Charade

I feel like some of my socks take on a personality all of the their own. My first pair ever where the Roza's socks. They had a thing for Kirk Douglas.

These are my Charades. They are from Arizona. Being that I bought the yarn there. What do a pair of socks from AZ do in California? Why, go to the beach of course. They had a pretty good time sun bathing and building a sand castle. Of course, you couldn't get them within 30 feet of the water. They did bring their very own matching beach towel. And then they became completely annoyed with the other sunbathers and their fat-free, tan selves. It's only April. No one should be tan yet.

Pattern: Charade by Sandra Park (queue)
From: I May Be Knitting a Ranch House
Yarn: Colinette Jitterbug in Ginger Cinnabar

I Got Lost

I didn't realize it until I realized it. I haven't posted for a while and I apologize. But hopefully I can make up for it. I've got a question, a sneak peak, a story and a teaser.

First off, I've been having a little knitting anxiety. I have all this stash and I can't seem to knit through it enough. I've got one project that I don't feel like finishing. This is not acceptable if you know me. Then there are all these beautiful sock yarns. There are some things that can wait until winter, but I feel bad. I want to do so many projects that I don't even have yarn for yet. There is just too many beautiful things out there. I really have a sweater bug. Being that I want to make a sweater. Yeah, it was like 80 degrees F, today. I think I solved that problem with the sneak peak of the Interweave Knits, Summer 2008. I bought yarn for the Wallis Cardigan. Aaagghh. More Stash!

So, my question is how do you deal with your stash? Do you just ignore it or actually work through a project before buying more?

Onward to a little of the stash that has been getting used up. I finished the Charade socks (next post I'll tell you all about them.) And then there is this. It's not a popular pattern, but it is very beautiful. I've finished the knitting of the Daphne Purse from Knitting Little Luxuries. I could go on talking about it, but should wait until I can show you the finished product. Here is a shot a corner with the ribbons and liner that I am going to be using. I bet you can't wait. Well, I can't. So, here's my story. I love it when I see people get busted by Cops. I hate it when they bust me. After work, I was running to Del Taco. I made a right turn at a red light. I know that at some intersections you are not allowed to, but I don't remember seeing a sign. As I was turning a cop coming from the direction I was turning did a U-turn right where I was. Thoughts in my wee little head: "OMG, did I turn when I'm not suppose to?" "Oh, he's talking on his cell phone?" "Is he going to hit me?" "Get out of the way , get out of the way, get out of the way."

Turns out the car I pull in behind must of had something about it that the fine officer of the City of Los Angeles (my view only because he wasn't busting me) didn't like. The other guy knew he did something he shouldn't, because he was trying to pull into an apartment complex with a gated garage. "Damn it, what's the code again."

So, as I pulled out of Del Taco with my tacos and french fries, yum!, I saw this. Thugs in back of cop car, officer digging through front seat of car. Red light long enough for me to get a picture. My guess is that it was a stolen vehicle packed full with drugs. hahahaha Finally, my teaser. I realized earlier this month that April is my one year blogiversary. (Yeah, I back posted) I've been working on a new template for the blog. I thought that it would be fun to make a couple of options. Then I would let all of you vote on the one you like best. Afterwards, a name will be drawn and a prize will be won. So, keep your eyes for it.

Ascot Fin

I finished the Huckleberry Ascot. The only frogging that was done was about four bobbles. I' have never imagined myself a bobble fan, but being that I have never made one, I didn't want to act like my four year old and say I don't like everything I haven't tried yet. This project simply verified for me that I indeed do not like bobbles. I just made a ruffle edge and I'm very happy with the finished product.It's still a little to tight on my neck for me. But if I use a mirror and position the ends just right, I think that it looks very nice and I don't feel like I'm being strangled. I'm not sure if too much more length would of been good esthetically.

Pattern: Huckleberry Ascot by Kat Coyle

From: Interweave Knits, Holiday 2007

Yarn: Malabrigo Worted Merino in Alpine Pearl

Either way, I've got a little stash busted and a cool scarf to match a jacket of mine when it gets cold around here again.

The Botanical Garden

I had the beginning of the week off from work, so Haley and I had some fun. Yesterday, we went to the South Bay Botanical Garden. This was thanks to the recommendation of Carrie. The ladybugs were everywhere. And really, if you are going to like an insect, a ladybug is the one to like. This is my favorite picture. I like this picture because when you click on it, all that fuzzy becomes the fine detail of the flowers and leaves and ladybug is so smooth and shiny.This little guy came out to say hi to us, but it was actually the squirrels we had the most fun with. The ducks were very snobby and would only eat the bread we gave them after we left to feed the squirrels. And the lizards were just their cool "Hey, look at me! I'm gonna go hide under a rock again."Just to keep with the floral theme. It turns out flowers have personalities, too. Mine is the most similar to a Canna.

I am a Canna What Flower Are You?

"You stand up for what you believe in, even if it gets in the way of what other people think. You are proud of yourself and your accomplishments and you enjoy letting people know that."

