Clowns are not my thing!

I was so excited about my one ruffle potato chip scarf...but when I finished it...not so much.

LOVE how the potato chip scarf turns out and I really enjoy knitting it. I can knit it mindlessly while watching tv, or on an airplane or even while riding in a car. It is my "go to project" that can always be in my purse.

The problem with this particular one is in the color that I'm using: Malabrigo color 207
What's the problem you ask? It reminds me of this:

I don't want to look like a sad clown girl while I wear it. I'm thinking I might frog the whole thing and do it again but subtract stitches from the 20. I like the idea of it and I'd like it in ANY other color. I just can't get past the clown thing. While it is cute and several people have seen me working on it and complimented it...I just can't get past the clown thing. Here's a photo:

Lace!

Finally! I'm taking a lace class this month and I hope that it teaches me to make my nemesis the La Novia scarf. I really want to use that Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend that I have. So hopefully 4 classes will help me in my ability to make the La Novia.

We are making a scarf out of a pattern that is for a shawl. I'm not overly excited about the pattern but I am keen to learn lace, so I guess it's a trade off. The yarn we are being required to use is either Firefly or Linarte.

Originally I thought I'd go with the Firefly but many people on Ravelry have said that they don't particularly like working with the yarn so I'm wary of it now. The Linearte is pretty enough but I like the colors that my LYS has in the Firefly better. Guess I'll flip a coin. I certainly don't want to be fighting with yarn when I'm trying to learn something new. I have to decide by Wednesday so I'll report back.

Manos Del Uruguay Manos Silk Blend Multi Yarn - Wildflowers (# 3113)

Griping

I need to complain a little. It irritates me to no end when I read patterns and people say "quick knit". For whom is that a quick knit? By saying "quick knit" you are basically telling me that I suck as a knitter because that project was not a quick knit for me. Maybe change the phrasing or ad a cavate to say "quick knit - if you know what you are doing". What is a quick knit anyway? A day? A week? A month? Is it quick if it is ready in the season in which you are making it? WAY too arbitrary for me.

I was also the girl in school who preferred to fail a test with a green corrective pen rather than red. Red was like telling me that not only was I an idiot for failing, but the teacher hated me as well. Green, was sort of a lighter failure but the teacher still liked me and knew I could do better.

Just a suggestion.

Presents from China

My good friend Vickie lives in China and has been talking to me about yarn and knitting etc. She's been threatening to send me a box of mish mash which I would obviously LOVE to have. Got a note from her this morning on facebook saying that she has indeed sent my box of goodies out...but alas it has gone surface mail which takes 6 - 8 weeks. She also mentioned that she's headed to Hong Kong for a family vacay and has heard that they have nice Japanese yarns there. She'll scope out the LYS in HK and get back to me. :) I love having thoughtful friends like that!

I'll be sure to share photos when the long awaited box arrives!

Lessons in Legwarmers

So, the 4 year old refuses to wear pants to school and they eat outside. ?? While trying to talk her into some pants to cover her little legs she suggested that it would be fashionably better to wear a pair of legwarmers. (again, she's 4!)

Me: I don't know where to buy legwarmers that would fit your little legs...let's maybe just try the pants on?

Her: {looks disdainfully at the plaid uniform pants} How about if we buy yarn and you can knit me a pair????

I am not an overly lenient parent, but I do admit to picking my battles. We were at Hobby Lobby one day soon after, buying project supplies for the 10 year old, and passed the yarn isle. They both want to meander down the isle and the 4 year old comes up with a nice soft light pink bamboo and announces that this is the yarn for the legwarmers. UGH!

This is what we ended up with:

The problem is that 1) This particular bamboo isn't very stretchy 2) she wanted them above her knee which she neglected to mention before they were finished and 3) Did I mention she was 4 and picked out light pink???

We tried again with a darker blue using Comfort Solids by Berroco with the knowledge going in that she wanted them long enough to cover her knees and the dark blue would not show all the dirt from the playground.

I used Jenny's Super Stretchy Bindoff and ended up dropping two stitches but didn't notice till I was finished and had weaved in the ends. UGH! During the binding off the yarn slipped off and obviously I didn't pick it up right. Note to self: Learn to tink the JSSBO. What's a girl to do?

This particular girl goes to the LYS to see if someone there can help! Took three people and I still ended up with a knot and a loop but just gave up and wove that in. The (she's had a birthday between the pink and blue legwarmers) 5 year old loves them and all is right with the world especially since she isn't required to perpetrate a 5 year old fashion faux paux by wearing plaid pants to school. Whew...disaster averted.

Need a project for stash silk...

