Green Tea

is what i'm drinking

My sewing date was a blast, aside from the fact that I forgot my sewing peddle and we didn't get any sewing done whatsoever. We planned to make another date to actually sew together her pillows. Which we ironed and pinned to speed up the process for the next time.  *wink wink*
...This was drafted from the 10/20. I lost ambition for this post because our laptop is slooow.
anyway, I went back to Jen's house and we sewed her pillows together with a zipper! I was pretty proud of myself. I really wish I had pictures.
Since I blew off all of October to blog I'm going to catch up.

Ian's Autumn Sweater. I started this October 18th and it still isn't finished. I got as far as the second arm. The first arm I have to take out and knit two inches longer. Because I don't know how to measure or my child is growing hulk style. I really can't wait till this is done but I can't seem to pick it up..

shellac

 I re-knitted this hat I made for Guy during the summer. 

I wore it to the Shellac concert before I sent it off. 

Since my big ambition week I haven't really finished anything. I've started a lot of stuff and worked on old projects. 

Happy Birthday Brother Dear

It was my brother's birthday and I made him this very ghetto cake. I had limited resources and my cake fell apart due to faulty cake pans. But that entire cake got eaten and the candles were the best part.

I was Freddy Kruger and Derek was this skeleton Mask guy with a construction vest on ha ha. We went to Steve-o's Halloween party the Saturday before. It was fun to dress up and see friends but I was a drunken mess and made a fool out of myself. bah! 

Then there was Halloween!!!!!!!! 

My little Stay Puft Marshmallow man!

This costume was super easy to make and really cheap. The hat was the hardest part and we couldn't really get it to stay on while we were out trick or treating. I knitted the blue band on his hat but not ambitious enough to knit his collar. I just used felt paper and left over white fabric. Ian had to waddle from house to house, he kept getting called the michelin man or pilsbury dough boy. I wanted to make his face and neck white but Ian hated it so I stopped. oooh our pumpkins

Been chipping away at this boneyard shawl from westknits. soooo much stockinette. I like working on this in the car and since I do it's covered with coffee, food, ice cream..everything. Good thing it's acrylic and I can throw it into the wash.

I also treated myself to some yarn loot from Happy Knits. I raided their sale section and got tons of cascade 220 and cascade sport also Alpaca Lace! I also treated myself to this little bad boy

mohair and silk!! my first real luxury yarn!! and I intend to make this! I can't wait I can't wait!! I'm really surprised it's not on my needles already! That's pretty much it for October Knitting. Oh and I invested in some Knitting books! As much as I would love to walk over to my LYS and support local I'm steal a cheap bastard and want these books pronto. So I found them for less than 12 dollars each at amazon and barnes and noble all delivered to my front door by a creepy mailman. 

that zig zag fabric is gonna be something some day. 

Fresno Swatch. The Purple is Cascade Sport.

For November I also got more yarn loot ...(for  being a poor knitter I sure have been increasing my yarn stash BUT! all the yarn I bought was on sale..the most expensive being the mmmmmohair from Rowan) I got three hanks of Cascade Fresno for a hat/mitten set I'm doing for a high school friend and a Ball of Cascade superwash wool to make Derek this hat! I applied a zigzag eyelet pattern from my Knitting Directory book to this hat and it came out good! 

he is so dreamy

I made my brother a hat but I looked like death while I was modeling and It's really small. I made it out of stretchy sock yarn. I can't remember the brand but it's the same yarn as the fingers on derek's handwarmers. Which I actually have been knitting on lately!!!

The first side is completely done I just need to finish the second which is taking me an eternity. I also started knitting him gloves from the fisherman wool I used on my beatnik sweater. so which one will be done first?! i'm over this extremely long post. pk in your face.

The Thirst For Yarn Is Unsatisfiable

This has been my most accomplished week in knitting.
Sunday it started with Derek's Helmet Liner

This is knitted in Wool Ease: Thick and Quick. I had some extra cash and I went to the store strictly for darning needles and I walked by the yarn which were all 40% off and this green caught my eye. My derek loves green and I wanted to make  him something and he chose this! I started it at 6 in the morning and finished it later that evening. I had to modify the pattern for the thicker gauge. He also wanted horns! The horns took me two seconds to knit and a day or two to actually sit and sew them on...which again took me two seconds to sew on.  

 Monday. That was when I finished seaming my DR cardigan and finished an Etsy inspired scarf my friend wanted me to make for her.

