cutest freakin sock tote ever? yeah, i think so

omg, check it out:

The flash unfortunately did no justice for it, but I think you can get a better idea in some of the following pics.


I am not even going to put into type how little I paid for this little treasure, but suffice to say, it was a FREAKIN STEAL. I also got a matching little keychain thingie. Since I forgot to photograph that, I just got some new pics of the big bag too in which you can see it better:


also photographed abpve is a Nicky Knits bag Audrey brought me when she went out to the TNNA show in Columbus, Ohio. Nicky autographed it just for me, look!


I totally forgot to post about that! It also came with some neat-o Nicky patterns and stuff too. It's fabulous.

Also featured in the bag is Monkey, which you can see some progress on here:




Last I worked on it, I got caught up to the spot I was when I tried to undo the heel flap and couldn't stop the rip.... ARGH! I wound up having to re-do like 30 rounds. I am once again ready to do the heel flap, but this time, a lifeline is going in. :)

And the latest interruption to Sockapalooza 4 is a sock for poor Whisper, who has a boo-boo on his head of unknown cause... He is scratching it to pieces so any care I have done for it is useless. I am trying to avoid an Elizabethan collar, as entertaining as they might be, but might have to go that route.... for now, I have rubbed-banded one of my ankle socks to his foot and also wrapped his head in rolled gauze... it's quite a picture. Maybe I can capture that later. ;)



It's just a heel-less toe-up number, I did the first 3 inches like a person foot with rib on top and stockinette on the bottom and then went to 1x1 rib all around. Couple more inches to go so he can't get it off too easily. It's in Cascade Fixation on size 3 magic loop.

And here's the whole mishpocha:



And that's about it! Gotta get back to work!

BUT, if I haven't e-mailed you about this already or you didn't see it on MySpace, please take a moment to read of Earthchick's horrifying vacation experience with an update here . It thankfully had a happy ending, but not everyone has been so lucky. I think it very worth the time to read and pass on to friends and family, even if they don't have small children or grandchildren. Although rare, this kind of thing can happen and can end tragically. It only takes a few minutes to read and pass on this information that can potentially save a little life.

Thanks all!

-kb out

long time no knit!

hi! i must be somewhat brief as i need to go hunting (for pet food, that is,) but some things i wanted to post quick.

first of all, are you sitting? I have officially finished my very first ON TIME knit gift!!!!!! behold the FO:





her birthday was on Friday the 6th and while I actually saw her on Friday unexpectedly (wasn't supposed to) it wasn't done then, but it WAS done by Saturday afternoon when I had planned and expected to see her, so I think that counts. ;) Speaking of which, does anyone know the significance of 07/07/07? I realize the 7s, but besides that, is there something else?

The only unfortunate thing about this is the blocking.... I have done little TRUE blocking since being a knitter... this obviously required pretty significant blocking, and at 2 a.m. on Friday into Saturday, I begun... It wasn't cool. First of all, I have no place pet safe to block, so it wound up being under the couch on sheets... Then, I *thought* I knew what I was doing, but realized after several different attempts and 3 hours that I really didn't. Thankfully, I found this awesome post at Eunny's, and things went great from there UNTIL I ran out of pins, that is. Being the gift was due in 10 hours, I didn't have time to do anything about it, so I kinda made decorative points.... teeehee. I gifted it to her and told her that I needed it back when she got back from Alaska because it was supposed to be a rectangle. She said she loved it just the way it was, so I guess it's all good... I'm not thrilled, but it will do.

And that's about it. I am still trying to finish Beff's felted ballet slipper... got the first one done about 2 days after her birthday in May and have slogged along on the 2nd ever since... I have made some great progress on my Monkeys for Sockapalooza; however, I did like 4 heel flap rows too many, unintentionally, so I have to have it tried on today to see if I need to frog.... the flap looks huge to me so I'm leaning in that direction, which will suck, but that will inadvertently give me an excuse to re-do the dreaded gusset, that I am never happy with.

and that's about it for now. No, I'm lying! check this out!

i can't seem to link to a picture for some reason, so please click here for this fabulous little "Go Green" Purse Kara has designed to benefit charity, inspired by the recent Live Earth events. It is super duper cute and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to The Alliance for Climate Protection Go Kara!!!!

that's all.

