timetables

Ready for Ravelympics?


Swish Bulky

:)

I think I do well under thumb of timetables... knowing I probably wouldn't be able to do much else than hats or prize pack spinning for 16 days starting Friday, I managed to comb a bunch of corriedale, finish washing and sorting the chocodile merino fleece (post in itself) and bang out a pair of rpm's in handspun...


handspun rpm with minus one mod
(subtract one st from original CO # and knit rnd 1 continuously til length desired)

I felt a little odd, knitting my own pattern but eh :) I have wanted to try the minus one spiral idea for a long time-- a poster on Knitter's Review posted about it shortly after rpm first appeared (and KR's search function is failing me so I can't properly attribute it), and the idea has been !!! in the back of my mind since. I'm sure I'll get over the !!! in 16 days, working ten spiraling hats in that time, but we'll see :)

I couldn't help but get all excited over getting a good closeup of the yarn...



It's hard, the black + holographic glitz + purple/magenta sari silk. As fun knitting as spinning-- EnchantedKnoll's "blackbird" series batts (black superwash merino + color in glitz and silk) sing to the liberace slice of my soul. (I just noticed Josette is offering free shipping on +$75 orders now... she already has great prices!)

I also started my grandmother's now-yearly holiday afghan gift...


"All About Aran" afghan by Janet Szabo

This free pattern on the knittygritty site was perfect for the 20 balls of Elann Superwash Merino Seconds in Espresso I recently picked up for a steal. (Anyone in blogland want to destash/trade for a bag or more of this, plmk! A bigger afghan would be great.)

I'm getting a somewhat early head start this year... knitting in strips instead of squares to cut down on seaming, and only using the cabled square (5) patterns instead of the "filler" stitches. Three squares out of 20 isn't bad, but not great-- wanted to finish a few more before Ravelympics.

Also wanted to finish spinning some 3-ply sock yarn from my last dye for zero.etsy.com... fail:


Superwash merino, "loupe"

Mainly this was a problem of me trying on my brand new extra crazy super high speed whorl on the Matchless (yay! I have all the whorls now! boo! I pretty much only use one of them!) and not being able to get it off for three days. Did get it off with some radioshack ptfe help, eventually :)

I'm sure there's more, but I'm going to sneak in some corriedale worsted spinning before the olympics kickoff, so moo til then!

Summer Knitty! And a sock lovers contest!!

Yay! Summer Knitty 2006 is out, and I have a pattern in it! Yes, your very own cyclone ranger* and her feet are there, check it out!



(I know I should be all nonchalant, but hey, forgive me... reason will not lead to solution today!)

I've been super lucky not only in having my pattern published by Knitty, but also in winning yarn around the blogosphere left and right and upsidedown, and want to hold one of my own cold beverages to celebrate. Fingertips have memories, so why can't I?

Prizes first, right? Right.
(No neighbors complaining about the noises above now, eh?)

First, a skein of Socks That Rock Mediumweight in Marbles. I love this color, I may order it again soon but for now, hoist up the John B's sail cos, it wants to come home to you!


Blue Moon Fiber Arts STR Medium Weight
380 yd, 5.5 oz
Marbles colorway

Number two, two, two for my family... a honkin 8 oz skein of Merino Worsted Superwash wool from Interlacements. Bang a gong with some worsted socks for you and your loved one(s)! Or a scarf, or a castle and a keep... Pretend its not a cruel summer outside; just dreams daylight and 365 degrees :)


Interlacements Merino Worsted
100% superwash merino
560 yd/8 oz
Chairman of the Board colorway 217

Third, third, third is the word... some of the new Interlacements Tiny Toes yarn. No summer of 69 required, only a rush and a push and these tiny skeins can be yours! They need to be back in the arms of a good friend, help em out and make em yours :)


Interlacements Tiny Toes
100% machine washable merino wool
185 yd/50 gm -- 2 skeins (for yall with 3 feet, sorry!)
Stained Glass colorway, 218

And the coup de grâce.
...Ask me, I won't say no, how could I?

