all weekend. I finally became fed up and watched some TV and knit some more on the Sixth Sense socks.

This ribbed pair is my take along project for mall walking (MOA). The weather is marvelous today and I think I’ll go walking around the neighborhood on Wednesday if the trend continues.

I knit a bit more slowly while walking, but I think I’ve made good progress for about 3-4 hours total. Usually, I only have to fix one or two misplaced purls. On Sunday, however, it was not a good day and I managed to drop a stitch. :/ Fixed it during the car ride home, though, so they’re OK again. : )

Yesterday at the grocery store, I picked up some Glaceau Vitamin Water on sale, and I realized a few minutes later that the flavors I had picked were April Project Spectrum colors! I swear, I didn’t do that on purpose… I wasn’t in the mood for the red/pink flavors yesterday.

The magazine underneath the bottles is the very last issue ever of Veggie Life. I’ve always liked that magazine for the recipes and was disappointed to find out they’re ending publication. They’re switching to an online recipe club, so my subscription will transfer over. I’ll appreciate being able to browse and print out recipes directly from my computer, but wonder how often they will add new recipes.

The Other

… Socks, as in the Other pair I’m currently knitting.I’m finally participating in the Six Sox KAL with the Sixth Sense pattern. I started it last Sunday, and it took me all week to complete the hem. It was slow going finishing up the hem, about 2 or 2-½ hours total, spread over 3 evenings after work. I made a silly mistake… I thought there was enough blue in the working yarn to give sufficient contrast to the brownish spare yarn (leftover Opal Rainforest Owl/Eule) I was using to hold the starting hem stitches. Well. I was wrong! WRONG! See below picture for evidence:

Yup, that’s right, I cut the WRONG yarn! Luckily, I had used the two blue stitches below these two stitches, so there is no unraveling, just two short ends. My progress so far (below) shows the hemmed cuff and about two pattern repeats on the leg. I’ll take another picture of the pattern detail after I’ve knit more. Susan P Lawrence used a nice textured rib that seems to work pretty well with most color types; I might try this again sometime with a simple stripe.

As I’ve mentioned before, this is my first experience with STR yarn. When I wound the hank, I was surprised by how slippery it was! I had to re-wind it twice before it would wind without slipping off and over the stem or down and underneath the winder. It’s also very shiny with a silky sheen, but I also notice a light fuzzy halo as I work with it.

Now, I’ve just changed the theme/skin to match Project Spectrum. One thing I really like about this is the three-column layout. More room! I added back some sidebars I had disabled due to limited space. I don’t like how the yellow bars are used overall (too often, IMO), so I decided not to incorporate this theme for long-term use. There’s also a problem some people may notice… for some reason the logo (header) graphics are showing up with a pale green background in Internet Explorer. They are supposed to be transparent, and do display properly in Firefox. Weird!!

Habu Yarn!

I now have me some Habu goodness!! This came in today’s mail.

Look! The shine on the silk stainless is amazing! The cotton chenille isn’t as velvety as I imagined it would be, rather it reminds me of leather string (is that what they’re called?), still interesting. And the cork chenille… I already have a name in mind, maybe you can guess from the texture?

I’ve been fascinated by the different textures and materials Habu Textiles uses in their products. But I haven’t had much luck in finding them locally or even online. I have a couple of design ideas and went hunting for something special to use.Immediately I thought of Habu and selected the Cork Chenille and the yummy Silk Stainless to try.

I added in the Cotton Chenille to make a couple of washcloths (but the care instructions mention nothing about machine wash/dry!).

Project Spectrum ~ April

I’m so glad the week is over! Next week, I’ll return to my part-time schedule of working on Mon-Tues.

I’m planning to temporarily change the theme for this site to match Project Spectrum. Check back again this weekend! : )

I’ve only been able to knit a little bit in the evenings. I’ve also been ignoring my two larger WIPs and my Continental scarf. Instead, I felt like working on socks.

One of these pairs has orange stripes for Project Spectrum. I think it’s the only orange or yellow yarn I had available! I felt something simple would be ideal for the striping pattern, so I started with the first pattern in Knitting Vintage Socks—Madder Ribbed.

I just had to snap a photo of how the Prisma yarn appeared when wound into a skein. Rather like a Tartan pattern, no?

More Rainforest?

A different kind of keyboard