It's so beautiful

First, it was gorgeous outside when I left the University, so I took a picture of Adam:

















Then, when I got to the car, Adam had brought with him a package that I received from Amazon:





I have looked through this book a couple of times, and I was so happy to have received it from my PRGE Secret Pal, Peppy. Thank you so much!!!












A few weeks ago, I had been working on a pair of Widdershins socks, but had a hard time with the bind-off. I wasn't making a loose enough top edge. Then, as part of the Anastasia pattern that I'm currently working on, I read the Elizabeth Zimmerman Sewn Bind-off. Very stretchy and pretty. So now I have a finished pair of Widdershins:



















Also in the sock realm, I have finished my first Anastasia/Widdershins hybrid:

My hybrid is built as follows: Judy's Magic Cast-On (from Knitty), which can be used for either sock; knit straight for an inch; start working the chart for the Anastasia swirls; I chose the gusset and heel from Widdershins; then the leg, cuff and bind-off from Anastasia.












Oh! I also saw The Yarn Harlot on Knitty Gritty! She did her socks presentation, and it was wonderful! Knitting socks looks so ridiculously easy when watching her do it.

Now I have a few hours to relax before I go back into work. I leave you with "Sunshine and Avery".

Too much Rain

There has been so much rain, that when I look out into the small yard in front of my apartment, it is clear the grass will not hold any more water. That was mostly on Sunday, when it was a heavy rain for 18 hours straight. I realize that was nothing compared to some areas of New York and New Jersey, but I stayed inside and off the roads nonetheless. I worked until 11:30am, and then went home and got back in my pajama pants - where I actually got to stay for the rest of the day. It was amazing, and I am totally energized as a result.

The first Anastasia/Widdershins sock is finished!! I actually finished it on Saturday. I know that I made a number of stylistic mistakes in it, but I know what they are, and once I knit those same mistakes into the second sock, they are no longer mistakes but rather strokes of uniqueness. It looks good, fits like a glove, and of course at home, where I can't take a picture of it right now.

A while ago, I fell in love with Yarnstorm's Ripple Blanket and I know she's working from a pattern and all, but I was smitten. I also knew that I would have to learn to crochet in order to get anywhere near the beauty of this blanket.
So, I picked up a copy of Stich & Bitch: The Happy Hooker and looked up the Double Crochet. And off I go. I have this soft 1970's acrylic yarn that fades from bright green to white and back. It's kinda neat, and honey likes it. The only issue is that I cannot crochet in public. I was working on this blanket at my Starbucks before a shift one day, and a woman came into the store, saw me working, and walked up and asked, "Is there a baby on the way?" I had to politely tell her no, and vowed that the blanket would not be leaving the house anymore.

In other news, I got a great postcard from my Punk Rock Gift Exchange Pal yeasterday. I never once mentioned The Labyrinth to her, so there's way she could have known how obsessed I was as a kid, but it arrived anyway.



Amazing.

Progress

First and foremost -> Happy Birthday, Denise!!!!


I have made progress. When I posted on Sunday, I was hoping that I would indeed be able to continually make progress on these socks, plural. I have turned the heel, and began working on the leg. 6 inches of the spirals - woohoo!!

Also in this picture, I have my Molskine book. I love these things. I get the graph paper books, and they are perfect for me for re-writing my patterns into. In this way, I have a smaller book to contain all of my notes. I copy the charts in there, and work them in where they belong as integrated into the pattern itself. I write the actual pattern in pen and marker, and then my row counts and whatnot can be in pencil. Also, the book is slim enough that I can actually bend it backwards and it's a small board to lay on my lap with my notes right there. Another fun perk: they come in 3 packs. I love 'em.

In work news, I am booked. I work every day at the Studio, and then I have a job every evening. I work both days this weekend, and then Monday and Tuesday night next week as well. *Sigh* If I really didn't love everything I was doing, I might be upset by this. Really, the only thing that's a bit disconcerting to me is that I wake up, get dressed and leave my house, and then don't return until it's time to change again and go to sleep. Once the semester is over, my time will free up, and be in softball season! Playing outside - Yeah!!

New socks

First of all, I love-love-love this colorway!

I started knitting sock #1 with the Magic cast-on for toe-up according to Knitty. I love this cast-on since it feels like a really secure binding for keeping my toes covered. I wanted a pattern on the instep of these socks, but nothing too intricate. I found Anastasia by Perpperknits to be exactly what I was looking for. I love the swirls, and the way they integrate on the leg.

Also, I love the way the bright green of the wool just pops out very evenly through the work. The hot pink does this too. When I first looked at the colors before winding it, I don't even remember seeing these very bright colors in there at all.

I just started these late on Friday, so we'll see how far I can actually get on them.

Materials for the Beret

I realized from Peppy's comment that I neglected to reference my materials for making the beret. I suppose I was so deliriously happy to finish something, that it simply slipped my mind.

Using US 3 needles - first a 24" circular Addi turbo, and then DPN's - I used Frog Tree 100% Alpaca Wool in sport weight. I had two balls, each 130 yards, and used up the first one and then a bit of the second one. I don't actually remember buying this yarn, but when I found it in my stash, I really loved it. It matches my eyes pretty closely and looks good with my dark hair, so I knew deep down that it was hat material.

It's been so long since I've worn a hat for style rather than just function that I'm really looking forward to breaking it out - maybe tomorrow?!??!?!

I Finished Something!!

From Greetings from Knit Cafe, I have completed:
Beret.


There's hope for me yet.