Holly Bee Yarn Sale!

All I can say is "Wow." It was overwhelming. I mean - just look: Rows of boxes full of spindles of yarn. The spindles were anywhere from $1 each to $5. I won't count the one box of rayon spindles going for $15 each. Actually, there were two boxes of smaller spindles going for 4/$1! And lots of that was sock yarn! There was much fun to be had: That's my friend Jeanmarie. We had fun as you see. Look at the "shopping carts" we had: I filled mine full, but in my defense I was shopping for 3 people! May only picked out two of the spindles I bought, and I got 3 spindles of white yarn for Remi at Charlotte yarn to have fun learning how to dye with. She'll get plenty of practice with it I'm sure. Oh, I have a bunch of pictures of the yarn I got, but I'll save those for more posts this week. For a complete look, check out the set. I've added a new bit to the sidebar for it. I can't put javascript in a post I guess.

Yarn Pr0n Friday IV

It's that time of the week again on the old bloggy thing. So what have I been working with lately? Knit Picks Dancing in the "Swing" colorway. And what have I been making with it? See over in the sidebar there, the "Best Foot Forward Socks" - formerly known as "2 on 2 socks". I ditched that idea when I became frustrated with how long it was taking. So I took one off, and this is where I'm at as of this morning: Interesting, you say? What does the pattern look like, you ask? Mini cables. I really like the way they're looking. It's a shame that the yarn competes with it. I will find an appropriate pattern for the rest of my Dancing collection, but I still like how this is looking. I'm nearly to the heel flap. This cuff is a bit longer than what I've done previously, it needs to be 7 1/2" long before I turn the heel. And after changing needles, it does hug the curve of the calf quite nicely. "But, Cristi, haven't you been working on the Green Gable?" Why yes, yes I have. I finally got to the point where I could try it on, and I'm very happy with the fit so far. But I'm not going to post one of those pics with me wearing half a shirt. Sorry, y'all. It ain't gonna happen. Not even if you looked at me like that.

Am I Spoiled? Are We All?

With the advent of e-mail, beepers, cell phones, text messaging, and fax machines, have we all become spoiled with instant communication? Why, after two days of back and forth, wonderful e-mails, am I all of a sudden self-conscious over the fact that I have yet to receive an e-mail today from a certain guy? It starts out with a promise of a phone call on Tuesday. Nada. He fell asleep watching ESPN. Uh-huh. Likely story, I can deal though. Then last night, the phone call was supposed to happen. By 9 I was wondering what the hell? I texted a quick "did you fall asleep again?" and got a message that he was sorry, and was at the hospital because his step-dad had a seizure. He said it happens on occasion. I said "so do birthdays. But I'm sure you won't be spanking him. I'll be thinking good thoughts." And I got a simple "thank you" in return. Today - nothing. I sent an e-mail saying that I hoped all was well. 3 hours later - nothing. Mind you, the previous 2 days we'd each respond to the other's e-mail within a couple minutes. So now, I feel like I'm in 8th grade again. Great. Somebody send me some clearasil because I'm sure this means I'm about to break out or something. Geez.

6 Minutes of Hilarity

I've never tried posting a video before. I hope this works. Freakin' hilarious. "The evolution of dance"

Hey, Kool-Aid!

Only a big red pitcher didn't come crashing through my walls this weekend. No, no. I did this on Sunday. Finally! I've had the yarn and the koolaid to do it with for months now. So, what went into that beautimous limey color? 5 packets of Lemon-Lime Kool-aid for starters. That gave me this (pardon the sauce splatters) And of course, because I love y'all, a close up. Not satisfied with the shade, I got experimental. I broke out one packet of Berry Blue and 2 packets of Lemonade. That gave me this: Subtle, yet more satisfying that way. And thus ends the great koolaid dyeing adventure of Sunday the 14th. So, my friends, how goes the internet dating thing so far? Well, I've exchanged numerous e-mails with one guy that seems very nice, funny, and promising. He doesn't live in town, but is moving here from north of the city in September. Perfect for babystepping into a possible relationship. Then there's the engineer guy I've exchanged e-mails with. After a week of being out of town on business, he's catching back up at work and perhaps we'll meet up later this week. Then there's a couple other guys I've e-mailed, but nothing fantabulous yet. Mr Walmart harddrive thing will not be getting an e-mail back from me. That story is just a bit too hokey for me believe.

