sheep in the city

My head hurts...

I'm pretty sure that it's sinus related...and it's totally making my friday afternoon drag! This is going to be a short, but sweet entry because staring at the computer screen isn't helping any. I picked up my yarn for the Grey's Knitalong last night. Although it's not gray in color...remember, I'm knitting from the Gray's Anatomy article in Vogue. Fun! I love the color of my yarn, it's called Nectarine. It's Blackberry Ridge sport weight. All I did last night was cast on for a swatch...and that's about it. Too invloved in the show to knit much. I just love Grey's this season. Are you watching it too? What other new shows are you watching? I have way too many season passes right now. There are too many new shows, and not enough time to watch them all! Have a great weekend everyone!

Afghan's abound!

It's Thursday...which means that it's time to show you the afghan progress. We'll start with the bloggers afghan. It's times like these that I wish you could reach into the screen and feel this yarn, it is so soft!

This yarn was sent to me by one of my local knitting buddies, Sharon. She and I go way back, to gasp before knitting, back when I was a scrapbook junkie! She was part owner of my favorite local shops! I spent hours there...and tons of money! (oh to have that money back to spend on yarn! Just kidding, I still love to scrapbook, I just don't have the time with all this knitting!) Sharon is allergic (if I'm remembering correctly) to wool, so she sent me the softest Alpaca yarn!! Since she was generous enough to send a brown skein and a green skein, I decided to stripe it. I love how it turned out...and it's just so soft!

Next in line is my Lizard Ridge afghan. Have you been over to the Leapin' Lizards blog yet? There are some really cool things happening over there! I'm almost done with my third square and I am still loving this project. I love the yarn. I love the short rows. (this may not last, I know) Of course I love the colors on this third square, it's totally me!

In the "I just couldn't resist" category, I picked up some yarn for a little Moderne Log Cabin Baby Blanket yesterday. Here are the colors for your viewing pleasure:

I'm not going to cast on for this yet...at least not this week. But I know of someone who approves of my color choices!! I think that Alice approves...don't you?!

Weekend Update...

My weekend flew by and was filled with lots of knitting related activity, but not much actual knitting. I hung out with some knitting buddies on Friday night. (and most people know that I hardly get any knitting done at these get-togethers because I like to socialize too much.) Then Saturday morning I worked at the shop and the next thing I knew it was Sunday afternoon and I was teaching a full class on Log Cabin knitting. It went really well and it was so fun to see what kind of yarn people chose and all the different colors. It was totally inspiring to me...but don't worry, I'm not going to start another afghan project. Two afghan projects at the same time is enough for me, thank you very much! I made up some worksheets so that everyone could play with the colored pencils and "plan" out their Log Cabin squares. It was such a fun class...I even had a couple visitors while I was there.

It was a fun but exhausting weekend. I hope to have at least a couple quiet nights at home this week. I've been knitting away on my Seraphim shawl...getting it all knit up before Rhinebeck! Hopefully I'll have progress pictures soon!

Fall is in the air

I went to sleep last night to the sound of rain falling on my skylights. When I woke up this morning, it was still raining and overcast, and it had even snowed in the mountains. I decided it was the perfect day to bring out the *Bloggers Afghan since fall is officially here. The picture on my computer screen was from this morning at about 7:30...the sky was all dark and scary. What it really made me want to do is go back inside and knit all day instead of going to work. But alas, duty called and I went to work. I'll be trying to post weekly about this afghan, probably on Thursday's, so check back!

Since it's also my other favorite time of the year, season premiere time, I joined another Knitalong! I will say that I had a friend, who will remain nameless, ahem, Cynthia who threatened not to be my friend if I didn't join this KAL...but that's not the reason I joined, I swear. It's the Grey's Anatomy Knitalong! The point of the knitalong is to knit a project, while watching Grey's this season. Cool idea, huh?! Some people are knitting projects with gray yarn. Other people are knitting a sweater from the "Gray's Anatomy" article in the latest Vogue magazine. I've decided to go with the second one...and I'm even going to knit the same sweater as she is...because that's what me and my knitting group do. We like a pattern and before you know it everyone is knitting one!