-kb out :)

where did the mojo go....

you know, not so long ago, i like LIVED to knit (and blog too).... i still may not of gotten lots of stuff done, but i was knitting CONSTANTLY, attempted to knit while working (usually something boring in the round, but still) couldn't wait to get off work to knit more, etc. etc.... i had lost the mojo due to illness when I literally couldn't sit to knit for a while, but I don't so much have that excuse right now... I mean, I'm still knitting, but sometimes a day or two goes by without me picking up the needles. GASP! is this normal? I am concerned because of the ADD and just because I fail at sticking with things... I have been at this fiber artsy stuff for almost 2 years now (not including the years before of crochet, it was like on and off and i never knew how to read a pattern, just whipped up baby blankets when girls got pregnant. This has been 2 years solid since learning to knit and I am like REALLY into it, or was...) and that is truly the longest I have stuck with ANYTHING besides music, and even that was dropped with the sale of my piano years ago. (Anyone getting rid of a piano?) I still love it and still think about it and Ravelry is like too much fun... I just am scared I'm going to lose the mojo forever I guess... I don't really see it happening, but then again, maybe it starts with 1 day or 2 without knitting, then it's a week, then it's a month, and then it's gone and I have %@$%@$%%$ dollars of yarn staring at me and I'm kicking myself in the rump. (sigh) encourage me someone! pep talk please! ;-)

a very fun distraction from knitting (and other things) I found at dear marce's was this Super Fun Contest over at Amanda's a.k.a. NH Knitting Mama It was really a blast reading through her blog to find answers and there are some really great pictures throughout. I am from New England originally, so maybe I'm partial, but it was really just a blast and I think a brilliant idea! Go check it out!

I believe it was Becca that held a treasure hunt not too long ago and I loved that too! I really love the search-ey games, you guys rock!>

-kb out... and not to knit. meh.

ETA: Jacey is doing another raffle!!! I hesitate to post about it because that means less favorable odds for me, but that is just how much I love you guys (and the wondrous Jacey, too, of course!) :) Check it

my camera isn't broke!

i thought my camera was dead, but apparently it has just become picky about using rechargeable batteries. I have a green camera! speaking of green, although i am terribly behind, The Purloined Letter has been chronicling her family's efforts to be more conscientious of their choices and how they impact the environment, their community, local businesses, etc., and it has been really awesome to read and quite inspiring. I am all about the baby steps, I do use rechargeables whenever possible, and got those funky swirly light bulbs today for my office and hall (kitchen is next, Ott in the living room) and I have been really careful about my water usage (if it's yellow let it mellow, but I've been doing that for a long time,) and keeping my apartment like the batcave it is. I also accidentally realized my waste management people here do indeed pick up recycling for free, which I was thrilled about, and also have arranged for friends to get some bins. I don't read any kind of media really, be it newspapers, magazines (other than knitting related of course) or watch the news, but while waiting in a doctor's office read some interesting and disturbing articles about our environment and that, along with The Purloined Letters blog, was inspiration enough.

Well that was an unintended paragraph, but I'm glad. The real moral of the story is, though, that her blog re-ignited that "I do count" voice within me. Small changes I make really can have an impact, as can yours.

So the camera isn't broken, so I have some better pics of Monkey and Branching Out, and here they are for your viewing pleasure.

Here's Branching Out, which I realized last night actually CAN go pretty fast if you actually find time to sit down and knit on it. Interesting concept. I really wish my YO's were more even and I know blocking might aid in that a little, but other than that, I'm enjoying it thoroughly.