Positively fourth. This one is so very special, like double cherry pie... special to me since every one of you who reads my blog is special. (Really.) Keep on truckin down the page and you'll see what I mean.

July 5 afternoon, edit to add pics:





Holz & Stein double pointed needles, Ebony
direct from deutchland!
set of 5
2.5mm (US 1.5), 18 cm (approx. 7")

Yes. THOSE needles. The ones made of wood from reclaimed musical instruments, aka high quality beautiful black matte ebony wood? The ones Wendy calls her favorite needles for doing fair isle on (okay, on circulars... but this *is* sock pr0n yall!)? The ones that are pretty gosh darn hard to find in the good ol' USofA? Ja y ja y ja. They're in no shape for driving, bring them home to hang out behind your unlocked doors!

***

"Okay, how can I win??!"
...Captivity required from us a song...





I'm going to go my 21st century digital girl route and recycle my Choka on It contest from last time :) They turned night into day and welcomed us back with open arms and everything (week 12)! For those of you who haven't played before, a cut and paste from my previous contest's post:

" To make the contest something more than a comment cattle call and something kinda fun, go contribute to the world's longest poem at ChokaOnIt.com and afterwards, come back here & copy/paste your 2 line couplet you've submitted IN THE COMMENTS TO THIS POST. (Please read about how to contribute to the world's longest poem here first...) No yarn - sock - knitting references required or even encouraged, just your 7-5 that goes with the flow of the poem already in progress. "

Now, I WILL ASK (please, if this is all you read, read this), PLEASE write a couplet that FLOWS from the existing poem. You are *NOT* SUPPOSED TO WRITE YOUR OWN, STANDALONE COUPLET. They're supposed to flow from the previously posted couplet, the last one you'll see above when submitting your own. You're adding to a work in progress, *not* writing your own! And you DON'T have to force knitting into it, kay? (Repetition, the only thing I can do.) Please don't irk me, you won't like me when I'm irked... the words I know are all obscene.

About the needles!

Now, what was I saying about special needles for special peoples? :) First off, I love this blog. I really enjoy it-- writing, interacting, sharing with yall. Everybody who leaves me comments and drop me emails are solar supermen, my wonderwall fo sho. It has unexpectedly become a very big drive behind my knitting and in a way, writing and expression. All of you who read along with my too-long posts are the ones who make it possible, who egg me on and keep me rolling in my 5.0. I read everybody's comments when they come in and really dig them along with everyone who takes the time to write me a little blurb about whatever I may be spouting off about on those demon days. I even keep stock (with a tick tock rhythm) of them thru gmail (gosh darn it, I love me do some google sometimes...). I was reading a few in my comments folder and came up with an idea to thank yall for brightening my day and welcoming me into your community...

Its my party and I'll 1999 if I want to-- only those people who have left me a comment previous to this date and leave me a couplet comment in this post will be entered to win the Holz & Stein needles-- a special thank you for everyone who's hung out with me this far. Essentially, yall will be entered into 2 contests-- one for the yarn and one for the needles. You could ostensibly win yarn and needles, but the odds of that are like, math.

And if you're new here and haven't written me a comment before? Don't shed no tears! They can have their diamonds, we'll have our pearls ;) Stick around for joy, oscillate wildly with your hair slicked back and all that jazz... you can still win some rockin yarn just by submitting a couplet.

Sounds good? Good.

Boring details...
1) Winners will be picked at random, so don't sweat the technique. Only those who submit a couplet in the comments will be added to the draw.
2) One entry per person, though you're welcome to keep punching your card and cut loose over there. One comment/couplet is all that's needed if you're a returning commenter in order to win the Holz & Stein needles.
3) I will run the contest til July 23, 2006 so, you have til then to submit your couplet and come back here and post it in the comments to this post.
4) Now if I called you up, do you think you could go spread the word (you'll be free)? Could you blog about my little contest, post about it, use some of that strange magic and tell your friends to come play too-- how many of yall have them? :)

Okay, thats enough begging on bended knee for now.

Have fun, and thanks for making this so fun for me...



*psyched lone ranger isn't cool enough for me!