I think that this sweater is so classy and just plain gorgeous. I ordered my yarn from Colorful Yarns this week, so I should be able to cast on next week. I chose Blackberry Ridge wool in a sport weight, and I couldn't decide between Charcoal and Nectarine. Believe it or not...I'm leaning towards the charcoal gray. It is the Grey's Anatomy knitalong after all...when in Rome!

*In regards to the Bloggers Afghan: If you have no clue what I'm talking about, read all about it in the archives, starting in march, I think.

And the list goes on...

**WARNING: There are almost no pictures in this post...I'm just sayin'**

I've been thinking about making a list of all my projects for a while now, ever since Michelle did it actually. (you can check out her list, here.) My list of projects on the needles...ready or not...here it comes:

On the needles:

1. Hill Country Yarn socks: These socks have been cast on. That's it. I need to get make some progress on these bright pink socks, and I do mean bright! The color is called Bubblegum, so if you are a pink girl(or boy) then these are the socks for you! Check out the whole Hill Country Yarns color card! They have amazing colors!

2. Koigu Clapotis: I started this Clapotis (my second one) back in May when I was on a trip to Arizona. I put it down for a while because I knew that I would be teaching a Clapotis class at Colorful Yarns in July, which I did, and I wanted to be able to use it as a teaching tool. You know, show them how to do the dropped stitches, etc. After the class was over it got set aside. I intend to finish this one because I love the color of Koigu that I'm using...plus, it's Koigu! That says it all!

3. Noro Kureyon Shrug (also known as my Olympic knitting): I hate to even talk about this project. What a disappointment that I didn't get a gold medal during the Knitting Olympics. Plus, to add insult to injury, 3 of my friends started and had the nerve to finish
before me! The nerve I tell you! I will wear this shrug soon, it's getting put back on the top of the pile!

4. Harry Potter PoA scarf: There is no good reason why this silly scarf isn't done...as all my blog readers as my witness, this will be done for the next movie! (I'm pretty sure that gives me until next summer)

5. Wee Knits Sweater ("Spanky"): This is a class that I took years ago when I learned to knit. I'd say that the whole thing is about 60-70% done. I have the back and front both done. All I need are two itty-bitty sleeves...did I mention that it's all seed stitch? Umm, that could be the reason it's not finished.

6. Sienna Cardigan (aka Pink malabrigo sweater)I have the whole back almost finished. I was cruising along on this sweater and I realized that I needed to get some class samples knit up. This is a high priority knit to me because a)it's Malabrigo and b)it's such a great pink sweater. I will be wearing this sweater this winter!

7. Dad's felted clogs: These are about 2 hours away from being done. I feel really bad that I haven't delivered these to him yet. Seeing as they were a birthday present...for his birthday...in July. Oops. Luckily I have a very loving and understanding Dad. These also are on the top of the list to get done. They dwell on my night stand so that I can see them when I wake up and when I go to sleep!

8. Alien Illusion Scarf: I took a class on this scarf a few years ago now and it really hasn't been touched since. I don't even know if this one really counts since technically I took it off the needles and put it on waste yarn years ago. I think I might have one, possibly two alien faces knit.

9. Seraphim Shawl: I am loving working on this shawl! It's a great pattern and I just love the yarn that I'm using. It's Plain and Fancy Sheep and Wool. (no, they don't have a website, bummer!) I'm still on the mostly stockinette portion of the shawl, all the lace is on the edge. I'm hoping to have this done in time to wear it at Rhinebeck this year!

10. Bloggers Afghan: This project took a hiatus this summer, but I'm bringing it back out! I'm hoping to get back in the rythmn of knitting one square a week.

11. Leapin' Lizards Afghan: Love this project! You can join the knitalong, or at the very least read all about it on the Leapin' Lizards blog!