..psst I think I'm going to steal Derek's extra skein of green from him so I can make me a scarf. I only used one of the two I bought..for 40% off!
Tuesday was Finishing my sweater
Wednesday..what did I do on wednesday?...oh yes! Slightly..finished those bunny slippers.

Do see them there on his feet?? I got fed up with the eyes so I told him "another day" Isn't my child such a bad ass. Atomic Wedgie (as derek said) with bunny slippers. He pulls it off with charm.
Thursday was a good day. I FINISHED my Duet scarf that night! I was too lazy and antsy to do the third lace repeat as stated. SO I finished it off and I doubt it will scrunch into that hat I was so jazzed about. No worries. I love it as a scarf and I would wear it everyday but I seem to have lost it :(

Friday I finished the knitting of the Burberry Cowl I started the night before! While I was blocking it, I immediately started working on a hood I was knitting out of the Berroco Borelias I got in my loot. I cast on for the hood shortly after getting back from the rainbow. I knitted it to small but decided to go with it. I picked up stitches around the face part and knitted 2 inches of ribbing. I binded off the stitches and then picked up stitches around the neck casting on 72 stitches to make a scarf. (36 on each side) So as of right now I'm working on the scarf section and I realize it's way to short. I'm gonna just keep knitting to the width I like ..cast off and then pick up stitches on the bottom of the scarf ends. This doesn't sound necessary at all if I had planned the hood out properly or followed a pattern. This is how I roll on my design technique and as complicated as it might sound I'm really excited to wear it!

 Saturday I took my hand at grafting! aka Kitchener stitch. I used this reference and this one. thank you! It took some time but once it clicked I was on a roll! Burberry Cowl Finished!

 

 I have no energy to get ready and model it right now. I plan to finish this hood today and my ambition is onto casting on a hat but my heart is casting on for Ian's Orange Sweater. ...hmmm
I also have to get all my sewing supplies ready for my sewing date tonight! My friend from high school, his girlfriend has asked me to teach her how to sew!

For my ambitious week I have started and finished 4 projects and completely finished off 2 projects...(my bunny ears are done and sewed on, I count that as completely done considering how long it took me to knit those ears)...3 projects when I finish this hood. Will I complete a whole other project by sunday night? or will I cast on that orange sweater for Ian? Will I do both??? or neither. Which is very very possible. Lets see what happens. I'm excited for my weekend with Derek to start!! Wish me luck on my fiberous goals!

the most determined PK on the block.

Morning Glory

I give you my Deep Ribbed Cardigan. This could have been done a month ago, but it's done now and so so lovely. I used size 9 needles with 3 hanks of Berroco Ultra Alpaca. I started it just to start something because starting projects are whats great in the knitting world. I loved knitting in this Broken Rib pattern, the "wrong side" is bubbly and makes me giddy.

The blocking process on my poor blocking materials.  This sweater grew when I pulled it out of it's Euculan bath. I should have blocked for the 36" that way it could fit someone other than me so I wouldn't be sad gifting it. I swear it would fit my sister. Around the arms it is a little big and it tends to slide off my shoulders. Other than that it fits fine.

I watched a video on How to Set in a Sleeve on Berroco's website, which was done by Cirilia! I've knitted two sweaters and seamed them whichever way I could. They look nice I guess. This video helped me so much and the seaming looks really good. I actually love seaming now. 

Between all this seaming, I've been teaching my friends how to knit. This was the Chai I made for us to sip on. Because Chai and Knitting go hand in hand in my book. or coffee....preferably CHAI!

I realize my life isn't that exciting. Not even in the knitting world really. I started (he he) another project last night. I got this mustard color yarn from Der's OLD work. I lost the label so I don't remember what brand it was. I knew I wanted a cowl/scarf type thing. I was shuffling through my binder of printed off patterns and found Duet. This was the very first knitted pattern I've ever printed off. 

I'm half way through the second lace pattern repeat and I've read Ravlery notes that say to do a third repeat. 

That's about 3 1/4" up and it needs to be 7" I want this sucker to fit hat style fo sho. My other two projects I plan on starting this week is The Burberry Cowl. I have one hank left of my Cascade Eco Duo (mmm real yarn) that I want to use. Der bought it for me for my birthday. The first hank went to a pair of hand/arm warmers at the beginning of the year. 

