LOL Tinkkintz

This is too funny.

LOL tinkknitz

Corn!

Had a great time at a gathering of the Central Maryland Knitting Guild on Sunday. Knitters communing, eating good food and knitting. What could be better? I like to sit with folks I don't know. You learn a thing or two and I've been socially deprived lately. The main staff member there surprised us with a chocolate laced goodie at the end to top it off. Very sweet of her. And quite fine - not a real sweet but chocolate - the way I like it.

The girls told me there was a sale at The Celtic Knot Yarn Shop over the weekend too. It was part of their 5th Anniversary Celebration complete with prizes - sadly no phone call came to announce my winnings later in the day oh well :-( The atmosphere was festive though and I spent the bucks my Dad gave me for Christmas on a bunch of Addies I wanted. Wheeeee! Carole had all the ones I wanted but one. She offered to have a friend deliver it to my regular knitting group on Thursdays. Funny thing, she still didn't have the Soak I want. Poor thing can't keep it in stock.

Ran into pal from Ralvelry who's working there now. She helped me pick out some cool corn yarn in a pretty lavender for a hat for my cousin's baby granddaughter which is on the way. Yes, I succumbed. Besides, the hand is okay if I knit a row or two and rest it. I first was looking for a traditional pink baby yarn and there wasn't any. Turns out that was a good thing for my intentions to do more creative knitting this year. This gives me a chance to work with something cool for a change and it's completely machine washable and dryable. The couple is young so that is a must. But now I have to decide on the pattern. Arrrrrrghhh! Here comes the patternophobia.

Ravelry. It's everywhere now. It was only two months old when I came on board back in June 2007 and had only

3063 users, 682 unclaimed invitations, and 7,303 people on the waiting list

And 8 months later on February 1 2008?

Total # of registered users: 72,879

Wooooooooah! Impressive.

Hands

I'm having this problem with my hands. I get three rows done on Bobby's scarf a night. Grrrrr! I have gotten about 7 inches accomplished though. Even the turtle eventually won the race so maybe I'll get it done by next winter for him. It is very soft and beautiful though. My Boo can pick a yarn I tell 'ya.

I have gotten requests for knitted objects lately too. How nice to be asked but how dismayed I am that they come at this time. My sister has asked for a scarf. The other noticed on this blog that I mentioned something for her a while back. A cousin asked for something for a new granddaughter's shower soon. Eeeeeeeek!

Come on hands - cooperate!

Blame The Needles

So. I learned a valuable lesson over the past month or so. Sometimes yarn knits different with different needles - at least for me right now. I'd been trying to knit my husband a scarf with Addies and decided the gauge was off so I moved a size down. Twice. I like circs - I drop a needle fairly often - so I needed to switch to my Boye interchangables but was still having a lot of problems just feeling comfortable knitting the stuff in general. I've been periodically picking the swatch up in the evenings - frogging and knitting the same small swatch ball.

Tonight I got out my first pair of size 7 straight Clover Bamboos.

My Lucky Bamboos.

It was like night and day, the yarn flowed smoothly over the needles and my hands didn't fight as much. And yes, I did say "as much". I am still having trouble with knitting, but at least if I go slow and steady I can maybe enjoy it again instead of all this frustration I've been having. I have been picking up a worsted acrylic preemie hat for social knitting and getting by for a while now.

Now I can maybe make my husband a scarf before summer since he chose the yarn, put it in my Christmas stocking and requested said scarf?

Obligitory New Yew Year's Post

It's been an interesting year for my knitting world. Changes in my body have affected it and motivation has been obsessive - but not as productive as one might think given all the time on my hands in the last 4 months.

I did get in these:

30 F.O. in 2007(okay, two aren't pictured)

I haven't figured out how to post my nice little collage of them so you'll just have to go to my flickr page to see it. Sorry. I didn't get a picture of my Banana Republic Neckwarmer yet. I still need to get buttons so it and the Banana Republic Knockoff Hat will match now that Christmas season is over. My little bird needs to hibernate in the jewelry box. Also one of my hats got taken in without a picture - it was in my bag and I was at the center so I turned it in I guess.

Looking at the stuff I did last year really made me take stock of my skills.

• 21 hats(1 not pictured)
• 2 blankets, and a few other squareish things using that same pattern
• 2 scarves, a pair of booties and a single mangled armwarmer.
  