12. Fair Isle Jazz scarf: This was started last spring with my knitting group. We all loved the one that Michelle was knitting so much, that we all picked out colors, remember?! I'm actually not that far into the first fair isle section, but I'm going to pull it back out and work on it in the next few months. That's the plan at least!

13. Not So Green Gables: What happened with this project? I was going along so great, making progress, and then I just quite working on it! I've knit through the lace section, and if I remember correctly, I have just a few rounds to go before I take the stitches off for the sleeves. I'm thinking that this one is not going to get knit on much before Spring.

The following projects can now Rest In Peace:

**Click on the picture above to see the fate of my mystery stole!**

1. Mystery Stole 2006: This project quickly lost it's mystery for me, even though I was knitting it with Koigu. I love the idea, but I just didn't think I would wear a rectangular stole that often. R.I.P. Mystery Stole!

2. Rowan Plaid sweater: I have had a sweaters worth of Rowan Plaid in my stash for 2 years now. (color 164, Sea Thistle) Last winter I started a sweater from the Plaid book...but I was never thrilled with it. I only have about 5 inches of a sleeve done, so it's not too painful to just rip it out. I'm going to wait until I find the perfect sweater, that I just can't live without, to knit up this luscious yarn! R.I.P. Rowan Plaid.

3. Hallowig: Will I really ever finish a bright pink, acrylic, knitted wig? This one may be saved...but it's not very high on the priority list. R.I.P. Hallowig.

4. Summer Tweed Tank: This was meant to be a gift for a friend, but somewhere along the way (and over the years it has been languishing on the needles in the WIP bin) I've lost where I am in the pattern. It's getting ripped. R.I.P. Summer Tweed Tank.

For those of you that read this entire list, I thank you. It's at times overwhelming to me that I have this many projects on my needles...but then I remember that I am the boss of my knitting! I don't need to feel guilty, why should I?! I'll get things finished eventually, right? There are a few projects on the horizon that I'm excited about and will be casting on for sometime soon. I'm hoping that this list will help me be a little more realistic about getting things finished...we'll see how that goes.

Hills and Valley's

Doesn't the start of this afghan look like a weird sci-fi landscape? I think that I would love to live in a place where there were hills and valley's that were this brightly colored. A land filled with Noro yarn...mmmm, sounds like a wonderful place. As you can see, I finished one sqaure and immediately bound off and picked up stitches for the second square! I just wanted to see what the next color looked like. This could pose a problem for the eleventy-million other things that I need to knit on, but it's just such a compelling project. I don't know if it's the yarn, or the short rows, or the colors...I just love it all! Caryn is setting up the blog and she thinks that she'll have it done by Sunday! Whoo-hoo! Keep leaving comments, or emailing me if you want to join our knitalong...we've officially named it the "Leapin' Lizards! Knitalong". This really is going to be so much fun!

I've decided to knit mine in long strips. I'll bind off one sqaure and then pick up and knit the next square in the row. It still looks "seamed" or "pieced", but it really cuts down on the seaming in the end. Less finishing = a much happier Stacey!

Here are the colors of Noro that I have so far. I have 4 of some of these colors, but I only stuck two of each in the picture. Here are the color numbers, starting at the bottom left side and going clockwise:

•148: A new color this season...it's a dark purple/pink/black/olive
•39: Old, old color that I picked up on a trip to L.A.
•95: This is one of my favorite Noro colorways. I have a ton of this color because of the as-yet-unfinished Shrug. (remember the Olympics)
•130: Another favorite because, hello! It's all pink and orange!
•166: All blues, purples, and greens. Cynthia, this one has your name on it!
•126: Another bright multi-colored Noro. This one has just about every color of the rainbow in it and was sent to me by Kay. I've been looking for the perfect project for it. How appropriate and fitting that it's going to be knit into an afghan!
•156: This will forever be Michelle's color...it's all brownand blue/green!
•102: All bright orange/red/pink with a little bit of blue thrown in.