I Did It. Now Where Can I Hide?

I went and did something that I never expected to do, and I have these ladies to blame for it. That's Jeanmarie on the left and Ann on the right. They're a couple of the wonderful ladies, that I now consider friends, that I met through my Meetup.com knitting group. And that fact is the one that they used to convince me that maybe, just maybe, I need to give internet dating a shot. So last night, I went and signed up for 3 months of Match.com. So far, I've been viewed over 100 times. Been "winked" at 15 times and e-mailed 9 times. I've responded to 4 guys. One of which I've already deemed a jerk. His profile seemed nice, we had a nice e-mail exchange, so I tried out IMing - and he asked to see another pic of me. So I sent him the link to that pic in the upper right hand corner of the bloggy thing. He complained that it was too dark. I said that I couldn't help that it was in sepia tones - I'm more likely to be behind the camera than in front. Well, that was the last I heard from him. Dumbass. So I have a couple other guys that I've exchanged very positive e-mails with, and with any luck, I may actually have a social life with the opposite sex soon. Wish me luck. Eek!

I've been RAK'd!

Thank you, Somerset! Though I've come to think of her as "LadyLungDoc" through the Crazy Cat Lady ring, Somerset sent me the cutest, most beautiful turtle. Isn't it gorgeous?

Yarn Pr0n Friday the III

I've been working on re-shooting some of the pics I've taken in the past. Be they for the Flash Your Stash event, or otherwise. Recently, I finally did justice to the beautiful Rio De La Plata yarn that Jochibi sent me as part of my first SP6 package. It's Kettle Dyed, Handspun and 100% wool. Gorgeous. Just gorgeous. I have no idea what to make with it yet. I really like just looking at it in the hank and whatnot. *sigh*

Onward and Upward

So, after completing the speedy toe-up socks, I finally got around to casting on for Green Gable. Yes, I swatched. Yes, I washed the swatch. Yes, I got gauge. So I finished one repeat of the lace pattern and went to bed. *yawn* But I did all that after I finally gave up on the two-on-two socks. I took one off the circs and it's waiting on some DPNs for now. Two-on-two is too freakin' slow for me. Bleh. I'da been done these socks already if I'd have done them one at a time from the start. In other news, I started another pair of toe-ups. This type of sock will become a permanent fixture in my purse. It's nice and portable, and no pattern is needed. I'm using this stuff. And all the pics I've seen of it online, tell me those "stars" I hear are supposed to be part of the patterning, are really more of a wonky looking off kilter zig-zag thing. Meh. I got half the toe done during my lunch break today. I think I'll have to rip it back and cast on fewer stitches. I calculated for 7.5 stitches to the inch, and I'm getting 8. Wait a sec. That should be working out smaller than it's supposed to be. Huh. Maybe I'll proceed a bit further and see how it feels after I've finished the short row toe. It may be fine for all I know. But right now, it looks big. Weird.

And Amid Much Buying...

We have a finished object. Er, objects. I made these from Wendy's Generic Toe-Up Sock Pattern. And they fit! Wonderfully! I had to weave yarn back through the short rows on the heels in order to close up some holes, but overall, I'm very pleased to have a pattern that's easily memorized. I think I may be picking up the wraps wrong, but meh. I'll have plenty of practice in the future I'm sure. Yarn: Sockotta #6670 "Fruit" (Again, according to Yarndex - stupid ball bands.) Needles: US Size 2 Started: Thursday Night (5/4/06) finished Monday Night (5/8/06) And I finished another dishcloth from the yahoo group KAL. This is a Knitted Flower Cloth from Knitting Knonsense. I'm not too thrilled about the finished look. Kinda looks like a Carebear with it's ears chopped off. I call it "Mother's Day Present #2" with the #1 being the Watering can from last month. Heh.

Ok, Maybe Someone Should Stop Me.