Trip to Tehachapi

Haley and I got started on the rest of our trip to Tehachapi on Saturday morning. She opted for the scenic route through the windmills. The road we took was used by Red Hot Chili Peppers to film Scar Tissue. Things that make Tehachapi unique? They have the Tehachapi Loop, one of two loops in the world where a train will pass over itself. They have a maximum security prison that a lot of famous criminals have stayed in. And they have the windmills. Outside of that, not much. One thing that Tehachapi doesn't have, a freakin' yarn shop. I googled it, but I guess I should of called. I didn't because I knew where the shop was, it just closed when the owner decided to retire. I was kinda bummed, but it gave me more time to visit with friends.

This did give me a laugh though. It's my old apartment, the ground level corner apartment. I paid $300 a month 9 years ago for that place and it's huge. I think that they haven't raised the rent much, cause it is now ghetto central. I like the flattened truck parked on the empty lot next door. The front yard of the complex has one of those EVERY weekend yarn sales. I think they have to rent another apartment to store all the crap that was out there when they aren't trying to sale it. The guy that lives up stairs got all super paranoid when I was taking this picture. I had to wait for him to leave for fear of him going psycho on me.Haley and I took of to my nephew's birthday party after that. It's the whole reason for the trip and it was fun. I got some pretty cool pictures of the cake. Here's a plane taking off. Coming in for a landing. Being attacked by freakishly large space dinosaurs. Okay, I only included this picture so you could see what the cake looks without all the weird angles. My nephew had a blast setting up this shot though.Sunday was a real blast. I went to the knit group on the way home. It was my first time meeting up with knitters that I've meet through blogging/Ravelry. Everyone was so nice.I ended up hanging out with Leesa(who invited me) and Melodie. She was making her first sock ever and I helped her out. I get so excited when I get to teach someone the stuff I know about knitting. I gave her some tips on picking up the gusset stitches so there are no holes and other stuff like that.

I had a wonderful time and want to thank all the girls of the Knotty Knitters of the AV for letting me hang out.

A day with Esmeralda

I'm heading up to my old stomping grounds of Tehachapi, CA. I haven't been there in years, and my nephew's birthday party is the perfect reason to make the drive. Of course, I headed up early and stayed with my friend, Es, in my not as old stomping ground, Lancaster.

My first stop, The Yarn Palette. It's a cute little shop that is still in their first year of business and working out all the kinks. She said that it was a bit of a shocker to the knitting community. There are not many knitting resources outside of the Red Heart selection at Walmart. I felt so bad for the town missing out on all the wonderful yarns and so happy that Melissa is bring it to them.She is so sweet. Very excited that I came by being I live 90 miles away. She is partially deaf, but left her aid dog at home today so she could care for these little kittens. One of her neighborhood cats abandoned between her backyard fence and the neighbor brick fence. So, after tearing out a ton of wood, that her boyfriend will undoubtedly be fixing this weekend, she saved these little critters. They were at the shop for feedings every 30 minutes and waiting for an Abandoned Cat Shelter from Van Nuys to pick them up. I have to say these little guys made going to the yarn shop for an hour fun for Haley. And I walked away with yummy sock yarn. Rio de la Plata Merino Sock in Slate Rose. After my yarn detour, it was off to Es'. As I pulled up, she was apologizing for forgetting about her scrapbooking group. She has been trying to get me to do this for years. I've been insisted that I don't have the patience to pull out a ton of supplies, spent 2 hours decorating a piece of paper just to spend 30 minutes cleaning up. (Portability and lack of clean up are some of the things that make knitting so great.) She insisted I do something and even gave me a very nice book to start me off. I tried to explain how I would have nothing to put in the book. You see I just made these last Christmas.I went on Shutterfly.com and put together little digital photobooks. They are for every two years. I don't want to go out of the pattern and start making scrapbooks for the next years. Turns out they have a similar program, or you can buy the fancy program and be able to do more cut and pasting and what not. I said maybe when it is time to make the next photo book. In the meantime, I still have the book Es gave me. We finally decided that I would put Haley's professional portraits in it. So, I walked away with a book, paper samples for brainstorming, a catalog to order the paper I decide to use and the promise that I would come to the group a few times this summer to make a scrapbook. I spent the rest of the time knitting. Look!!!! I turned my heel.Finally, we wrapped up the night at the Lancaster CHP office. No, we weren't caught driving crazy and hauled off by the Highway Patrol. Here is Es' husband, Chris, cleaning the windows of his cruiser. She wanted me to see her man in uniform. I felt like a delinquent running around the CHP parking lot taking pictures. My juvi self wish I had some toilet paper and eggs. I do have to say this wasn't my fault.Sadly, this was almost Chris. Some drunk ran a red light and hit Chris's partner driving right behind him. The driver, Vicki, is okay and I actually got to meet her, too. She's a scrapbooker.

So, what did I learn today? People in the Antelope Valley like to scrapbook more than they knit.