FO and a knitalong!

I finally have a picture of my nieces stripey top. She wore it yesterday for her preschool pictures! I narrowed the pictures that I would post down to 2...but believe me, there were many, many more. That's what happens when she's so darn cute and photogenic. You can see the plastic little broom set that her Great-Grandma Sue gave her in the picture above. She's obsessed with sweeping now! I guess that there are worse things that she could do, huh?!

Yarn: Lionbrand CottonEase
Pattern: Sugar 'n Spice (#193 QK) from Minnow Knits
Needles: Crap! I can't remember! I'll check my notes and update this later.
Knit: July 11th-Aug.7th This is when I had all the pieces knit up. The finishing is another story.
Modifications: The only thing that I changed was the hem. Instead of doing a hem facing, I added a ruffled edge just like the sleeves called for. Simple, and much cuter if I do say so myself!

As you know from yesterday's post, I have fallen in love with the Lizard Ridge pattern from the latest issue of Knitty. Well, Caryn and I have decided to host a knitalong together! I'll keep you posted on the details, we're going to be setting up the blog in the next few days. If you're interested in joining us, either leave me a comment or email me! This is going to be a fun one. If you're on the fence and not sure if you want to join...go take a peek at this sale they have going on at Webs! You may not be able to help yourself!!

Have you seen it?

Oh my, look at the beauty that is this Noro afghan. Go ahead and click on the link and look at it. I need to make one. I have about 13 skeins of Noro in my stash that I have no specific plans for. I know that I have no good reason to cast on for anything new at the moment...but when do I listen to reason when it comes to knitting? I, for the most part, just do what feels right and makes me happy. So...I'm thinking that I'll be casting on for square one over lunch time, you know, just to see what the stitch pattern looks like. Then I'll put it down and work on the many pressing knits with deadlines. It's only one square. Those are famous last words, aren't they?!

Running with D.M.C.

I've got my beads. I've got my DMC floss. I've got my size 0 needles and I've printed out the pattern. Now all I need is to find some time to actually knit them! So, this is my weekend project this weekend. I'm also thinking of starting a knitalong for knitted necklaces...what do you think, are you interested? I'll keep you posted with my progress and news about the knitalong.

*Is there anyone out there that would like to make me a button for the Funky Knitted Necklaces blog? Email me if you have any ideas!*

Yippee! I'm going to Rhinebeck!

I can hardly stand the excitement...I'm heading to Boston in October with Jeni to visit Cynthia and it just so happens to be on the same weekend as Rhinebeck. How convenient is that?! We are so there! (and there may be another friend coming, if we can convince her to go!! Come on already! Get a plane ticket!) Have you read about Rhinebeck Bingo? I've already signed up! Can you tell how excited I am? Seriously though...let me know if you're going to be there, I'd love to meet you! Of course I'll be watching Cara's blog for updates on the big blogger meet-up! So...is it October yet?!

It's Wednesday, right?

I had such grand plans...unrealistic, sure...but such good intentions. My plan was to sleep in on Monday, get up and start knitting and not stop until I had all the projects that are on deadlines finished. Who am I kidding? There was no possible way that I could finish everything, but I made some good progress! I also now have a very clean garage thanks to my mom coming over and motivating me to clean it out before trash day on Tuesday...I guess thanks are in order, so thanks mom!

Here is the evidence that I do indeed knit and that I have made some progress on a few projects! First we have the "La la" shawlette from Greetings from Knit Cafe. I am binding off and it is one of those bind off's that seem like it will never end. It has a loopy ruffled picot edging, can you say tedious? Especially since it is knit out of mohair. This is one of the few projects that I have knit where I regret a color choice. I really wish that I had chosen a hot pink instead of the pale pink that I used. Oh well. I'm not ripping back 300 some stitches in mohair. No way. I thought about taking a hot pink sharpie to the yarn and just "coloring" it in. Not really...but it was a fleeting thought! The lighting is crappy in this picture too...which doesn't help my feelings about this project. This is what happens when you take pictures in the morning at my house. The green is a real acidy chartreuse and the orange is a really deep bright orange. Those two I'm happy with...the pink, not so much.

