Fancy knitting supplies and fingerless gloves.

Okay, they aren't related. That's just what I'm posting about today.

The fancy knitting supplies I see whenever I go to the store. I always see something I lust after and then regretfully put aside since I know that little toddler fingers will probably get into it and wreck it in some manner.

Like those lovely ebony knitting needles I saw.

But these.. these I really lust after. Some are also ebony, but these ones have carvings! They aren't just knitting needles and crochet hooks, they are works of art. I saw them in my crochet newsletter which I happened to glance through (since I don't always read them before I mark as read, though I have back issues all saved up in my email). I try to take a glance though, and see if anything catches my eye.

This time it was a link to Dodo's Designs of crochet hooks and knitting needles (and other things) that are carved. So pretty and tempting!

Just like the jeweled/beaded/what-have-you stitch markers, which I know I'd lose. So I just use the plastic red and blue ones, or if I forget them at home a paperclip from my pocket. Yup, that's how flibbertigibbety I am. I use paperclips as stitch markers. Thankfully I haven't tried anything too complex yet.

As for fingerless gloves, I have one. The other is on the needles. Yup, using the Fetching pattern from Knitty. I love these! Such an easy pattern and though they don't look like much off your hand, they look feminine and cute on the hand.

Definitely going to make another pair for myself using some different yarn as I don't quite like how the yarn from my stash stripped up. I'm also thinking of a pair for my step-mom. She could use a pair in the winter delivering papers. She usually just wears those thin cheapo gloves, she could wear a pair of these over them and keep her hands extra toasty!

Ravenclaw is stalled. It's too hot to work on it. River Scarf is coming along a couple rows at a time, usually done in a lull or lunch break at work.

Maybe I'll actually have a project done soon. Hey, I got ONE glove finished after all!

I'm melting!!!

Yes, it is far far too hot in Western Canada at the moment. Records have been broken all over the province, 30+ celcius is a regular occurence at the moment and I feel like I'm melting.

The only plus side is that I have a/c at work so for most of the day I at least get to beat the heat.

But on to knitting things!

The scarf is coming along nicely now that I've decided not to worry so much about the mistakes I keep making. I've frogged this thing completely three times because I kept messing up and trying to go back just enough to fix it.. and then being utterly inept and unable to return it to the needles. So now I just fix what I can, how I can.

For example: I've dropped stitches twice so far while knitting on the bus, so I just did an increase to get back to the right number of stitches. that's the worst that has happened so far this go around, hopefully nothing worse will happen *knocks on wood* and things will keep moving smoothly.

I also had to adjust the pattern, because as written it doesn't work. I tried it a couple of times, it just doesn't. You see, there is a little note that I noticed saying that the pattern is a multiple of 16 + 1 stitch. If I worked it as written.. well, it was a multiple of 20 + 1 stitch. But that was easily fixed. Instead of 4 (ssk, yo) I do 3 and only 7 knits and later it's just 3 (yo, k2tog) instead of 4 and still just 7 knits.

Easy fix once I realized what was wrong. I think they just mis-typed because it's the same pattern for the storm water shawl only smaller.

In other news, it is far too hot to be thinking of fingerless gloves but I've decided to go for a different style that I saw and liked better than the ones I had started.

The Fetching from Knitty's latest issue look nicer IMO, and I think will come in handy this winter. I'll probably make up a pair for my step-mom as well, once I've tried it for me, because she delivers papers and she only has those thin gloves... a pair of these would keep the rest of her hand warm and could easily be layered over the thin cotton gloves.

Maybe next time I post I'll get up pictures for the scarf.

Farmer's Market..

So I went to the farmer's market today to check it out. It only moved closer to me about, oh, a year or so ago.

And among the fruits, vegetables, varieties of food and craftmanship I found.. yarn!

Wool, alpaca and mohair mixes, hand died by the owner of the stall and either spun or unspun so you can spin them yourself (roving I believe it's called? I have no clue about spinning, I'll just keep my finished yarn and knitting for now. Maybe when I'm more insane I'll try that ;) )

But it was gorgeous, so I think at some time I will be picking up yarn from her.

I did start my scarf with the silk/seacell stuff. It's coming along fairly well now that I have the hang of it. Looks nice too, I can't wait to finish it and wear it. Which might be awhile since I knit maybe a couple times a week when I can find a spare minute. I'm going to have to find a bag to take it with me to work on the bus in. Then maybe I'll get more of it done.

Getting started...

So now, thanks in part to being sick and having way too much time on my hands and full of antihistamines from allergic reactions, I now have a ball of yarn.

I tried to start the pattern but it's obviously not as easy as I thought, I keep losing the stitches. *sighs* I suppose this is the mix of yarn and the type of needles I have, as well as my never having worked with this before.

I'll try again when I have a longer attention span.

There's got to be a trick to it..

so I decided to try and wind that skein of lovely yarn I bought.

It's not working so well. In fact, I'm stuck. I won't post a pic, but suffice it to say it's quite snarled and I'm slowly picking away at the knots and hoping I'll have it untangeled before the summer ends.

So, anyone out there.. any tips on winding a skein into a ball? For next time that is.

I know I'll just have to be patient and work on the yarn to untangle it.

Sick sick sick..

so I'd planned to do some things this weekend. Among them being laze about and work on some projects, instead I've been fighting a fever, an ear & sinus infection and a sinus cold. So I'm right drained and NOTHING is getting done.

But that's not what I came to talk about. I came to mention that I did pick up some of that lovely, gorgeous Seasilk yarn in a scarf sized skein. It's gorgeous stuff, in a beautiful blue/purple colourway (click on colours and then the top section for the subtle series, I have ocean). I've not started the scarf with it yet, but when I've finished something else then I'll start it.

My crochet shawl is coming along nicely though, as is my Hogwart's scarf, when I manage to turn my hand to them.

Now if I could only stop coughing and shivering.

TGIF

What a week, it feels like its gone on forever.

I did make my way to Gina Brown's and nosed around for the 10 minutes I had before it closed, but they never made me feel rushed or like I had to hurry up and leave.

I saw the gorgeous sea silk yarn, and was very tempted to buy the last kit for this shawl there.

I might even just go back again on Tuesday, and if it is still there give in to my lust. Maybe.

I've also started a new project, this one crochet. It's the prayer shawl that was in the Lion Brand newsletter a couple weeks back. It's a LOT easier to crochet on the bus than it is to knit, especially since I'm not quite such a beginner crocheter thanks to Grandma shoving a hook and yarn in my hand to work while watching tv. I just need to learn how to read a pattern is all, considering I had to rip it out three times before I finally got it to work. Now it is moving smoothly though.

I also remember why I like crochet. It's much faster, or so it seems. Knitting is much smaller stitches, in comparison, to get the same length. Of course this means that crochet isn't as 'tight' or warm as knitting.

So now I have crochet for the bus (when I find a seat) and knitting for in front of the tv.

Now if I could only find the time to watch tv.

ETA: I almost forgot, tomorrow is World Wide Knit In Public Day. I'll do my best to get out there, but if it's nice I plan to be mowing my lawn and spending time with the little guy.