I love Stephanie Pearl-Mcphee's books.

I recently got Yarn Harlot, and read it, and I just got Knitting Rules! and I'm working through it.

They're hilarious, and I can relate to them. She's a great author.

Rain, rain, go away, come again another day..

There are bad days. The days when everything seems to suck, and even the weather is sad. Nothing seems appealing, and everything feels forced.

Yeah, today is a pretty sucky day.

So what do I normally do when I'm in a mood? I knit.


So after I f***ed Serpentina, and realized the pattern was weird for the Slouchy beret (and I didn't have the tools to make it less crappy), all the WIPs I had left were the 3 original ones.

The three scarves made out of three equally awful acrylic yarn. I tried working on the scarf for my nephew, and ended up angry by the fact that the yarn was waxy. Yes. It felt weird, and a little sticky, and really not fun to knit with. So I said "Does a 5 year old who lives in Los Angelasfrogged the damn thing. Same for the scarf for my niece. Ribbit, ribbit.

I left the orange scarf of doom because, well, the fun fur makes it bearable to knit. I do enjoy the fun fur on rare occasions.

And I ditched my grandmother's (knitting) needle case. It was old and made of icky canvas, and poorly made, and I dumped out the knitting needles and trashed it. And I'm going through the needles and ditching a few of those too. Blunt tip that I hate? Bye bye. Awkward short length? Ditching it. Am I ever going to willing use a size 0 needle? Nope, see ya!

~~~

So now I am on a mission to re-make a case for all my knitting needles with fabric that I like, and that's actually big enough. It's going to be pretty, and soft, and it will be perfect. (Considering my mom quilts, she has enough fabric to quilt something to cover the planet. And a sewing machine.)

I epically failed at trying to make one myself, so I'll have her make me one when she gets home next week. really need a crappy scarf?" The answer was no, and I

Ribbit, Ribbit.

I'm sure not everyone knits like me. I'm positive of it. Every knitter has a different style.

But explain to me how you think you can stretch between 14 and 18 inches of pattern of 24" circular needles. You can stretch the stitches as far apart as you'd like, but it's either not going to happen or it's going to make for some uncomfortable knitting.

In my case: very uncomfortable.

The end circumference of the ribbed portion of the hat would've been anywhere between 14 inches and 18. Trying to force that circumference over 24" circular needles and then trying to do cables every 6 stitches? Not going to fly. Malabrigo was not having it.

~~~

Oh, Malabrigo, you were going to be a beautiful slouchy beret. This wasn't your fault. The woman who created the pattern is apparently out of her mind. Not everyone is good with math, don't blame her, pretty Malabrigo. She didn't mean to make you have to swim through the frog pond. No yarn as beautiful as you wants to ever have to swim through the frog pond, but it's a part of life, we have to deal with it and move on.

~~~

I'm modifying the pattern to start with 16" circular needles, and then moving onto the 24" after the increases, and then down to the DPNs for the final stages of the decreasing. I learned my lesson, I modified the pattern, and I'm moving on. Now I just need to get my hands on some 16" US size 9 circular needles, and US size 9 DPNs..

~~~

That makes for a total of 2 projects I've frogged today -sighs- Did I mention how sad frogging makes me? Answer: a wee bit heartbroken.

Oh forgiving, gracious Gods of yarn, I know you loved me.

I got my shipment in, and as soon as I ripped it open I instantly fell in love. I saw the skein of Malabrigo for the first time, I touched it, I caressed it, I had the strange desire to roll around in in naked. It's sinfully delicious, yarn should not be this exquisite. It deserves every 'm' in the name Mmmmalabrigo (technically, it only has one 'm', but who cares).

I'm going to knit it up into the slouchy beret and I am never taking it off, and if i do, it will be to rub it lovingly up against my face. Granted, if it turns out ugly, and I hate the slouchy beret, it will be carefully frogged, rolled back into a ball, and knit into something really worthy of it's beauty. Mmmmmm.

~~~

I screwed up and ordered 24' circ. Us size 9 instead of US size 11 (like the pattern calls for). Got everything else right, except for that. I'll just improvise, it'll make a denser fabric and so It'll be warmer. It'll be fine.

~~~

Casted on, and I've got to say: I prefer circ.'s to DNPs. DPNs are weeeeiiiiirrrrrrddd. They're alright, but it makes more work because you have to shift the stitches after every needle of rows, and it's a huuuuuge pain in the neck.

Speaking of pain in the neck, I have this weird pain in the muscles by my right collar bone.. Some sort of strange knitter's cramp or something? I have no idea. It's weird though.

~~~

Do you see how pretty this yarn is? Because if you've never encountered this yarn before, you have no idea. It's like comfort food, sex, a power nap, and an A on that tricky math quiz. Yeah, it's that good. It's beautiful, and soft, and pretty, and yeah. It's fantastic.

I'm willing to bet it's softer than babies. Maybe that's pushing it, I'm not sure yet, but it's reeeaaaallllyyyy soft.