I hit 3 yarn shops yesterday. But I only bought yarn at 2! The 3rd I got a bag pattern. And I stayed within my budget (wait, I had a budget?) So, shop #1 - The Sewing Bird. This is the place that's closing down and everything is 25% off. My 3 knitting friends and I headed there around 11 a.m. yesterday. And we each ran into someone we knew! One of the ladies I work with, that I had alerted to the sale, was there with her young daughter (who was wearing squeaky shoes! You know, the kind that sounds like dog toys are attached to the soles.) I also saw one of the ladies that works part time at my favorite yarn shop (which we hit next). So, here's the loot from the Sewing Bird (and the bag pattern I got at shop #2): Yup, I got a spindle. No roving yet, but I have the spindle. They aren't something I run into regularly, so I got it while I could. I also got 3 sets of Addi Turbo circs, a set of Size 13 DPNs so I can make Kitty Pi from WendyKnits.net, Gloves in a Bottle, and yarn galore. Lamb's Pride Worsted in "Jaded Dreams" for a couple future pairs of fuzzy feet or something. Noro Iro in color #9 for a Chinese Charm bag from Stitch 'n Bitch. And SouthWest Trading Co. Bamboo in "Intensity" for Convertible from Knitty. I got 750 yds worth, and I'm betting that'll be enough. The pattern calls for 2 hanks at 400 yds, but I think I can fudge it enough that it won't be an issue. The bag pattern is the "Lucy Bag" from Two Old Bags. Our final stop of the day was Stitch Fine Yarns. I found sock yarn there that I actually didn't have yet. Sockotta in color 5618 (how original - why in hell don't they put the color NAME on the ball band? Numbers are so lame). I found through Yarndex that they call this "Denim". Much more appealing than "5618". Sockotta in color #15. (Which my friend Ann tried to talk me out of because it looks a lot like the Dancing Sock Yarn I'm working with.) And Yarndex calls "Green". Um, looks like more than that to me. But what do I know? And my favorite score of the day: Sockotta in color 5616. Yarndex calls this "Persimmon" - yummy. How pretty is that? Can you tell I've decided I love Sockotta sock yarn? It's got cotton in it. And I'm a sucker for cotton. I'm working on a pair of toe-up socks (just started the second one) out of it and I. Love. It. And hey - they fit too! I think I'm a toe-up convert. Since I was 1 for 3 on my cuff down socks, and toe-up you just can't go wrong - I'll be converting future socks to toe-up construction. Now to figure out how to get rid of the holes in the short rows other than weaving yarn back through them. I also got a skein of Trekking XXL that reminds me of the Grinch. It's color #131 and I got to see a completed sock in it, and it looks much cooler once finished than in the skein. Trust me on that. Oh - and back to the toe-up pattern, it's also all stockinette. Which shows off the self-patterning yarn as intended, but also - it's freakin' fast. I started this pair at 8pm on Thursday, and I'm already on the second sock. I'm down with that. Now - it's rainy out, and kinda cold. I have to decide whether or not to go to the Wachovia Golf Tournament today or not. I have two tickets, and no one to go with, but that's not what's stopping me. It's the rain. What to do...

Don't Stop Me Now!

I'm having such a good time, I'm having a ball.* So, as I said in yesterday's comments, I was heading to Charlotte Yarn (see sidebar for linkage) after work yesterday. I did indeed get the last ball of Trekking XXL in Color #77. Between the leftovers from the Sixth Sense Socks and this ball, I think I'll have enough for 2 more pairs. I also got a second ball of Trekking XXL in color #5. I had a feeling I'd already bought one, but I reasoned that I wouldn't be upset if I had 2 in my stash. Again, it'll probably make 3 pairs between the two balls. Then I saw some Sockotta that I liked. Color #9. Sorta denimy. But the whole reason I went was to get some of this. It's Fortissima 1776. Supposedly it knits up into Stars and Stripes. We'll see. I hear that it's hard to find because stores keep running out of it. Well, if anyone out there wants some, Charlotte Yarn has at least 8-10 more balls of it. I'd be happy to act as courier. It's $18 plus tax. Oh, and I picked this up as well. It'll be my purse Chibi. It matches! Purhaps the best part of the whole trip to the yarn shop yesterday, was that I was offered a part time job there! Working for yarn! Would I like to do that? Hell yeah! I'll start in June and work a weekend here and there. So the yarn pr0n will be in abundance, and this time, I don't even have to buy it all! Heh. Well, maybe. Oh, and I'm meeting up with some knitting friends today to do a bit more yarn shopping, so um, yeah. Tune in tomorrow for some more. *One my favorite Queen songs. It's an apt title for this post don'tcha think?