Huckleberry Ascot

I've finished all of my Huckleberry Ascot but the ruffle last night. I had to stop here because my perfectionist self isn't happy. I love the look of the material and the the striping goes vertical because it is knit along the length. It'll look cool when the ruffle is added in the opposite direction. The thing that stopped me was that I don't like the way it wears. The malabrigo is far to stiff. There is no drape at all and I think that it came out a little short. Makes it harder when I tie it around my neck. My brain just wanted to rip the whole thing out. Knit it longer and thinner and work the bobbles as I go. But I decided to sleep on it for a weekend or twenty.

This morning was more optimistic. I tried it on again using the bathroom mirror. I've decided that I am going to add the ruffle anyways. Then I am going to try to stretch the length by blocking. I think that this will work if I just use a mirror when put it on and then leave it. The material is stiff enough that it is not going to move. Anything to not have to reknit it, but I want to make sure that I will use it. Otherwise, what's the point in knitting it, right? Sometimes it is nice knowing that I have a mini-me that I can pass just too small stuff to.

On second thought, I wonder if all of this could of been avoided if I gauged first. Let me check.

dum dum dee dumm lalalala (elevator music)

hmmm my gauge is a little bit too small. bummer.

I Love Ravelry

I have had the most fun with Ravelry in the last15 hours.

It started when I was checking my inbox. kazamkyz asked me if I really used 1 skein to make knee high socks. It turned into a fun conversation. She discribes herself as "I’m an American in, no, not Paris, but Almaty, Kazakhstan!" I had to google where Kazakhstan is. I don't think that I will be visiting her LYS any time soon. It is so neat meeting such cool knitters.

While all of this was going on, I was checking out the forums in my groups. I came across woodysgal in the Twist forums. She's from Redondo Beach and now lives in the Antelope Valley. I moved from the Antelope Valley to Redondo Beach. We're opposites. I asked her where her favorite LYS was because I am actually going to be up there for the weekend. I started knitting after moving, so I have no idea what the yarn situation is up there. She recommended a shop and then invited me to her knit group this Sunday. OMG, I could pee my pants. Knitting shop and a group. I can hardly hold it in. Then she pointed out that she's a Knotty Knitter of the AV and I'm a Manhattan Beach Knotty Knitter. She's like my AV twin. That and there aren't that many creative knitting names for groups out there.

So, what do I do with all of this enjoyment that I have received from Ravelry. Why I Ravelraiser it. This morning I got online and donated. Natalie pointed it out to me at work yesterday and thought about all of the enjoyment the two of us get from this website. So far, Ravelraiser 08 has taken Ravelry out of the red and you get a raffle ticket to win really cool prizes.

Simply Lovely Lace Socks I

Hi, this is Haley. I asked my Mom to make me some socks, now! So she did. I love them. I even walked around the house for three days wearing only one sock while I waited for the other. I have fun with my new socks. Mom says that they make my feet look like candy and she tries to eat them. I also like that the bottom part is so smooth and the top part is all bumpy. It's funny. Okay, talk to you later.

Pattern: Simply Lovely Lace Socks by Karen Baumer
From: Interweave Knits, Spring 2006
Yarn: ToFutsies in Off on the Right Foot

Spiral Boot Socks

I have finally finished the Spiral Boot Socks. The ones that I started back in August. I guess the Monkey socks got me onto a little sock kick. I am glad to have these done, and I am never going to make another pair of high socks. Or at least not until I get a bug for some yarn that is asking me to make them into knee high socks.

Pattern: Spiral Boot Socks by Veronik Avery
From: Interweave Knits, Summer 2007
Yarn: SWTC ToFutsies in Light Pink, 1 ball

They do look cute under my boots though. Now I just have to work on my tan. It is kinda nice how the pale, soft pink sock matches the pasty, white glare of my legs. Once I put on my boots, all of the work seem to be worth it. They look so cool.And I managed to get all of it done with the one ball of ToFutsies. I can't believe how much yarn was in it. I also had an unused ball to take back and exchange.

In The Meantime

I finished my Spiral Boot Socks. I would love to share them with you, except I seem to be having a hard time getting a picture that I like. I may have to borrow my neighbor tomorrow to take a good picture.

In the meantime, I will share this.

You know those shoes that you loved as a kid and wanted to wear them everywhere? They were the cheap plastic, heeled, dress up shoes that made you fell like a princess. Well, my daughter has several pairs of these. It makes me a little nervous sometimes because we have so much tile in our house and I am waiting for her to slip an hit her head.

It seems that what I should of been worrying about was the bathroom scale. She was goofy off, watching me go my hair and climbing all over everything in those darn shoes. The next thing we know is that there is a loud pop and the heel of her shoes cracked the plastic window in half. You know, the window that never tells you what you want to hear.

I wasn't too worried about the scale. I only own it because my husband wanted to
monitor my weight gain while I was pregnant. He uses it more than I do. But, little Haley was very upset that it had gotten broken. So, I had to dig out the super glue. Now instead of looking at the red line, you get to guess which number is under all the sloppily placed glue.