~~~

This pattern is a breeze. It's just some simple cables, a bit of increasing and decreasing, and that's it. You only knit with the DPNs for 5 rounds, and then you move onto the circ.'s, which are lovely.

~~~

I'm pretty sure you could knit on branches from rosebushes with this yarn, and it would still turn out great. That's how wonderful this yarn is.

~~~

Go out and buy about 500 hanks immediately, fill an empty room with them, take your clothes off, and roll around naked in the yarn. Yeah, it's that good.

Frogged the hell out of Serpentina.

I was at the end of a row and realized I'd forgotten all of my yarn overs. Between losing the ssk(s) and the k2tog(s) from the row I got a bit angry and decided to frog the thing. I suppose I can take this is a good thing, learn from my mistakes, and re-do it in a way where it's better. At least I can start over with a clean slate and no mistakes in it (yet).


Ugh, I hate frogging stuff. People say frogging can be uplifting, but it just makes me sad and angry a bit.


I'm going to go read a book about knitting. Today is not going very well so far.

(And where the F*** is my other package from Webs, I want to get started on that hat. UGH)

Ooh, looks fun.

Bold for stuff you've done, italics for stuff you plan to do one day, and normal for stuff you're not planning on doing.

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with bananafiber yarn
Domino knitting (=modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffitti knitting: knitting items on, or to be left on the street
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Household items: dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies...
knitting socks- or other small tubular items- on two circulars
Dying with plant colours
Knitting items for a wedding
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else's handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with selfpatterning/selfstriping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/armwarmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

Day 2 of Soft Brick Scarf

The scarf is going well. I got through the first Section 1, Section 2, another Section 1, and I'm working on Section 2 again. It's great, except for one thing.

It's reeeeaaaalllyyyy repetitive. Enough that I stop focusing, thinking I know what I'm doing, then I look down and realize I've knitted the wrong row. Poo. So It's complicated enough to have to at least half-focus on, but not complicated enough to keep me from day-dreaming. It's going well so far, it looks just the pattern says it is supposed to, which is always a good sign.

I already know I'm going to need to block it though, but blocking is magic, so I'm okay with that.

I think I may need reading glasses :/

I quickly learned that I am so not capable of reading a pattern off my computer. All the little abbreviations all start to mesh together and it gives me a headache(kind of, but not really though). So then I put up a post-it note on the computer under the line of the pattern I was working on, but then I started forgetting what line I was on since the pattern was like "Row(s) 1, 3, 5, 7.." and I got a wee bit confused.

Want to know how I fixed it? I found a blank notebook, and decided to write the pattern down in a way that (a) didn't confuse me, and (b) was super easy to read. I. Am. A. Genius. (probably not since I'm sure that someone has done this kind of thing before, but whatever, I am proud of myself)

~~~

I decided that since I got my yarn today I might as well cast on for Serpentina, and I did. The pattern requires US 7 needles, which I'm sure I had since I have a million pairs of knitting needles, and I went off to search for the pair I needed. I came back in shock because I had one lone US 7 needle. Pffft, what the heck! I have plenty of 8's and plenty of 6's, where on earth did the other 7 go? Where did all the 7's go for that matter? Oh well. I ended up deciding to use Us 6 needles, and I'm glad I did.

~~~

I finished the first Section 1, and it's going really well. I know what all the little abbreviations mean, and I know how to do them (done them before, actually, but that's another story) so I think this is going to be a great first real project! I'm really excited.

I am slightly scared that this scarf is going to end up being 9 ft. long like that pattern says, but I figure I might just end it short. Or not, if I don't then I can wrap it loosely around my neck more then once, which will be nice and cozy.

^^^ It's what I have so far, and I know it looks wimpy right now, but it was achieve greatness someday :)

MY PACKAGES CAME IN!

Grandpa: "Hey, Alex?"
Me: "Yeah.."
Grandpa: "I've got some packages for you."
Me: "Yeah, uhh, thanks -- Wait, WHAT?!" -sprints down stairs- "These weren't supposed to get here until Friday! *squeals*"

I am officially convinced that some days, everything seems to go right. Like today for example: I finally got my yarn. And it confirmed what I already knew for the most part: I love yarn. Some might call it an irrational love, but it's love just the same. I love getting the shipments in, I love photographing it for blogging purposes, and I love feeling it's softness.


