Sunday, August 26, 2007

Linda's Stocking

There has actually been a lot of knitting or planning for knitting this week. First, I wrote the fair-isle for three stockings. One was completely original, two were patterns from books or vintage pamphlets, that I combined and re-wrote to work with the size constraints of stockings. All of which was much more time consuming then I had thought - now I just hope I like how they knit. There are still two more designs roaming around in my head, but I think I want to see how the others knit before I write those out...

I have finished the leg of the first floral stocking. I am not sure about the colors, but I do love the way that the patterns are working out. This stocking will be for my dad's girlfriend. I still have to finish the foot, but haven't decided exactly what I am going to do yet. So I am on to the leg of the next design. I would like to have four stockings done by the end of labor day weekend - or at least the legs.

I am not off to start the next stocking leg - then going to look up some EZ fair-isle and MSKS for heel and toe ideas.

Happy Knitting!!

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Scattergories

I found this on Monica's Blog - it was just too fun to pass up!

I saw this on Cyn's blog who found it on Carrie's blog.


SCATTERGORIES ... and it's harder than it looks! Here are the rules:

* Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the questions.

* They MUST be real places, names, things ... NOTHING made up!

* If you can't think of anything, skip it.

* You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

* If your name happens to start with the same letter as mine, sorry, but you can't use my answers!


My name: Sunne


1. Famous Singer/Band: Spinal Tap (just saw it on Thursday for the first time and its still on my brain!)

2. Four letter word: S**t

3. Street: St. Paul

4. Color: Scarlet

5. Gifts/Presents: sunglasses

6. Vehicle: Saab

7. Things in a Souvenir Shop: shirts

8. Boy Name: Samuel

9. Girl Name: Suzanne

10. Movie Title: Say Anything

11. Drink: Scotch

12. Occupation: Server

13. Celebrity: Scott Baio

14. Magazine: Sunset

15. U.S. City: Seattle

16. Pro Sports Teams: Sonics

17. Fruit: Can't think of one - sage is the flavor that comes to mind

18. Reason for Being Late for Work: Screwing around

19. Something You Throw Away: Scraps

20. Things You Shout: S***head!

21. Cartoon Character: Super Man

It really was fun!!

In my last post, I am remiss in posting the link to Sharon's blog, who was my awesome Virtual vaction swap tour guide. Now you can check out her site and find out about her soaps - which are heavenly!!

Thursday, August 23, 2007

My virtual vacation...






I would like to send a HUGE Thank You to my Virtual Vacation Swap Spoiler Sharon! Not only did I get a quick tour of her hometown, Philadelphia, I also got a history lesson, Tasty C
Kakes (umm, no some of them are not gone in the photos - what are you implying...), stitch markers, soap (Mint that she made and chocolate, made by her friend Lisa), beautiful handspun yarn, and so much more!! Sharon really spoiled me - Thank you so much!!

Just to be on my soap box for a moment, I would really like to thank Sharon for being green in her packaging. Some of it was recycled, all of it was beautiful! And on that same note, I love boxes where people really think about the box and spend their dollars wisely, and give an amazing gift. Sharon sent me an amazing knitty pattern - that I had never seen - which is sooo cool... As soon as the stockings are done, there will be felting...

Finally the last photo shows the colors of the stocking yarns. I am on a stocking terror right now and the color that she sent me, will be beautiful with the colors that I had started working with. I am going to finish my dad's girlfriend's stocking, then add her beautiful lavender pink to my stocking's colors.

Thank you so much Sharon - I love everything!!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

The next one begins...


This is just a super quick post, since there are a million things I should be doing - like getting to work on time - instead of posting. But I am so thrilled with how the cuff of the second stocking worked out last night, I wanted to show it. It is fair-isle pattern from Poetry in Stitches (also shown). I am winging it with this stocking, not sure how the toe and heel will look, but I can work on that in a couple days. I ordered blocking wires and a blocking board yesterday! Can't wait to get them...

Off to work...

Happy Knitting!!

Friday, August 17, 2007

Ribbit

I won the ribbit contest on Calling on Kahlo's blog a couple weeks ago. The gifties arrived yesterday - look how amazing!! A cute little green frog to keep notions in (and I really had been coveting one of these, but none of my LYS stock them yet), a couple Chibi needles in a green case, a great tape measure, and the most amazing little crochet needle (so great for picking up dropped stitches - not that I drop stitches...).

I won this for the heartbreaking story of ripping out my Hush dress - I am sure you all remember that. And the day that I got the e-mail saying that I won, I was wearing the dress. Coincidence? The day that I got the package, I realized that I was going to have to rip out the toe of my "stocking that ate christmas" and start again.

