Friday, September 29, 2006

Yet Another Yarn Pr0n Friday

Today, we feature some yarn I picked up when Zonda and Stephy came down for the day. We hit The Sewing Bird on the weekend before they closed, and everything was 50% off! Yay! Here, we have some Tahki Stacey Charles "Dream". An 80%Wool 20% Nylon blend. I was thinking socks. Perhaps striped. But I honestly don't know if this is the type of yarn you'd want to use for that. HPIM2753 Yarndex describes Dream as "A worsted weight, plied yarn. Made of 80% wool and 20% nylon, each yarn has a sheen. Suited to making hats, scarves, shawls, wraps, sweaters, tank tops, vests and cardigans. It can be hand washed and dried flat. Can be used individually or combined with other yarns. " Holy Hell I'm not sure I want to make a sweater out of this stuff. It says it's worsted weight, and that it's 20 stitches over 4 inches but damn. It seems like that would make it fairly see through. Certainly not a dense fabric. I'll have to swatch it and see. Oh wait - I just found A Website that mentions that gauge is double stranded. That explains a lot. Feh, I think I'll still try out some socks. What do y'all think? Will that work? It's wool and nylon, can't be that far out there to think it'd make some cool socks. Anyway, onto the pr0n. You can also view these in full size in This Photoset. Enjoy. And please do leave me some feedback as to it's potential as socks or even something completely different. Tahki Stacey Charles

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Knitting Row Counter Bracelet

Knitting Row Counter BraceletAt the beginning of the year, I remember reading on the net somewhere about this thing called a row counter, but it was made out of beads and you wore it like a bracelet. What the hell? You do what with the what now? I never did have to use an abicus when I was in school, so the whole concept was rather foreign to me. A couple months ago, after I joined the Charlotte Knitting Guild several of the members asked me what the heck those things hanging from my knitting were. Ahh...the beaded stitchmarkers. So I've been asked to instruct the guild on how to make these wonderful beautimous things. I've gladly taken up the challenge. In discussing what I need to get done for the guild meeting, at my other knitting groups, my friend May asked me if I knew how to make one of these bracelet row counters. Again, the whole concept was confusing to me. Last night, in response to a query about stitch markers in crochet, she sent me this link to a very easy to follow tutorial on how to make one. Not only how to make it, but how to use the damn thing. A ha! A light clicked on. I grabbed up all my supplies, cut up a cheap bracelet for it's elastic, and set to work. Knitting Row Counter Bracelet I didn't have the right size beads, nor the right type of wire, but as Tim Gunn always says, I had to "Make It Work." And work it I did. Knitting Row Counter Bracelet So, if you've ever wondered about this fun little knitting tool, I highly recommend Katie's Tutorial. I immediately messaged her asking for permission to distribute her tutorial to the guild and she was so nice! This morning I got the sweetest message back from her giving me permission. I can't wait for next week! I'm no beading Queen, but I do have a few tricks up my sleeve now. I also have my other row counters I'll be showing them how to make. Perhaps tomorrow I'll post a little tutorial of my own on them.

Saturday, September 23, 2006

Oooh! Movies!

This weekend's blogstalking activity is to flash your movie stash. I have one of those TV stands with little shelves on either side for my DVDs, but alas, it's not quite enough room for them all, of course. I'm planning on buying the cool DVD boxes like Trillian42 has. Then I can get all sorts of classy organized. First, we have my collections. I have all seasons of Futurama, Family Guy, The Simpsons (when I say all, I mean all that have been released), Dead Like Me, Mr. Bean and Deadwood. I also keep my Quentin Tarantino collection on this side. There is a method to my "organization" I swear. dvd sets On the other side, we have the movies. Just straight up movies. dvds Trillian's probably twitching right about now. No, these aren't organized. Not alphabetically, nor by genre really. Just where they fit. Then, behind curtain #1, we have my video tapes. (And Lion King stuff) videos I'm still working on replacing my video tapes with the DVD versions. And here, we feature my favorites. In the Television Category we have Dead Like Me and Deadwood Heh. Sounds morbid, eh? Fav Sets Deadwood is my all time favorite television show. We all know I do did the transcriptions which is a level of fandom not many are idiotic loyal enough to achieve. "Dead Like Me" is another favorite. Sadly, both of these shows are now cancelled. Fortunately, Deadwood still has 2-2 hour movies coming to us to wrap it up. Dead Like Me, not so lucky. It was one of the most clever shows I've seen in ages. Any show that can portray grim reapers in such a quirky and hilarious way wins my vote. Plus, Mandy Patinkon starred in it. Which brings me to my favorite movies in my collection. Just a sample, there's others. Fav Movies Of course, there's The Princess Bride. Then there's Ever After and O,Brother Where Art Thou? All movies I can watch over and over again and not get tired of. What are some of your favorites?

