Point by Point

There’s lots of random stuff going on lately, but I just haven’t felt like writing, so I guess we’ll compromise with a laundry-list entry. How’s that?

  • I think I ate my weight in Buffalo wings this weekend at the Ulster County Wing Fling on Sunday. But we all had a great time and found a couple new restaurants to check out.
  • I am catching up on my gift knitting. In a few weeks I should have quite a few FOs to post.
  • My cloths for the Dishcloth Swap are knit, yarn is bought, patterns are purchased. I just have to round out the package with some soap and a few treats and it will be on its way to my partner!
  • I think on Saturday I am going to Webs. I have a couple things I am looking for specifically for me, and then I plan to finish shopping for my SP10 Pal and find something yummy for my Tea Swap partner as well. I hope I don’t pass out from the excitement of all that yarn.
  • I can’t believe it’s almost Memorial Day weekend already! I also can’t believe that our 6 year wedding anniversary is coming up!
  • I’m finding myself drinking a lot more coffee than tea lately. Wonder why that is?
  • I’m really behind on answering e-mails, so if you’re expecting to hear from me, give me a couple more days. I promise to catch up!

Spring Into Summer Contest

My hostess is having a little contest, so here are my answers to her questions!

1) What is one baked item you love making or buying and why? Pie! I love baking pies and I always feel that since there is fruit in them, at least I’m getting a little bit of something nutritious.

2) What is one item you love to knit and why? Felted bags. I just think the transformation of the wool is fascinating! Plus, they’re useful.

3) Favorite outdoor activity and why? When we lived in a neighborhood with sidewalks, I loved going for walks because I got to be nosy and chat with neighbors, see what everyone was planting in their gardens, and just enjoy some fresh air at a leisurely pace. Now… hm, does playing on the swingset with the boys count?

4) Favorite way to relax? Glass of wine and some knitting (of course!)

Knitting Meme-age

Because I’m in like three different knitting swaps right now I have had the pleasure of discovering a bunch of new knitting blogs! The talent out there is just astounding to me. I can only hope that someday I am half as good a knitter as some of these people are. Wow. And while I was clicking on everyone’s links over the past few days I came accross this, and thought it would be fun for me and absolutely boring for anyone not interested in knitting, so it shall go under the cut:

Mark with bold the things you have ever knit, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest:

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch Continue reading Knitting Meme-age

Spring Into Summer Questionnaire

So, since SP10 will be over by the time I’m sending this out, I decided to go ahead and join the Spring Into Summer Dishcloth Swap. I do love knitting those little guys up, and it sounds quick, cheap, and fun. Here is the required questionnaire:

1. When did you learn to knit? Who taught you? – I first gave knitting a go in January 2005, but couldn’t get the hang of it. I picked it up again later that year, determined to figure it out. And on Thanksgiving Day 2005, with the help of my husband’s aunt, I was well on my way.

2. What was your very first completed object? Your most recent? My first completed object was a coaster. My latest, a Ballband dishcloth.

3. What was the very first thing you sent to the frog pond? (pulled out and started over) Your most recent? What is currently on the needles for you? The first thing I frogged was probably this fuzzy scarf, which taught me an important lesson about novelty yarns. My latest? I could not figure out how to correct several mistakes on the Flower Basket Shawl I was working on, so rip, rip, rip, it went. I’m going to pick it up again after I finish the scarf I’ve currently got on the needles (which is much further along that in that photo).

4. What types of needles do you enjoy working with? What have you tried and hated? Have you knit dishcloths before? What was your favorite one? Least favorite? I knit almost everything with my Denise needles. They’re so light and I really like the resin (or whatever they technically are made of). I enjoy using bamboo needles as well — my DPNs are mostly bamboo. I don’t really like aluminum needles because I find my wrists get achy after knitting with them for a length of time. The exception, however, is dishcloths — I love knitting dishcloths on aluminum needles because I find the cotton slides easier. I have knit many, many dishcloths. It’s my favorite “go to” project when I want to knit something, but I’m not sure what, and I want a quick sense of satisfaction. It’s hard to pick a favorite because I’ve enjoyed so many. Garterlac was a fun pattern, and even though those K3tog’s nearly killed me, I love the way Dishpan Bubbles came out. My least favorite? I started knitting one with a lighthouse design, and I just didn’t like the way it looked.