Things have been slow in the knitting world for me lately. My little one is sick and trying to knit with a 5 year old laying across my lap makes me want to put the size 19 Lantern Moon's through my skull. Soooooo I haven't been doing much lately and it is starting to make me cranky.

I have some bright pink Debbie Bliss Silk

that I'd like to use for a project and I just can't seem to find the right pattern. Suggestions welcome. Remember...I'm a new knitter!

I'm also itching to use my stash of Manos and pick up the La Novia again, but we all know how that turned out the first time...so I'm trying to hold off until my lace class in Feb.

Half the Calories

I love love love ruffles and have many projects queued on Ravelry that have ruffled edges. Problem is...I am daunted by casting on several hundred stitches and keeping track of decreases etc. Have I mentioned lately that I have two children and a husband? LOL Projects that I can memorize are easiest for me to accomplish. It isn't that I can't do the one ruffle scarves like this one: Just Enough Ruffles it is that I don't have the time to sit and keep track!

Trying to think outside the box I realize that the beloved Potato Chip Scarf would be great one sided. It is an easy repeat pattern except that I don't like the way it sits on the back of my neck all bunched up. What's a girl to do I ask again! Well...How about if we only did one side of the ruffle?

Here is the instructions:

CO 20 stitches

Knit 4, turn work and knit 4 back

Knit 6, turn work and knit 6 back

Knit 8, turn work and knit 8 back

Knit 20

Knit 20

Repeat pattern until desired length.

Taaaa Daaaaaa

I'll post more pics as I go along so you can see. I also plan to do this in another yarn since this one is obviously for Mardi Gras and isn't something I'd wear any time other than Mardi Gras.

A little Embroidery

I really like embroidery but my sewing space is such a mess that I have a hard time making room for a project.

We are Disney freaks and I decided to attempt to make shirts this year for my family of four as well as my parents. We'll see how that goes.

Here is a sample of the first one:

I also made a cute little embellished leotard for Z for her gymnastics birthday party. Turned out cute. (looks crooked but it isn't...just the way it is hanging)

Mardi Gras Scarf

Someone came into my LYS with a scarf that was so pretty and I came home to find the yarn and of course now I had to make it!

First time working with these big giant needles but I REALLY like them even if they are a little hard to manage because of the size.

I love the muted Mardi Gras Colors. I have to work on this when I can have access to my iPad as I'm using a stitch counter from the App Store therefore, I think this will be slow going as far as that is concerned.

Smart Knitters Rock!

Smart Knitters Rock!  Unfortunately, I am not one of them.

I saw a pattern for My So Called Scarf and I went to a knit shop in New Orleans to buy some yarn since my LYS didn't carry Manos.  Of course I bought the silk blend and not the chunky since it was softer.  Of course, the scarf did not look good in the silk blend.

As you can see, the colors were pooling horribly and it just looked flat.

The stitch pattern is a little tricky.  It is only two rows and is free here so I think it is ok if I paste it in the blog entry to show what I'm talking about.

Row 1: K1, *sl 1, K1, psso but before dropping slipped st from LH needle, k into back of it* K1.

Row 2: *P2tog, do not sl sts off needle, purl first st again, sl both sts off needle* 


Then, while searching I found a video on youtube which makes this SOOOO much easier.  Essentially coming out with the same stitch but using less/easier steps.  I have no idea what she's saying but her presentation is outstanding.  Basically it is:  S1P, K1, YO, PSSO.   That's it!   


I switched to her method and had this done in no time.  

La Novia

I ran across the La Novia scarf pattern and just love it. Emailed the site before I bought it and asked about the stitches involved. What is it about designers that they don't tell you that in advance? I don't like buying a pattern and then finding out I don't know how to do the stitches.

Tried this over and over and over and just can't seem to keep the same number of stitches on the needle. WTHeck?

LYS suggested I start with an easier lace pattern called Falling Water.

Not sure I like this one as much so I haven't really decided to follow that advice. Maybe my LYS will do a class this year.

Stitches 2011

Finally booked my room for Stitches 2011 today. Woo Hoo!

I need to decide what classes I'm taking. Too many look good but they are very pricey! I have it narrowed down to these:

Stripe it Rich

Turn Mistakes and Mishaps into Knowledge and Experience or

Preventing and Fixing Mistakes

Intentional Patterning with Hand-Dyed Yarns

We'll see which ones I finally decide on. Very excited about the market portion!

Starting again

I like to blog but generally find that various interests I have don't make enough info for one blog. I've tried many times to blog about one specific thing but inevitably I want to talk about something else but then wonder how I can talk about knitting in a blog solely about Culantro? Delete everything up until Jan 1 and will make a serious effort to just blog on this one page.

So I've named this "The World According to Me" in hopes that that should encompass anything I want to talk to myself about.