Here we have the Monkey. The colors are WAY better in this picture and that pleases me. It is Shepherd Sock from Lorna's, my first time using it, and I am freakin HOOKED. LOVE the stuff, Grumperina wasn't lying.

The colors are, from cuff up, Vera, Motherlode, and Mixed Berries.




And here is some recently acquired Schaefer Anne, in colors some number and some other number. (sigh, I hate that.)



Kinda neat actually, I had ordered a bunch of Lorna's and a skein of Schaefer Anne with the intention of giving it to Christine because I missed her b-day and just because she's great, but wanted her to have a choice, so let her pick between 2 and she chose the Lorna's. I really loved the Schaefer I got, but it had this copper in it that was disturbing me the more I looked at it, but it turned out Beff loved it. So on a visit to Uncommon Threads, I called her and asked if she wanted anything and told her about the wonderful Anne she had gotten from the show and she asked me to find her one like mine and I was like, well, what about just mine? Teehee. So I was then able to pick out a new hank for myself in trade for the one Beff was going to buy from me and I picked out the top one after MUCH narrowing. I started with like 8 hanks for real and it took me and 3 other people to make the final decision. I am THRILLED with the decision though. Something really neat I noticed about Anne when this was happening is if you open up the hank and hang it like over your hand or arm and hold it in some good light and like move it slowly around pulling downwards, the colors are literally breathtaking. To watch the shading that happens is like whoah. I am freakishly excited about starting socks with it, it will someday be the teosinte socks that Christine introduced me too. LOVE them.

the other hank has an adorable-on-several-levels story with it. BFF adores her birthday socks and i have been threatening to make her another pair in fingering weight yarn ever since. i have already bought enough for 2 pairs with her in mind, but since we were together at the store (total awesomeness in itself) and the Schaefer Anne had just come in from the TNNA show, I just grabbed an armful of colors I liked even a little and dumped them on the table in front of her. I was like, yo, it's sock yarn. she was tickled by this and she looked up at me and in the cutest voice was like, if I buy this, would you make me socks? And I was like OMG! Of course! BUT, I have this Branching Out I'm working on due for a birthday and then I have Sockapalooza to attend to.... it might be a little while... and she was like, will you teach me to knit socks? EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! She's since had second thoughts, especially after letting her in on the necessary techniques for sock knitting and how she'd have to start with squares and such, but I think we're getting closer to BFF knitting. But even if she never does, that's cool too, she still totally made my day by asking me to make her something, appreciating and choosing the fiber, and even considering learning, plus we had a nice time at the LYS and she got to meet Rosemary and Sarah. It was a good day. :)

and that's all for now, work beckons. :)

-kb out

ravelry

i forgot to tell you i am on Ravelry now too. here is my link, but I'm more telling you so you can go sign up if you haven't already because it is like super duper fun and addictive! AND I think my camera is officially broken, which is going to make for some boring blog entries!!! I'll see what I can do though.

-kb out

We Love Annie!

A blog has been set up for those interested to commune in support of Annie Modesitt during this difficult time for her and her family. (can I just say here I hate finding suitable adjectives for situations like this? It's impossible. "difficult," "trying," "horrendous," "heartbreaking"..... I don't want to minimize or maximize plus only Annie and her family can truly describe in this case.... I think you all understand, though.) They are accepting donations, as well as your Annie stories, cards, anything you would like to contribute really.

Also, In addition to the gorgeous pattern for donation available on Annie's Site, Main Street Yarns & Fibers is holding a Six Weeks of Socks Raffle. Each week they will be raffling off yarn along with your choice of 40" Addis or Crystal Palace DPs ending with a WONDERFUL grand prize. (Of note, the signed book as part of the grand prize was the trunk show I got to see when I met Annie at the Tampa Expo. All I can say is... gorgeous. Everything she pulled out was just incredible, using the most fresh and interesting yarns... check it out regardless, it's an awesome book

thanks everyone!!!!

-kb out