5. Do you use homemade dishcloths or face cloths yourself, or give them as gifts, or both? Both!

6. What are your favorite and least favorite scents? (For your body, such as soap/lotion/etc) I tend to like lighter fragrances — vanilla and lilac are my two favorites. I also like rose and sandalwood. My least favorite is lavander — I HATE it.

7. What are your favorite colors?I like earth tones and jewel tones best, but the only colors I really don’t like are really obnoxious neons.

8. What colors (if any) are your bathroom and kitchen decorated in? Bathroom: sage green, olive green, and purple. Kitchen: burgundy, taupe, cream, hunter green.

9. What other hobbies and crafts do you enjoy? Cooking, wine tasting, reading, writing.

10. Chocolate: Dark? White? Milk? Ew? I prefer dark chocolate and don’t really care for white chocolate. I enjoy milk chocolate, too, though.

11. Do you like salty treats? What kinds? I love different kinds of potato chips — they’re probably my favorite salty treat (though one I don’t indulge in that often).

12. If you could go anywhere in the world for one day and spend the day any way you wanted, where would you go and what would you do? If it was just one day, I think I’d spend it in Paris eating Croque Monsieurs, people watching, drinking wine, and strolling along the Seine. I love all things French!

13. Do you have any allergies? (Yarns, foods, etc. that might impact what your pal can send) Not really.

Naima

Today I started a scarf with the bamboo yarn I got from my SP10 Pal. This pattern is so great — mindless enough, but I’m not bored (yet). I am loving the way the yarn knits up (though it is a little splitty when knitting), and this should be a great summer scarf for chilly evenings

Pattern: here
Yarn: Classic Elite Bamboo
Needles: Denise size 6

Thank you so much, Secret Pal!!!

OK, I am the lucky girl today! I have really been wanting to knit with bamboo yarn and my amazing secret pal sent me some (and in a gorgeous color!!!). Not to mention the pink (looove the pink!) stitch markers and goat’s milk soap in an absolutely delicious scent. Plus, the vintage-y postcard really made me laugh. (It’s a style I buy for friends a lot — we must have the same tastes!). Thank you so, so much! I can’t wait to find a project for this silky, soft, absolutely yummy yarn!

Flash Your Stash!

I guess it’s unofficial this year, but I’m doing the whole “Flash Your Stash” thing anyway. Holy cow, I have a lot more yarn than I though I did. I’ve annotated all my photos on Flickr, so go ahead and click through if you want.

Let’s start with the acrylic and novelty yarns and get those out of the way, shall we?
Flash Your Stash - Acrylic/Novelty Yarns

These I bought recently and very specifically to use as icing for my knit cupcakes.
Flash Your Stash - More Novelty Yarn
Sock/Lace Yarn – If anyone is interested in trading for the two skeins of Dancing and one skein of Magic Stripes, let me know. I just will not ever be a sock knitter and don’t know what else to do with them.
Flash Your Stash - Sock/Lace Yarn (mostly)

I was going to blame Mason-Dixon Knitting for this, but my mom actually got me knitting dishcloths before I ever even heard of the book or website, so Ma? This is all your fault:
Flash Your Stash - Cotton

And finally, my wool and alpaca and various blends containing both/either. Hmm… should I make the rug or the tote from “One Skein?”
Flash Your Stash - Wool/Alpaca

And there you have it. Yarn. And lots of it.

Flower Basket Shawl – Progress

I had high hopes of knitting a lot at work today, but other things came up and I didn’t really get much done at all. However, here I am, 16 rows into the Flower Basket Shawl. I think I’m doing this right. (I hope I’m doing this right!) I’ll feel a bit more confident after I have a few more inches, I think. So far I’m enjoying it. It’s keeping my interest and I love the pattern. As for the stats:

Pattern: Fiber Trends Flower Basket Shawl
Yarn: KnitPicks Shadow (Redwood Forest Heather)
Needles: Denise Size 5

Hopefully I’ll get some knitting time in tomorrow night. I am really eager to make headway on this project!