This is Elann Incense in Brick. It's a smidge darker in real life, but just as beautiful. It's 50% wool, 25% silk, and 25% bamboo for all less than $5 a ball! It's incredibly soft, and preeettyy :)

This would be the Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light in Potting Soil Mix. It's a bit darker than in the picture, but not by much. (apparently my camera doesn't photograph yarn well, darn) I'm not entirely sure what I want to do with it yet, but I think it will require more than one hank, it's teeny.
I've already decided to get 6 more hanks and turn this into the February Lady Sweater. It's pretty must a done deal. it's fluffy, soft, and pretty much love in a hank. And it's such a beautiful color.

Okay, it looks gray (which is weird) when it's actually a deep forest green. It seems like a nice, sturdy yarn. And it's smoooooth.



This is the beginning of a beautiful stash :) Now all I'm waiting for is the lone package with the ingredients to the slouchy beret I can't wait to cast on.

NEWBIE!

I'd like to explain something right now: I am an amateur. I love knitting, I know the magic of it, and I drool over yarn porn as much as the next guy; but I am an amateur. Sure, I am a complete rock star when it come to scarves made entirely out of garter stitch. I know by way around stockinette, and I've toyed around with ribbing. I'm still fumbling around the way of the knitting world, but I have high hopes that someday I can knit up a cabled cardigan like the best of em'(which will be nice, since as of now: I've never even tried knitting cables)

I'm willing to try any pattern once, and you can count that I'll be blogging about how well (or not) it goes and I will be laughing at myself and cursing throughout the entire process. I'll be putting up lots of pictures and telling every hilarious tale I go though.

But I am indeed a newbie, and I hope I won't be for long.



P.S. All my orders have officially shipped and I finally caved and bought a copy of Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter and I'm pretty excited about it. I read the first few pages, and I can't wait to get it.

Current Orders I'm Expecting

4x Elann Incense in Brick
4x Elann Super Cable Aran in Cedar Green
1x Berroco Peruvia in Aquamarina
1x Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light in Potting Soil Mix
1x Malabrigo Worsted in Indigo
US size 11, 24" circ.
US size 10, 8" DPNs
stitch markers

I can't wait to get my shipments, I'm pretty pumped.

Well, poo!

"I'm writing to inform you that, unfortunately, one or more items that you requested are on backorder at this time. We do not currently have an estimate for when the back ordered merchandise will be back in stock. On average, it can take 2-3 weeks for most back orders, but some items can take longer."

2-3 weeks! I am in no way, shape, or form patient enough to wait 2-3 more weeks for my beautiful Malabrigo Worsted Yarn! Poo. I ended up calling customer service and changing my order to that instead of the color being Bobby Blue, I'd get Indigo, because indigo is in stock and therefore I can get it sooner. That stinks a bit, but, *squeals* I get my yarn in about 4-5 days along with the rest of my order. I'm pleased, and the indigo is a nice color.

WAHOO! First post. -tasteful happy dance-

So, I suppose this is the beginning of my knitting blog.


"Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.." (sorry, couldn't help myself)


I'll be posting nifty pictures of yarn porn, (which is the best thing in the world, by the way) pictures of my WIPs, and I'll be keeping you up-to-date on all my FOs. I'll be pointing out the abbreviations, and tell you what the heck they mean because I wouldn't want you to be confused.


My Ultimate Yarn Bin is still in the works, but I ordered some Elann Incense last night along with some Super Cable Aran. I'm still waiting for my shipping notice from Webs, I have a whole beautiful shipment from them coming in real soon.. Hopefully.


So these are my current WIPS:

This one is going to (someday) be a scarf for my nephew, he likes blue and green.
This is another scarf made with cheap orange yarn and fun-fur. I do love me some fun fur.
And guess what?.. another scarf. This time for my niece, considering she's all over pink and purple.

~~~

I wasn't truly aware how much I loved knitting until about a week ago, and up until then I'd been using cheapy-cheap-crap-yarn. All of my WIPs are made of such yarn, and therefore, are driving me insane with they're weird cheap feel(but my niece and nephew won't care because hey, they're cool, and mom will like them because she can throw them in the wash!). PLUS, they're all made entirely out of garter stitch which is nice sometimes, but after a few rows you want to blow out your brains. I need something to occupy my time and also keep my brain functioning or else I may just jam a knitting needle into my eye, thus into my brain.

~~~

My favorite knitting blog is definitely Half Assed Knit Blog. Too lazy to look it up? Why, here you go, a link! Click it, put your mouse-thing over it and click it, NOW. She's got great patterns, hilarious commentary, and just a pretty sweet blog. She only updates it about every.. once in a blue moon, but it's worth it.

~~~

I'll be posting again with some beautiful yarn porn as soon as I get the shipments in (about a week or so)



WIP: work in progress
UFO: unfinished object
FO: finished object
DPN: double-point needles
SPN: single point needles
yarn porn: beautiful pictures of yarn that are drool-worthy
yarn-bin: the safe-keeping place of my yarn

(if I forget to explain an abbreviation or a term, either tell me or look it up)