There are photos below of the completed stocking - and as you can kinda see the foot is awfully blousie. The heel of the stocking is kitchnered to make it flat. When you pick up the stitches long the side of the green and white check, you pick up 8 more stitches then were in there to begin with (in my stock experience, you generally have as many stitches in the foot as are in the leg for balance and fit). I am going to try taking the stitches down faster by ssk two on each side of the beginning of the round. I am hoping that this makes the foot a little flatter. I am also going to try a traditional toe decrease (on the top and bottom of the toe - not the sides like normal) to see if that helps to take some of the blouse out of the foot. If anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear them!! I want to make three more stocking using this basic pattern with different fair-isle - so while all are different, they all have the same shape.

Happy Knitting!!

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

The stocking that ate christmas...


So apparently, when reading a pattern, I need to pull out my measuring tape to see how big the item will really be. Since my stocking is slightly larger then the pattern said, but looks to me much larger then the one in the photo. It was supposed to be 7" across the leg and 22" long - mine is 8 1/2" across the leg and 25" long. Not a huge difference, but compared to what was in my head - its huge!! Now that it is almost done, I am not changing it - and the other stockings that I am planning on making will be about the same size. It just makes me giggle a little when I see it. And there is no way that the stockings will ever be full again :)
Happy Knitting!!

Monday, August 13, 2007

Super quick update

So I was planning on playing on Ravelry today, updating my blog and doing some knitting before I had to leave. But a cold KO'd me today and now I am just doing a super quick update.

So for starters, I bought this yarn from knitboy1 during his stash sale. He made it and it was packaged so well, I just had to show it off.

Then we have my school girl knee socks and vinnland socks that are getting packed up for plane knitting. Slowly but surely, the second socks are coming along.

Finally, there is an in-progress of mr.sunneshine's stocking. It is from IK's holiday 2006 mag. This one is turning out substantially larger then it was supposed to. Which really is fine - mr.sunneshine usually had a pile under his stocking because his last one was a little skimpy. So now he will have
a super-sized one for his treats. I am using philosopher's wool to knit this with and it is a treat to work with. I think I am going to adapt some flower patterns from Poetry in Stitches for my stocking. They won't match, but I never like doing the same project a second time :)

Happy Knitting!!

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Lost and Found...




Oh, so much has happened since my last post...

Lets start with the amazing parcel my PRGE(mini) pal Alison sent. I really could not be more spoiled!! First the package with the so SOFT green cashmere arrived. It is a beautiful lace weight yarn - 400 yards, plenty to make a beautiful scarf! Then the next package arrived with some souvenirs from Droitwich Spa - where she lives, beautiful yarn, stationary, and so much more! Alison, thank you so much!!

My MIL has been in town for the last four days - which has run me ragged. She is a wonderful woman, but mr.sunneshine has to crazy clean for a week before hand, and every moment of her time has to be planned with some activity. It was a lovely visit, but I am exhausted!! Oh, and my MIL gave me a photo box for my birthday - yippee!! I am hoping that it will make my photography better.

Since, I last wrote, I have lost then found my Vinnlands socks - still working on the second one, and the Great Adirondack Yarn that I am making my school girl socks with. Both of these are still in process, but getting there! I still haven't posted a photo of my Montego Bay Scarf from IK summer '07, which has been done for 10 days now. And I am done with the cuff of mr.sunneshine's christmas stocking. I love how quickly fair-isle goes!! I think I should be getting back to a more normal knitting schedule! I have all that beautiful cashmere from Alison to get knit into a scarf before it turns too cold!

Happy Knitting!!

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Monster Mitts

It has been quite a week and its only Wednesday.
Monday, I spent 4 hours working in LA and 10 hours in airports - ick! I did get some good knitting done....

Last week, I was flipping through etsy and I found an Insubordiknit Monster Hat kit, that I had to have! I have been lusting after one for a while, but hadn't seen one that I loved. So I was really excited when this one arrived...

When I got to the ticket counter 15 minutes before it opened, I sat on the floor of the airport and rolled the yarn. Then I started the hat. It soon became obvious that with the fabric density that I wanted - there was not enough yarn to make a hat (see above photo). Really this wasn't a bad thing, since the more I knit, the more I doubted that I would wear this hat....
Then while sitting for 8 hours at the airport, thanks to a cancelled flight - I decided that this would make great monster mitts. Of course, I didn't have the right needles, so I worked on my knee socks. On a side note - I left Harry Potter at home, brought my knee socks, my monster hat - no patterns, no extra needles - trying to travel light - and I have a huge delay, so I quit the hat and make up a pattern that I hope will work for the socks...

Tuesday was my birthday and Mr.sunneshine gave me a wonderful relaxing day with meals out, a long nap, a great gift and champagne and cake on our deck last night.

This morning I got up and knit up the mitts while my car was going through emissions. Sewed on the monster, while watching "Scott Baio is 45 and Single", which was surprisingly engaging *guilty pleasure*. And now I am the proud creater of Monster Mitts - so anytime Mother Nature decides to cool us down, I am ready!!

Happy Knitting!!