Friday, September 22, 2006

Seven Days

Seven Days since the last, seven days until the next, but the first official one for....The Ring. Dun dun dun! Heh. It's not all that evil and mysterious and freaky as the movie. Just a way for those of us with a fiber obsession to share with others the wonder that is wool and cotton and rayon and mohair and and and, well, you get it. Today, I bring you the swag from the Cherry Tree Hill Grab Bag that I got a couple weeks ago. I went for the "Blue and Greens" option for wools, and I'm mighty happy with what I got. First, is some Twister: Sept 6 Update 001 Sept 6 Update 005 I have no idea what to do with it yet, but whatever I do with it, I can't wait to see how it knits up. And the yardage is generous. Next is some Superwash Possum Worsted. I got 2 hanks of Teal and 1 of Bluestone. This photographed better. Cherry Tree Hill Possum Worsted It's superwash, and I can see it as wristwarmers or a scarf or I dunno. Something. Maybe a small shrug like the one skein wonder? I just purchased that yesterday. I did get one other hank of a lil somethin' somethin'. And as a teaser to the birthday girl on Sunday, here's a shot, with Ripple standing guard. Sept 6 Update 020 Pam knows about this project, so that's why I'm sharing it. I don't have the ball band on hand so I can't tell you what the yarn is, but I can tell you that every time I knit with it my hands look like I strangled a member of the blue man group, while wearing cheap jewelry. So, Happy Birthday to you, Pam, and you'll get your fuzzy feet next week. Now, go surf the ring and see what the other members have come up with.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

R is for Ride the Ducks

Seattle & Oregon Trip August 2006 048 Amphibious vehicles from some war that ended up in Seattle somehow and now serve as a means of tourism. It was pretty fun! Our "Duck" ended up with a blown out tire shortly into our tour so we had to go back and switch Ducks. Unfortunately we switched drivers too. The first guy was much funnier. Seattle & Oregon Trip August 2006 026 Ah well. It was neat though. We were able to ride right off the highway into the water. The houseboats and house barges were such a neat sight. I could totally live like that. Seattle & Oregon Trip August 2006 073 Seattle & Oregon Trip August 2006 072 Unfortunately, there's no way in hell I could afford to live like that. The waterfront property is crazy stupid expensive. See? Gah! Over a quarter million for a teeny one bedroom one bath. You should see the size of these things. Seattle & Oregon Trip August 2006 071 Insane. But the view! Seattle & Oregon Trip August 2006 070 Just makes you want to hide in a closet and talk to a radio talk-show host doesn't it?Seattle & Oregon Trip August 2006 064 Seattle & Oregon Trip August 2006 063 Seattle & Oregon Trip August 2006 059 A reminder, tomorrow is Yarn Pr0n Friday, so if you've joined the ring don't forget to post at least one good picture of fiber tomorrow. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully, all who've joined will be able post a good fiber shot. I'll be surfing the ring and commenting!

