Knitting Tea Drinker

I am a ppphhhhwinner!

2007-04-12T13:43:00.000-05:00

I won! I won, I won, I won! (And yes, I am going to brag because I never win anything)! The rockin sock club blog has been having strange problems with the letter "w," and it seems that anyone who starts a post with this letter cannot receive comments to their post. No one knows why, it just is "wonky." So Tina from Blue Moon ran a contest, that the most creative responses to the wonky blog problem would win a free skein of STR in the Waterlilies colorway (starting with a "w" of course.). And for some reason creativity or luck was on my side that day and I won a free skein of STR in Waterlilies!

I have to say that this yarn is beautiful in person. Too pretty for my feet - so I am on the search for a perfect pattern (a beaded lace wrap is coming to mind?). Anyway, here it is... waiting for the perfect pattern. I'm in no hurry to knit it though - I can just stare at it like this for a while.

Noni Garden Party Nightmare

2007-04-01T14:58:00.000-05:00

Last spring, when I saw the new Noni Garden Party Bag pattern, I had to make it. I just imagined taking this bag to an afternoon tea, a wedding, bridal or baby shower, or any other girly event. I envisioned the bag in pink, which is not normally my color scheme, but for some reason, pink seemed right for this bag. So I bought the yarn and pattern and came home and finished the bag portion in a weekend, and started the flowers. Ugh, 9 flowers. The flowers were just not fun to knit. One, two, three even - fine. But 9? I got tired of knitting the flowers and so the bag sat until the first sign of this spring, when I made it my mission to finish.

So I knitted the rest of the flowers, prohibiting myself from picking up another project until this bag was finished (being knitted anyway). So I finished the 9 flowers and the bag, pictured here before felting (matchbox car for size reference).

Now, I had read about after-felting problems with the gigantic size of the flowers on other blogs, but I didn't think it would happen to me. I have had great experience with felting cascade 220, and my projects always came out to the finished size. The bag felted great. The flowers, not so. The flowers were huge after felting. So big, that they were half the size of the bag, not nearly the small cuteness on the pattern photo. So I felted for 4 hours! Put them in my dryer! Let them dry in plastic cups (to try to squish the petals down). Those suckers were not getting any smaller. After stressing about what to do, I decided to take a pair of scissors to the flowers and cut the petals down. I have never cut felted material, but I had read it would work. It did work for the most part - the flowers were smaller, but now a little rough around the edges and they lost the curl of the petals. Still, the flowers were too big. I sewed 5 flowers on my bag, and they just overpowered the whole bag. And I had to sew them so close together to be able to get 9 flowers on there, they didn't even look like flowers any more. So now what to do.

My last ditch effort to save this bag is to just sew one flower on the bag, and leave it at that. So if anyone has any suggestions how to fix this bag (without knitting 9 flowers again), please suggest away. Any ideas what can you do with 8 felted flowers?

Overall, I would say that the noni pattern wasn't the greatest. I have read other people's blogs about the same problem, and the pattern overall was at times wordy and confusing. The noni bags sure are adorable on the pattern photos, but mine didn't come out anywhere near as cute. Once I finish the bag, I'll put a photo (but I broke my vow and started knitting other things). The noni is sitting again - maybe until next spring.

Doin' the Jitterbug!

2007-04-01T14:53:00.000-05:00

Yay, finally a picture. Here is my finished Colinette Jitterbug socks in the Mardi Gras colorway. The yarn is nice and heavy, and has a nice springy-ness to it. I followed the pattern on the label exactly for the large size, using US #1 needles. I had a little yarn left over, enough for probably another inch on both socks. Had I not worried about running low on yarn, I would have chosen a heel pattern, perhaps an eye of partridge heel. Still, a nice sock and definitely bright and colorful!

Rockin Sock Victory

2007-03-23T11:10:00.000-05:00

I was so excited for my first Rockin Sock kit. For anyone who is in the club, you know all of the kinks that Blue Moon went through to get the club off the ground this year. The first kit was exciting - a toe-up pattern, which was entirely new to me. Short row toe, endless rows of ribbing, short row heel, and a cabled leg. Brilliant! But... knitting it wasn't quite as exciting. As many members did, I had problems with the cabling of the leg. All of a sudden my beautifully-fitting ankle sock didn't fit once the leg was on. The cables were too tight. Frog #1. I started the heel again, figuring maybe to go up a needle size. Still tight fit. Frog #2. Started heel again, only to realize I was putting the heel on the wrong side of the ribbing. Frog #3. Finally, finally, I think I've got it (major knocking on wood here). I am nearly finished the leg and so far it is a good fit. I increased needle sizes at the top of the foot to give it more stretch near the instep, and increased again for the leg and tried to knit the cable as loose as possible. Keep your fingers crossed!

