Shop update complete!

I've put all the old sets into the sale section, and uploaded 10 sets of Clapotis stitch markers in the etsy shop. Enjoy!

Mini update

I've been taking a break from knitting tonight to make Clapotis stitch marker sets - but I also went through the current listings and put everything in the sale section. So enjoy :) Next update hopefully Sunday night.

In the continuing saga of things malfunctioning at work, all of my data files and reports got deleted off of the network drive. It wasn't my fault, which is awesome. And they should be able to find them, but it's taking a long time to get any of these problems fixed. Everyone keep your fingers crossed - I really need all the luck I can get with work.

I also lost my yarn store links when they replaced my hard drive - so if you have a favorite (yarn, jewelry, fiber, etc) leave it in the comments!

Happy Weds all :)

Wicker

Wicker
Seaming in progress - use #26 for hair clips!

Artistically draped over the back of my couch

...and on me (courtesy of the self timer - Marie hasn't learned how to work the camera yet)

I'm proud of myself for finally finishing it - it took over a year and almost 8 balls of Debbie Bliss alpaca silk. I've learned my lesson about Rowan patterns - sit down and write out all the instructions, line by line. Be more realistic about gauge - especially row gauge. And understand your own measurements better - without blocking, the sweater is a little short on me. We'll see how blocking takes care of that.

And new on the needles:

Buttony Sweater. I redrafted the pattern last night to be more specific to my size and gauge and cast on. I'm using Malabrigo Chunky, in the colorway Charrua. I love the look of brown and blue on the skein, but I'm not sure how a whole sweater of it will look - thoughts? My LYS has a spectacular selection of Malabrigo Chunky, and I'm sort of tempted to exchange what I haven't knit up for another color....

In other news, work is still stressful. My computer started acting up last week, so I had to get my hard drive replaced. I got my computer back with the new hard drive today, and hardly anything has gone right. Email, Word, Excel, and printers all not working properly. Some have been fixed, but it put me a solid day behind. And with one report due Friday and a set of experiments due the 31st....I need a break. Unfortunately, it's going to keep on at this pace with two new sets of experiments next month and 4 or 5 reports to write around the middle of the month. And I found out today that my grandmother in Germany passed away yesterday. It's not surprise (we found out when my brother died she was sick), and I haven't seen her since I was 13, but with all the thoughts about trips there as a child, I'm a little sad.

Seriously, I need a break :)

Back to knitting!

FO!

Wicker is done! Well, minus 2 ends to weave in - I'll post pictures soon. Overall, I like the sweater. If I were to make it again, I'd make alot of changes. Use a less bulky yarn, maybe modify it to be top-down raglan, and definitely make it longer. I've only knit 2 Rowan patterns (and they've always been a struggle to decipher), but both of them have been too short and have had sleeve caps that were too long (my row gauge doesn't seem to match)

On the wave of sweater knitting, I immediately cast on for the Buttony Sweater with some Malabrigo Chunky I just bought (and of which I think I need to buy another hank). I had a hard time figuring out the pattern, as it's really written as more of a guideline. But all of this gives me a much deeper understanding of sweater construction, which is always good!

Just finished watching the Colbert Report - where he interviewed this guy. We're back to the days of interviews that poke fun at the interviewee it seems :)

I'm a joiner

All that about no resolutions? Then came the amorphous goals. Now comes one more specific one - Skeins Her Way is having a UFO Contest. And since Wicker is reasonable close to being done - I'm going to bite the bullet and say I'll finish her by the end of the month!

Thanks to everyone for their comments on my last post :)

ETA: here's the FO!

Aaaaarh

g.

It's only Monday, and I'm already hating this week. Thursday would have been my brother's 19th birthday which I can't deny is having an impact on my mood. I'm stressed about work and getting everything done in time. I'm exhausted and moody. And uncoordinated - I actually tripped and fell up the stairs coming home today. Which means I'm sporting a cute bruise on my forehead....sigh.

But the knitting is going very well. I'm speeding along on the second sleeve of Wicker and have high hopes this will be done by the end of the year (or spring. I want to be sure I set attainable goals here!) And while I don't make knitting resolutions I sat down last night to look at my WIPs and plans for the year. Gift knitting will no longer be a last minute thing. While I may not knit a gift a month (there's a KAL just for that purpose), I have written down all the gifts I plan to make so they don't sneak up on me (considering how long socks take me....).

I'm eying the new KnitPicks Harmony DPNs....I've tried to like knitting two socks at once on circulars and I still feel like it's too slow. While it probably isn't, knitting on dpns, especially wood, is just more comfortable to me. Has anyone tried them? Most of the reviews I've seen were good.

And finally, I submitted an ad for approval on Ravelry. Most of the general slots are taken for Jan and Feb, so I had to post them in individual groups. One of them was a Clapotis group - I'm thinking of offering Clapotis sets as well as the usual sets. I'm really loving the ones I made for myself :)

Fight Club

Work is like Fight Club.

The first rule of Fight Club? You do not talk about Fight Club.
The second rule of Fight Club? You DO NOT talk about Fight Club. No matter how much your parents ask you how Fight Club is going. No matter how many times your boyfriend asks you what you did at Fight Club today. Fight Club? What Fight Club? The Fight Club to pay the bills?

Normal blog arriving soon...

We have winners!

Congratulations to Betty, Suzie, and Dorothy! The Misti Alpaca and 2 sets of stitch markers on on their way to new homes.

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions! I'm reworking my banner in the shop and also creating an ad to place on Ravelry some time this month (I'm having some indecisiveness when it comes to design and what to put on the ad. And where to put it....). In addition to advertising, I'm planning on doing another update this month (in addition to knitting and going to the gym and...)

Nothing else to report - I went back to work this week and it has been really busy. Everyone wants their studies done by the end of the month, and I'm already a week behind. It should all be doable, but it's a little daunting when I look at the list and my calendar....

Happy New Year everyone!

No resolutions here

I've been reading alot of blog posts reflecting back on 2007 - something I did alot of throughout the second half of the year - or making resolutions for 2008. Given how well I stuck to resolutions of 2007, I may be better off making the resolution to not make any resolutions. The "eat anything" diet of knitting :)

Speaking of which...there's been a fair amount of. My wrists have been acting up again, so I'm taking it easy. But the navy socks both have heels now and are on the home stretch. Wicker is coming along nicely (I forget how quickly bulky yarn knits up when I'm in my sock phases!), and I gave in and started a new scarf to keep me entertained on the drive up and back from Tahoe earlier this week.

Hope everyone's having a happy 2008 - don't forget a few more days to enter the contest! Here's a closeup of the mystery prize.....