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Simple Knitted Bodice

Arrr! I be a busty sea wench just in time fer Talk Like A Pirate Day. Simple Knitted Bodice Simple Knitted Bodice Back Pattern: Simple Knitted Bodice from Stitch Diva Yarn: Berroco Denim Silk in Cayenne 12 hanks plus about 1 foot of a 13th to finish binding off the neck. Doesn't that just bite? Good thing I had an extra hank. I made the Medium size, and could have gone down to the small because of my yarn sub, but I like it nice and roomy. This is definitely one of those comfy sweaters to wear just about anywhere. Modifications: Simple Knitted Bodice Neck Detail I opted for symmetry and only did 10 rows instead of 15 of the purl bump pattern on the neck line. Simple Knitted Bodice I did 20 rows straight after picking up the sleeve stitches before starting the lace panel so that it'd line up with the lace panel on the body.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Plymouth Royal Bamboo Lacey Camisole & Shrug

It's done! I started this way back in July. The knit itself was a quick one, but so many other things on the needles is what slowed it down. This is from the August Issue of Knit 'n Style magazine 2006. The yarn is Plymouth Royal Bamboo in color #40 and I only used 10 1/2 balls total. I did the 36" size and the shrug was one size. It turned out long sleeved instead of 3/4 length, but that's ok. I think that's just the magic of blocking really. I love it! Plymouth Royal Bamboo Lacey Camisole & Shrug Plymouth Royal Bamboo Lacey Camisole & Shrug

Here a book, there a book...

Everywhere a book book. Only the bathroom and the dining room don't house books here at Chez Turtle. I'm a book whore. What can I say? Speaking of whores, let us begin our blogstalking adventure in the bedroom. Heh. The Yearbooks and Spiritual Stuff Here we have the entertainment books on the top shelf (yes, deodorant too, apparently), Spiritual/Religious books in the middle and yearbooks on the bottom. Somehow, this combination makes sense to me in some twisted way. No, my priorities in life are not Freddie Mercury, God, and the evolution of my hair from kindergarten through college. Anyway, onto the corner of the room where I hid my college textbooks. Th college books That's the thing about being a science major. Research is always being done and textbooks are constantly being updated. I couldn't even sell these back at the end of the semester if I wanted too. The bookstores didn't know whether or not it would be used the following year. I'm loathe to be rid of them. I do enjoy occasionally leafing through them. Especially my Zoology book. Alas, Administrative Assistants rarely need to know their genus from their species. In the kitchen, I even have a small collection of cookbooks! Shock! HPIM2678 Hey, where's my "Cooking for Dummies" book? Ah, hiding behind a magazine. HPIM2679 It really is for dummies. It even tells you how to boil water. For real. In the living room, we have my main book collection. Fiction and non. (click and look at a bigger pic through flickr to see the titles) The Majority The plants on top, from left to right are a mishmash of philodendrons, African Violets, an Orchid (that I got for $5 on the bargain table of the local greenery. It's about to sprout a stem for the first time in 4 years at least.) And finally, a Dieffenbachia picta Camilla. It's recently been hacked back since it was getting leggy. It's on it's way back to bushy health. And how do I know it's full name? Well, onto my office. HPIM2677 The Dictionary/Thesaurus I got at my high school graduation for having perfect attendance for at least 4 years. I actually had it back to 6th grade I think. I could count the days I missed. My sister only missed one day of school through her whole career. It was the one day they went to the house of history on a field trip. She had scarlet fever. She also missed a day her senior year because activities related to gaining admission to the Naval Academy. But that didn't count since it was school related. Or something. Anyway. Next to that we have my interior design books (looking around, you can tell I haven't really used them) then my - oh hey! There's my college diploma! My tape collection, and finally - my plant books. As well as a beginner spanish book and a cocktail guide. Heh. But you're here for the knitting books aren't ya? Across the room, we have a better collection of knitting books than most bookstores or LYSs. The Knitting Ones Again, click to read the titles. I keep the magazines and binders with all my knitty patterns and whatnot on the bottom shelf. And there, my friends, is my entire book collection. Anyone need to borrow a book? Heh.

Friday, September 15, 2006

Do You Know What Time It Is?