In other news, I went to quarter auction last night. Wow, that was fun. I ended up winning a discovery toy bathtub thing and a longaberger purse... get this... valued at $200. I won it for a dollar. That's right! It isn't really my style purse, so watch out ebayers! Still haven't had time to download pictures, but I have some time coming up so I might just have to force myself to do it.

Bad Blogger

2007-03-16T15:31:00.000-05:00

I haven't blogged in a few weeks. The laziness that occurred with downloading my pictures, still continues. I can blame DH, he has stuff on the camera that he wants to mess with, and I guess he's afraid I'll delete it by accident (which is totally possible)! So anyway, I wanted to wait until I had some good pictures to post, but um, that might be a while. And the other reason I haven't blogged is because I've had a few frustrating weeks of knitting (if that is at all possible).

While I was waiting not-so-patiently for my first rockin sock club kit to arrive, I was trying to be a good girl and finish something that was hanging on the needles for a while. So I tackled my Noni garden party bag from last summer. I 100% got guage when I knit this bag, so I wasn't expecting any problems. However the flowers remained GIGANTIC after felting. I had to knit 9 of those suckers, and I felted it literally for 4 hours and couln't get the flowers to shrink any further. They were way to big for the bag. So my solution was (because you have to be kidding me if you think I could reknit 9 flowers), to cut the flower petals and try to make a smaller flower. It worked, but the flowers lost the finished look and now they are somewhat rough. Plus, I still think they are too big. So the bag sits, waiting to be sewn together and lined. Maybe that will be a good project next spring.

So then my blue moon kit arrived. Yeah! I was thrilled about that. I worked feverishly on the first sock, ribbing for what seemed like forever and then I got to the leg portion (a toe-up pattern). A lot of people in the club reported problems with getting their foot in the sock after starting the leg. I was sure that wouldn't be me... but alas, I knitted 2 repeats of the cable leg pattern and wouldn't you know it, it was hard to get on my foot. This was also my first toe-up pattern so I followed the directions exactly, leaving 1.75 inches before starting the heel turn. It turns out I should have left more like 2 inches because the foot and heel is slightly too long. So guess what? I'm going to frog back to the foot and start the heel and the leg again. I think I am just going to continue with a ribbing pattern (as much as I hate ribbing) and just leave it at that.

In good news, I was able to rescue the acorn lace socks (from my previous post) without having to frog back to much. And, I am going to a claddagh tea tomorrow for st. patrick's day with a great friend. So hopefully I can drown my knitting sorrows with a good cup of comforting tea.

Socks, Socks, and more Socks

2007-02-25T14:48:00.000-05:00

Remember the days of taking pictures with your one-click camera, then having to put the roll of film into its little plastic case, driving it to the local film developer, filling out the form on those envelopes, waiting 3 or 4 days for them to come in, then driving to pick them up (usually only to realize half of them came out blurry)? A digital camera seems so much more simpler, right? Take a picture with nearly all the settings you need in the camera, decide right then and there if it is a good picture, and then all you gotta do is plug it in your computer to download. Simple enough. But lazy old me has just not felt like dowloading pictures. No reason other than I just don't feel like doing it.

So anyway, I don't have a picture to include of the wonderful jitterbug socks in Mardi Gras that I completed last week! But I have to say the socks turned out to be pretty nice. I stuck exactly to the pattern on the label, making the size "large." I had some issues with pooling, but both socks pooled in almost the same way so they still look like a good match. I ended up with enough yarn leftover that I could have added an inch more to those suckers. Oh well. Better than running out, I guess. Anyway, the yarn feels nice, it makes a nice and sturdy sock. I'll post pics when my non-lazy self returns. (It is snowing outside and we're all toasty and laying around inside, so I can pull the lazy excuse).