BOOOOOOOORING!

So what's in store for 2008

• Knitting for charity of course
• Knitting for pleasure I hope
• Knitting for variety please

I do have some things in my Ravelry queue to spice things up. For instance I got an idea from a woman on "The Greater Good" charity forum to make an item and donate it for auction to raise money instead. One Lion Brand Homespun scarf on a Teddy Bear went for $600. Go figure. I can make an intricate lace scarf, a toy, or anything I want in quality yarn and still donate it. Cool!

I am proud to say that 21 of my FO were charity items. And I like making hats dangit. It's why I decided to knit. I will always have a charity hat in progress. I just need to branch out a bit and explore my possibilities.

Where's tinkknitz?

First an apology. The huge typeface on the last post came from my copy/paste job from my flickr site where I had nicely entered all my yarn info already. I didn't have the patience to retype it all.

I've been fine and had some ::errrr:: stuff not related to my health to keep me off balance for the last two weeks. My husband and I have been hunkered down here at home. Yes. I have been knitting. I knit on the way to and from radiation therapy (only five more!) and have found that small projects work best. That works for me in general although as soon as I can ball some of that glorious stuff I got at Stitches, I have some plans. Come on Christmas. I'm hitting Santa big time for a swift and ballwinder and if if isn't under the tree my Dad has already bestowed the funds! His birthday hat is done too. I'll show it off when I get a picture of him in it Christmas. I tried to get it to him a few weeks ago but that couldn't happen then all hell broke loose. But lookee here:

Isn't she pretty?

The pattern is called Banana Republic Hat Knockoff - I found it at Ravelry of course. It does have a story. Don't you love a good story?

I started this because of a damn 50% coupon at JoAnn. I had another starting the following day and planned to go back for another skein I needed - they had plenty of the stuff. The following day - I had the family emergency thing. 10 days, three stores and many miles later I got the stuff to finish this thing. I dragged my poor husband all over creation to find this stuff. The horrible thing was, I didn't need the other skein. When I had the nerve to tell him, we had a good laugh. It is so cute and soft on my mostly bald punkin' head. I decided on the little Christmas bird for now. So festive!

Lots of charity knitting too. Small projects seem to work best back back and forth to radiation.

First up is John's Prayer. It's a preemie cap I knitted it in one day - a first for me. Every stitch was with a friend in mind.






I had more of the yarn so I made another. Sense a theme?




Had a little left so I mad a coaster for my chemo nurse. Not charity. Oops!

Move along.


I made a cute little hat with no pattern. I can make a hat right? I know the gauge for the yarn. Work it out for the circumference and make sure the decreases will work out. Bingo! Fluffy Cuff Chemo Hat for the cancer center. Math is a bear for me since my brain went haywire and I have to calculate several times to be sure things are right but it turned out didn't it? I have another hat done - a No Hair Day - all fluff, and it's soooo soft. It came from The Charity Stash. The quality of the Italian eyelash is luxurious so I had to use the leftovers on this one - every bit of it. I just can't put my hands on it right now for some reason to take a picture. Gotta dig down in the knitting box by the couch I guess. Diane at the cancer center says they snap up my hats which pleases me to no end. On a sad note, Wednesday she told me the lady to whom she gave my first Red Hat Society No Hair Day hat passed away early this week. Her husband was donating her hats and wigs but was keeping mine because it was her favorite - it matched her convertible. Wow. I guess I keep doing what I do eh?

Well, I've got some laundering to do and then package these puppies up.

Better line something up for tomorrow too!

Stitches East: Part III - The Haul

I never showed you the haul.

Malabrigo

100% Baby Merino Wool lace

"Purple Mystery" #30

Jade Sapphire

100% Mongolian Cashmere

Blueberries and Plums #36

Tess

Super Socks and Baby 80% wool/20% nylon

Linie 60 - Tondo

100% wool

10 red and 10 peach

Brown Sheep Burly Spun - 100% wool

Storm Moon Knits Celestial Bulky

Rip Her To Shreds

100% Merino Wool

Storm Moon Knits Celestial Worsted

Let There Be Lips

100% Merino Wool

Storm Moon Knits Whirlwind Mohair

I put a spell on you

78% mohair /13%wool/9%nylon

Brooks Farm

Mascero

55% Superwash wool /30%silk/15%vicose