I can't wait! and actually I think this was one of the first things I queued on my ravelry! I like weird little coincidences like that. Oh and the third project I plan on starting is with my Donegal Tweeeeed Vintage. Apparently it's discontinued. I snatched up this hank at Piper's and Quilts in the summer. I can't choose between...

1. a beret type hat
2. a cowl 
3. or this Sundance Purse..

What to do?! Maybe I should start from the top and in a week or so I'll know what I really want to do with this. Oh! and it's brothers birthday next monday so what do I make for him?! It's time to walk my five year old to class now. I'm excited for the projects I have lined up. A few things still need to be finished! one thing at a time. over and out. Le Shmub

My Favorite Holiday

Yes Halloween is my favorite holiday! I threw a Halloween party last year at my place in Salt Lake and it was a success! My mom wants me to throw another one but I'm not in the mood or have money to pull it off..especially in three weeks. I could do it. But I'm lazy lazy.
I should be getting my knitted Christmas list going and working on that. Can you tell? I feel much better today. It's another dreary day in Davis county but that's not going to stop me from my list!

1. Clean Living Room
2. Finish Jewelry Mannequin
3. Purchase Euclan (so I can block my DR Cardigan)..yes I finished the first sleeve last night and started the second. 
4. Block DR cardigan
5. Put away laundry..(I'm still a little effy on this one...it's a lot of laundry!)
6.  Finish Bunny Slippers
7. Finish Felty slippers

Getting my mannequin supplies assembled. I had to purchase the stand for $3 at Michael's and assemble it myself! I don't have wood glue and my papa bear forgot to cut my dowel thing for me, so finishing this could be tricky. My sewing wasn't the best in the world given its been almost a year before I sewed anything..well besides my hippie purse.

While I was in school I made the National Technical Honor Society at the DATC. My name was up on the markee sign for the school. It's the first time they have had this recognition at this school and I was the only Pharmacy Tech who received it.  *smug expression*

 I also graduated from my class a couple weeks ago. My parents were so proud of me they decided to take me out to dinner last night. I chose Soronto Grill in Ogden because it was different and the slogan was..."you've never tasted Mexican like this before" ha ha ha I had Chile Relleno and It was amazing! and just the perfect amount.

The place was over priced for how much they gave you and for five people they charged a 17 dolla tip automatically! It was nice going out to dinner with the rents since I hardly spend time with them.

This is me finishing my first sleeve. I really need to paint my nails. I should put that on the list..
    8. Paint nails
I watched Jane Eyre last night while I knitted me some sleeves! I can't tell if I liked it. The men in it were rude and demanding....that's pretty much what I didn't like about it ha ha ha other than that it was beautiful. Oh and maybe I lost the spirit of it when we stopped it half way through to watch  Tosh.O and Workaholics. Juvenile. But I Love those shows. My new show to watch is New Girl with Zooey Dechanel so Tuesday's are a pretty bumpin TV night for me. I'm rambling. I better start on that list! The Poorest of Knitters!

depreeeeeesssssiiinnggggg

I hate when I can't knit. I've been so distraught this past weekend. My son asked for Bunny Slippers last week and it should have taken me two days at the most. I finished the second bunny ear last night in a matter of minutes but it's a real bitch to knit for some strange reason. I need to knit two more ears slap on some eyes, nose and a pom pom bunny tail. I really wish I had enough motivation to do it all now.

When I'm not fully centered emotionally I can't knit. I tend to screw the best things in my life up beyond repair. Part of me wants to be alone and forget everything in the past and start fresh. I'm so not ready for it. I can say stuff a lot better than I can act on them. I woke up with a terrible feeling today and I still can't shake it. The only thing I can do is push the one who loves and cares for me away. It's not fair. 

What am I to do on this rainy day? I'm glad the sun is out in spite of all the gray clouds and rain. It's as if the world feels as I do. Happy and bright knowing I'm still in love yet dreary and soppy because everything still hurts. I want to talk about my felty slippers but I have yet to finish those also.


I'm ready to start sewing again. I promised two of my friends I'd teach them how to sew and so I need to get the hang of things. To take my mind off things I'm going to sew together Jewelry Mannequins. Since I don't have money to go out and buy everything I'm going to try and make do with what I have at home. I reeeeaaally shouldn't be starting another project till I finish my others but oh well. OH! and I keep forgetting to post pictures of my Beatnik Sweater. geez I'm the biggest slacker of all time. I feel nauseous again. I better lay down for a minute. I'm sorry this post is uber depressing and lame. pk