In other sock news, I am enrolled in 2 sock clubs this year. I joined the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin Sock Club. I am really excited about starting the club - the first shipment comes out this week. I am also in a sock club at my LYS, who sends different yarn and pattern every other month. The best part is, they are on alternating schedules so I will be getting a surprise in my mailbox every month! Yippee! I seriously doubt I'll be able to knit all the socks by the end of the year, but still... who doesn't need more sock yarn in their stash?

In sad, sad, sad news, I had started a fibertrends acorn lace sock in regia. I got almost down to the heel flap and I screwed up the pattern in a major way. I tried to back it out, but I guess with kids and other distractions in the background, I just ended up dropping stitches and messing it up more. So I took out all the needles and tried to rip out a few rows and put needles back in. Harder than I thought. So I just put it aside for now, but I fear it is going to be a 100% frog. I just can't look at it now... just can't look.

The weekend wasn't a total bust though. I had a fabulous evening last night with 3 friends. I can't remember the last time I was out with just the girls just gabbing and enjoying the night. I had so much fun, I felt like we should have broken out the pjs and sleeping bags and watch Sixteen Candles or something. Anyway, it was much needed and hopefully won't be so long before we all do it again.

Well, off to more laziness! Pictures later this week!

Fibonacci

2007-02-11T17:32:00.000-05:00

Last month, my LYS had a discussion on the Fibonacci sequence and how it relates to knitting design and patterns. The thought is that since the Fibonacci numbers occur so frequently in nature, designs based on the sequence are very pleasing to the eye. The shop will be doing a Fibonacci KAL on a large tote bag, with each person choosing their own colors and how to incorporate the sequence into a striped pattern. Being that I have plenty of large totebags, and even a beautiful felted market bag that I rarely use, I decided to use the sequence in a booga bag (especially since I gave my first booga away as a gift). I will be using Cascade 220. Here is my colors and mock-up of a stripe pattern:

In other news, I can barely walk thanks to an "exercise" class I am taking at Xpose fitness. I discovered my inner diva alright... she is now cranky and tired and can no longer walk! I am sure it is doing me some good becuase I haven't been this sore from a workout in a long time. The class is really fun despite the pain, and I'll be there again next week! I also made some homemade toasted coconut marshmallows with the kids this weekend (you know, to counter-act my working out), but unfortunately they are getting eaten faster than I could take a picture. It was an Ina Garten recipe, and it was simple and fabulous!

Kidsilk Destiny

2007-02-09T07:26:00.000-05:00

Pictured below is beginnings of the handsome triangle shawl from Victorian Lace Today. I am knitting this with Kidsilk Haze in color 604. This is a discontinued color (using up stash!). But I have a bit of a story about that color. I originally bought the kidsilk several years ago to mix in with some rowanspun chunky to make a poncho. I was a new knitter then, and halfway through the poncho I realized these yarns were both two beautiful to use up in a poncho, which I don't really wear that much anyway. So I frogged it, and started a sweater with the rowanspun (which is still an UFO), and put the kidsilk aside. I found a lace pattern in a magazine that called for 7 balls of the kidsilk, and I only had 5. After learning it was discontinued, I frantically searched the internet and started calling shops for the color. My LYS warned me that it would be a different dye lot, and gave me some tips on mixing it in my project so it wouldn't be that noticible. I found some at Yarn Expressions in Alabama, who has super-nice workers and a wonderful newsletter and now a blog. They also gave me some tips about dealing with different dye lots and wished me luck on my project. Well wouldn't you know it, when my package arrived it was the same dye lot! Amazing! It turned out though that the shawl pattern in the magazine (which I will not mention), was a lousy pattern with no charts, no repeats and just overall not a great pattern. Of course I realized this after many frustrated attempts and frogs, and visits to my LYS begging for help. So again the kidsilk sat, and now it will finally become the beautiful handsome triangle! I think it is destined to be this because the color and the pattern are so beautiful together and I think it will be utterly fabulous when it is finished! My kidsilk is finally happy!

Almost good enough to eat!

2007-02-05T19:42:00.000-05:00

While browsing the knitting books at my local library, I stopped at this adorable cupcake pattern in the book, One Skein. I couldn't resist the cuteness of this pattern, plus I thought it would be great addition to a gift for my friend's daughter who turned 3 last week. And it was... she loved them! These were made with some leftover yarn that I bought umteen years ago (I know I saved those for a reason)! I had to make some minor adjustments to the pattern to get an actual cupcake size.