Yarn Pr0n Friday II

So, yeah, I've been stash building like nobody's business lately. I had a KnitPicks order come in yesterday. In which I got more sock yarn, and some lace weight stuff. This is the Gossamer Laceweight yarn in the Rose Garden colorway. (Why is it called rose garden? It's orange!) And a close up of the Rose Garden and the Caribbean colorway: This is the Sock Memories in "Grandma" colorway: And the Sock Garden in Daffodil: I got some Sock Memories in Flower Power too. But if you remember my FYS photos, um, yeah, I already had some of that. And I also ordered some Sock Garden in the Hydrangea colorway, but it looks amazingly like the "Grandma" colorway, and I didn't get a good shot of it, so you can look back at that first pic to check that out. Oh, and I got yet more "Color Your Own" sock weight yarn and some "Paint your own" laceweight yarn. Not that I've actually gotten around to dying any yarn yet. But maybe this weekend I will.

Sixth Sense Socks

And, they're done. Been done actually, since um, Monday? And they fit, but I don't like the fit of the heel on me. So these are birthday socks for another sister. Thank God I have 2 sisters with feet either just a bit smaller in length or just a bit narrower than me. They'll be happy if I keep screwing up. Heh. I saw that Stariel finished hers, and apparently the heel is supposed to fit the way it does on me, so I guess I really didn't screw it up, I just don't like the feel of it. So I'm thinking in a "plain" sock with little to no patterning, the short row heel will feel better to me. I saw it sitting so close to the base of my heel and it turned me off. What can I say? I'm a visual person. I also react to names. Like "meatloaf". Who in hell wants to eat a loaf of meat? For years I wouldn't touch the stuff. Then one day I tried some at work at one of the restaurants I slaved in, and I liked it! Go figure. But the name alone put me off for the longest time. And that's probably the story with Grits. But I've tried those, and ew. They're as gross as their name. I'll stick with the Cream of Wheat though, I like that.

What to do, what to do...

I'm going to knit Green Gable with one of these colors of Cotton Fleece. But here's my dilemma. It only takes 3 skeins. (Pardon the blurriness, I was tired and couldn't hold the camera still) Fixed I have 6 lilac, 6 Cream, 5 Pink and 4 Blue. If I do the blue, I'll have 1 skein left, and what can I do with only one skein? If I do the pink, same deal, I'll have 2 skeins left, and it'd be hard to find a project for that. Now, if I do the lilac or the cream, I'll have 3 left, which is doable. But then I couldn't do a bigger project with them (like a cardigan or sweater or something bigger at any rate). So. What do I do?

Turquoise Terror! Eek!

Some of you were involved, or at least aware of, the Knittyhead Fugoff in which 8 of us dared to admit we had created fug. And then we attempted to foist it off on one another. Do check the link to see all the entries. See, I got lucky. I ended up with CPurl17's Turquoise Terror scarf. I got it yesterday. Hermetically sealed to protect the innocent Sugar 'n Creme yarn she so thoughtfully included to feed my dishcloth fetish. (Thank you! The colors are awesome!) And lo, that was not all. Chocolate! I love you CPurl17! Thank you! And the scarf - Just what I was looking for for those chilly sunday afternoons when I'm tailgaiting at a Panther's game!

What I Did on My Lunchbreak

by Cristiturtlegirl I had dreams the past two nights. Dreams of pink, cream and deep purple. I couldn't shake the feeling like something was missing and I had to find it. I was pondering what that could be all day yesterday. But I knew what it was. I knew I couldn't do anything about it until today. So at lunchtime. I found what I was missing. 6 skeins of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Cotton Ball and 5 skeins in Pink-a-Boo. And that deep purple I was dreaming of? That was this stuff: 10 balls of Linie 11 Alpha. Oh I know that'll look good on me. I just don't know what as. But it will be for me whatever it is. I can do some damage in 5 minutes.