No, not Flavor Flav. It's Yarn Pr0n Friday! Now with added fun! A Ring! Woo Hoo! "A ring?" You say? Yes. A ring. Who doesn't love Yarn Pr0n Fridays, right? What better way to really end the week than with a good blog surf of fiber pictures? Want to join? Well, here's the rules. Post pictures of fiber on fridays. Post really good pictures of fiber on fridays. Don't take pictures of a pile of yarn from 6 feet away in the dark and all blurry and call it fiber pr0n. We want the good, close up stuff. Lets see the ply, the hairy goodness. Details folks, details. Today's post will be examples of what to look for in this ring. I would post pics of what NOT to look for but frankly, I delete those. Heh. Malabrigo Feel the Malabrigo. Mmm. Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Country Garden See the twist on the Cherry Tree Hill? And all the beautiful colors? HPIM2036 Mmm...Mohair. Hairy. HPIM2046 Multiple skeins, artfully arranged and lighting just right so you can see the color. Handspun Yarn 2 A far away shot wouldn't do this handspun justice. Knit Wits Yarn Now that's just pretty to look at. The star yarn is in focus, the color is right, and the picture is big enough that I don't have to click on it to see it bigger. Post your pics in a nice size without screwing up your template folks. No one wants to click on a thumbnail when surfing this ring. So, are you up for it? Wanna join me for Yarn Pr0n Fridays? Then apply HERE. And if you'd rather just surf than join and post your own pr0n, no problem. You can surf the ring without being a member. But I fully expect Sarah and Mary,Mary to join. (a-hem)

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Check Out My R.A.K!

Lemme tell ya, it never ceases to amaze me when a fellow Knittyhead thinks to send me something "just because." I wish I could afford to send out R.A.Ks to all the knittyheads that make life a little happier for me every day. Yesterday, I came home to find a nice fluffy package in my mailbox from Weezalana. Weezalana R.A.K Plymouth Encore!How funny is that tag? "Nice R.A.K." Indeed it is. Heh. She included some Plymouth Encore in a baby blue and snowy white. I see a cozy hat in my future. I love Plymouth Encore. It's so soft to the touch. But the best part was definitely the candle holder. It's a turtle made out of coconut husks! How beautifully cool is this? Coconut Husk Turtle 1 Coconut Husk Turtle 2 I really need to get some shelves just to display my turtle collection. And when I do, this will definitely be taking a place of honor. Right next to the one Somerset got me a little while back. Thank you Weezalana!

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Holy Crap! A Finished Object! And It's Not a Dishcloth!

Hedera Socks on BlockersYay! I finally finished them. I would have finished them much sooner, but they were the victim of knitting A.D.D. Heh. So here they are. My modified Hedera socks. Hedera Socks Modeled How did I modify them? Well, for one, the pattern is written cuff down. I prefer the toe-up method so my challenge was to modify the pattern so that it could be knit toe-up but not visibly so. This required me to learn how to do a heel flap from the toe-up. I used Judy Gibson's instructions for a Toe-Up Sock for the heel flap directions. The toe, I used Wendy's Generic Toe-Up Sock pattern for the toe. The bind off, I faked. I read on Heather's blog back when she finished her mom's Koigu socks, about a sewn bind-off. She vaguely described it as entering the first two stitches on the needle as if to purl then back into the first as if to knit, rinse, wash, repeat. It works out pretty well! Nice and stretchy. They're nice and comfortable. I used Plymouth Sockotta in color #14 ("Green" - how clever a name!) and had plenty left over. I could have done several more repeats of the pattern on the cuff were I motivated at the time. Some people that have knit this report using more yarn than they thought they would. This was another motivation to do it toe-up. No running out before I got to the toe! I love these socks. They were my first successful venture into lace knitting. Even Ripple likes them! Hedera Socks Modeled with Ripple

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Body Down, Arms To Go.

I posted this pic over at the KAL blog already, but thought maybe y'all would like to see it too. I've finished the body of the Simple Knitted Bodice. Though in this pic the bottom purl ridges aren't yet complete. Simple Knitted Bodice The body itself took just barely over 6 hanks of the Denim Silk. I have 7 more, so that should be more than enough for the long arms and the collar detail. I'm thinking I won't do the lace detail on the arms. I'm not sure I like the look. Thoughts? On stitchmarker news, I received my last set of markers (should have one more set coming but that person appears to have crapped out on the swap altogether) on Friday night. Thank you, SarahJanet! HPIM2645 I didn't post yesterday because, well, because. I think it was a hard day for everyone.