Snow, Lavender, and Lemon

2007-01-21T22:26:00.000-05:00

Wow! The Baltimore area has been showered with our first snow of the year today. So far we received a light dusting but they are calling for up to an inch. It is nice to finally see some! Now that it is actually winter temperature here (it has been unseasonably warm - we have seen temperatures in the 70's), I hope we can get a nice dumping of snow. Once a year is good enough for me though, and it has to be good enough to keep you home!

In knitting news, I enrolled in Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin Sock Club! I know you can buy sock yarn and patterns on your own for less money, but there is just something fun about getting a surprise package in the mail! I also took a little break from my jitterbug socks and started working on a cute little fun quicky project which I'll post later about.

I have always liked cooking and anything creative, so when I went to a tea room that served lavender cookies a few months ago, I had to try to make them myself. It turns out that culinary lavender is not so easy to come across. Even though the owner of the tea room offered me enough to make a recipe (she buys hers wholesale in bulk), I was determined to find it. My mom joined in on the hunt and she actually found some in Ocean City, MD at the Avalon Market. So today, I made some lemon lavender cookies with a lemon glaze on top and sugar crystals. I started with a few recipes that I found in books and on the net, then combined what I liked and came up with my own. I must say, these turned out fabulously. There is just enough lemon and lavender that you get a hint of each without either one overpowering and without the cookies being too sweet. This one is definitely a keeper. The top right is unglazed, bottom right is glazed, and the left cookie is glazed with crystals. Yum!

Anytime is good for knitting, tea, and soup!

2007-01-15T23:14:00.000-05:00

Let me start by saying this wasn't your typical January get cozy, knit, and drink tea or eat soup weather. We spent the weekend at my parent's house in Delaware (about 15 minutes outside of Ocean City, MD), and it was about 70 degrees and sunny! Despite that, I still managed to enjoy both of my favorite pasttimes!

First, I finished the sweetest pair of socks - Fiber Trend's Railraod Sock pattern in Claudia's Handpainted - Pistachio. These socks are super soft and like a massage for your feet. My mother asked me why I put all that time into knitting socks when you just will wear them out. Then she put on one of the finished Claudias and then she knew why!

Second, I started the Colinette Jitterbug socks. Not as soft as the Claudia's, but it is making a nice and sturdy sock. The socks are short; partly because of the pattern and partly because I am knitting a tighter guage, but I am still happy with how they are turning out.

And finally, I visited Tea By The Sea - a tearoom in Berlin, MD (the cute little town where Runaway Bride was filmed). This is an excellent tea room. Stacy, one of the owners, is super-nice and shared a few tips and recipes with us. They had a fabulous butternut squash soup which inspired me to create my own. Who says you can't eat soup and knit on a 70 degree January day?

Tea & Knitting Holiday

2007-01-09T21:06:00.000-05:00

I got some wonderful gifts this Christmas including two gift cards to a local tea room, and a gift certificate to my LYS - what could be better! In addition, I got the greatest gift from my husband. He started a tradition a few years ago when we had our first son. He went to a christmas shop and bought a special ornament and didn't tell me about it. When we woke up with our son on Christmas morning, there was an extra package under the tree. It is now a tradition and it is so special because I will always remember the ornaments and the meaning they have to what is going on in our lives that year. Plus it is always exciting to see what they are - it is probably my favorite moment of Christmas.

This was my ornament this year. I love it!

And finally, I bought myself a New Year's treat at a yarn shop while visiting relatives out of town. Colinette Jitterbug in Mardi Gras. I couldn't resist making a pair of socks with this yarn! The shop owners warned me though to adhere to the pattern on the label since the yardage is somewhat short. They also suggested doing a different colored cuff or toe to add length. I think I am going to stick to the label pattern and see what happens.

My First Post

2007-01-09T21:01:00.000-05:00

Well I guess it is time to start a blog. I have been knitting for a few years now and have gone from a casual here and there knitter, to a hobby knitter, to a yarn-obsessed must knit all the time knitter. Not too many of my friends knit (despite all of my efforts to convert them), so I have found that I need a place to talk about knitting. My second obsession is tea! I love drinking tea of course, but I also enjoy visiting tea rooms and inventing my own tea sandwich and scone recipes to share with family and friends. I think these two hobbies go perfectly together-both are creative, relaxing, and a good way to de-stress!

So I'll continue to post about my knitting projects and tea consumptions and creations, and hopefully you'll enjoy reading!