PolarGrrlPurls

Catching Up

Just catching up on a bunch of pictures and things. The green squares are the swatches I knit and blocked for the green cardigan.

The blue striped socks below are the wonderful swap socks I received from Of Troy. Take a look at the d etail on the toe. Isn't that a great shaping and decrease?!

Whole Lotta Knitting Going On

I didn't go to work today. I haven't been feeling well for about a week and I had a low grade fever last night, so I decided to take it easy today. I feel better for the rest, but I plan to go to the doc tomorrow just to see what's up.

In the process of resting today, I also knit a bunch. I finished a quickie pair of socks in plain stockinet in Trekking Zitron Color #105. I've also started an Odessa in Queensland Collection Kathmandu (a yummy soft merino blended with cashmere and silk) for Marikal. Oh! And for my sock pal, I've included a sneek peek of your socks!! :)

Secret Pal Package

I got an SP7 package in the mail! Yay! :) It contained some extremely yummy chocolate covered coffee beans (which I'm not sharing), some equally yummy Lindt chocolate truffles (which I may share with people who are nice to me), and a very cool book of traditional Fair Isle color work patterns. :-D I have all these great ideas of things to make now! Thank you Secret Pal!!

Math

Once again I'm frustrated by the fact that there are so few patterns for larger sizes. I've found this pattern at Chic Knits which is the shape I was looking for to use with the blue wool I bought at the NH Sheep & Wool Festival. The largest size is still too small for me, however, at 44" around the hips and 45" around the bust with approx. 2"-3" of ease. The gauge of the pattern is 19 sts = 4". The gauge of the blue wool is 17 sts = 4". This conveniently adds 4" to the sweater without any math at all. I still need an additional 8" (including ease) but with the smaller stitch # to adjust it will be easier I think (I hope). I don't really like the fringe along the collar of the Chic Knits pattern, so I'll leave that off. Not entirely sure about the collar in general, but that's not a decision I need to make right now. I like the bust/waist shaping and the cables, which aren't too busy looking. I need to go buy the right size needle, too. You'd think with all the needles that I have around here that I'd have what I needed, but no, I have no #7 circular needles at all.

In SP news, Knittyboard SP7 matches have gone out and the round is about to begin. I'm looking forward to it and hoping that this round is as much fun as past rounds have been. :) I've already been blog & board "stalking" my downstream SP and have a bunch of ideas of fun things to send her.

I've also been working on a pair of aqua colored cabled socks using sport weight superwash wool from a swap with Soapy about six months ago. I've thrown in a progress pic, but it was taken several days ago. The first sock is actually completed now and I'm on the cuff ribbing of the second sock. The pattern I'm using is largely based on this pattern, but I've had to modify it significantly for my gauge, size, and circular needles.

Secret Pal Package!

An Angel Secret Pal for the Knitty Coffeeshop SP6 sent me lovely package full of yummy coffee, a pretty green coffee mug, beautiful turquoise angora/wool yarn and Lavold Silky Wool yarn in a warm earthy brown tone. There was a lso a pear-scented candle in a cute tin and some chocolatey treats that I've stashed away for when I get a sweet tooth. Take a look at the pictures!!

I Got A Package!!

  "Ohmygoodness, ohmygoodness!!" (<-- name that quote!) My fabulous Knittyhead SP6 sent me the cutest package of yummy numminess!! Pretty spring colored sock yarn and a super soft boucle yarn in purples, blues, and pinks and a cute storybook that I'm saving to read at bedtime (natch). The card was so pretty with a Japanese style ink print of a cat! And she sent a knitter's journal that I can't wait to start putting projects in and a roll of five pretty fabrics that all look great together. There was a suggestion for a needle roll in the card..hhmmm...not a bad idea... :-)

For my SP6's Convenience

Here are two filled out questionnaires I posted previously. :-)

http://polargrrlpurls.typepad.com/polargrrlpurls/2005/08/apparently_i_li.html

http://polargrrlpurls.typepad.com/polargrrlpurls/2005/08/for_my_knitty_s.html

Yeah, o.k., so I haven’t been posting. Life’s been a bit…well, life like. I have pictures, but they are currently stuck in my digicam, while I am currently stuck at work, so it’ll have to wait. By way of an update however, I LOST 3 LBS.!!!!!!! Yes, yes I did. I’m on day……whatever day it is….13? 14? Somewhere around there. I have another weigh in tomorrow morning, but as of 6 days ago, I was down 3 lbs. Taking the total loss to….3 lbs. But it’s a start, right? Right.

It snowed heavily this morning and I decided that there was enough on the ground that my walk to work could be better classified as 20 minutes of cross country skiing. I know, not quite the same as walking, but it was pretty bad and I was carrying a 20 lb. Back pack, so I figure that calorie burn-wise it’s somewhat accurate.

As far as the other 2006 Revs, this week has been rather unproductive. I’m planning on doing some catch up tomorrow morning when I have the house to myself and can think without a television on or other distractions. For the Education Rev, I’ve got the subject outline for my Bio. Exam and now all I have to do is match the outline to parts of the text and then start reading/learning. The matching part is more difficult than the learning part, but saves me lots of time in the long run when I’m not reading/learning junk I won’t need to pass the class. I’m on track as far as the Financial Rev, too, which is always nice. The Biz Rev is waiting for the Financial Rev right now, as the things I need to get done for the Biz require dough of the green US Gov variety.

And the knitting, you ask? Erm…..I’ve been feeling rather uninspired lately. I think it’s the yarn diet. It chaffs. My plan is to get that forsaken black basketweave scarf completed so that it no longer weighs on my conscience. After that, I’m going to restart the arm warmers for Marikal and some gloves for myself. I’ve abandoned the idea of using the beautiful CTH Supersock Merino wool that I have for a scarf in the ostrich lace pattern and think I will go back to my original idea of a drop stitch scarf with glass beads on the edges. The fingerless gloves will also be out of the CTH, I think.

And I've joined Knittyboard SP6!! Yay! SP5 was so much fun that I wanted to participate again. :-).

Holy Guacamole Batman!

I have the greatest SP EVER! She's awesome! I don't know how she did it (other than maybe some tenacious blog and board stalking) but she managed to send me a selection of all my very favorite things in this last box! There was high quality chocolate, and toffee, and yummy gummi bears from Haribo, and beautiful glass holiday ornaments, and COFFEE, and cookies, and STOLLEN, and handmade candles that look like litle snow balls (they're so CUTE!!), and pasta in holiday shapes (like Christmas trees and packages and stars), and YARN! The yarn my SP sent is completely luxurious! The On Linie yarn is a cashmere/merino/microfiber blend in a dark eggplant purple and it's so unbelievably soft! Sigh....I could fall asleep happily just resting a ball against my cheek. I'm not sure what I'm going to create with it, but I'm going to wait for a really special project. My wonderful SP also sent me a lovely grey, blue, and lavender sock yarn that I cannot WAIT to make into a pair of socks for MEEEE. :-D

I've included detail pictures of the beautiful Christmas ornaments and the yarn. Cocitta was helping by inspecting the box very closely. :-)

My Secret Pal Struck Again!

Holy cow! I have the bestest secret pal ever! She sent me some yummy gummy bears and even yummier chocolate. And lovely blue and white yarn that I can't wait to make into some fingerless gloves all for me!! :-) She also sent me an i-cord spool and a very handy needle sizer in the proper metric units and some bite-sized butterscotch that is already in my purse for the occasional sweet treat. :-) This package totally made my week! Thank you thank you thank you SP!!!!