Next is the little felted tote from One Skein. It's for my One Skein pal...and it has been mailed off to her already. This tiny bag knit up while I was catching up on the last 2 episodes of Prison Break on Saturday. (have I mentioned how much I love that show...especially Wentworth Miller. He is a cutie!) I took a picture with the buttons for scale, and one with a closeup of the buttons. I just love how the brown and blue buttons turned out.

Here is the start to my Log Cabin sample for the shop. I can't wait to start on one for myself! I haven't quite decided what colors to make mine...I know it's going to have pink in it.

Last, but not least, I told myself that I wouldn't start anything new...but then Wanda wore here Seraphim Shawl again on Friday when we hung out, and the rest is history! I only let myself knit a little bit on it. It hasn't grown any since this picture was taken, and it's just been laying in the bottom of my knitting bag taunting me. The yarn that I'm using is "Plain and Fancy Sheep and Wool" in the colorway, Magenta that I picked up at Estes this year. They are one of those small Texas yarn companies that only sell their stuff at festivals. If I could get my hands on more of this stuff, I would. (I'm pretty sure that they are going to be at the Taos wool festival) I just love the way that the colors are knitting up. I'm pretty sure that there won't be much pooling because the colors change so rapidly. I think that the most I've knit with one color is like 3 stitches. It's so pretty...I don't think it's going to spend long languishing in my bag. I can't stand it!

Alright...gotta get to work...more on what I'm making with the DMC floss at the top of this entry later.

Weekend Update...

Just a quick note to say that my weekend has flown by and it has been filled with lots of knitting and family time! I spent Friday night with Tiffany and Wanda, eating at Chili's and then knitting at my place. Wanda had never seen Sense and Sensibility before, so we watched that. I was reminded just how much I love that movie. It's such a great adaptation of a Jane Austen novel. Saturday I worked at the shop and was joined by my Grandma and Nachaele. Look at how cute my Grandma is! She is so stylish!! This picture was taken about 2 minutes before a big crowd showed up and there was no more time for me to knit on the job!

I spent the evening with my sister, which we don't do often enough, just the two of us. Sunday morning after church I went with my sisters family to the park and then to get dumplings. (yes, Cynthia, we thought of you as we stuffed ourselves! We all miss you!) I had to share a few of the pictures that I took today. The first showcases my nieces new jacket...too cute, I would totally wear one if they made them in my size!

And then there is me knitting in the park:

The noodle house...where the adults stuffed themselves with dumplings and Alice went to town on a huge bowl of noodles! She kept singing a song about, "Alice, making noodles, making noodles." I think that she would have stayed there and ate all day if she could have.

My plan for my day off from work on Monday is to hardly leave my house and just knit as much as I can. I already have one FO to tell you about and I plan on getting at least two other projects done...hopefully. I'll report all about it on Tuesday!

Jesse and a Noni bag

Wanda recently finished knitting a Noni felted bag. (I think it was the "Rather-Huge Carpet Bag") Anyway, she was not happy with the way that it turned out...so she gave it to me. I think the main reason she did that was so that she didn't have to look at it anymore.

Do you ever have projects like that? After you're done knitting them, you can no longer stand the sight of them?! I'm debating if I want to try and salvage it and try to "make it work" (that sounds so very Tim Gunn of me!) or if I should just let Jesse have it since it has already been claimed by him anyway. Any thoughts? The bag is what it is...rather huge, so I'm not sure if I'd want such a big felted bag?! Who am I kidding? I love a big bag, but this thing is massive! I couldn't resist taking a picture of him all curled up in his own little, I mean big, Noni bag. This bag makes him look tiny and you all know that he is not a small cat!

Have a good long weekend everyone! I hope you all take the extra time to get some long neglected projects worked on...I know I'm going to!