Phildar Eponge?
Phildar Eponge is a lovely cotton-mix boucle yarn that is very elastic and light. I would like to hear if any of you have used it and if you liked it. I might knit up a loose fitting tunic for it that I have the pattern for.
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May 31, 2006
May 30, 2006
Linkage!
Another cute Tank pattern - How I found it
And we have alot of TRYING to knit, but not much actual knitting:
May 29, 2006
how to get your logo to show up in Bloglines
This may also apply to other "feed readers" but Bloglines is the only one I use right now. Here is an example of the image.
I used a large image so it would show up but I reccomend using a smaller image, such as 100x100 so as not to annoy your readers by forcing them to scrool through a bunch of big logos.
I use Movabletype for my blog, here is a screen shot of my "templates" section;
I reccomend editing the atom.xml (Atom Index) and the index.xml (RSS 2.0) files. In this example I am editing the atom.xml file;
Here is a closeup of the code I added (just the IMAGE tags and the stuff inbetween);
You would need to re-type that and put in your websites proper values. You can use flickr to host your image. If you don't have a place to put your images I can not help you with that sorry! I reccomend Flickr.com
Jen over at the Jenla Blog helped me out by giving me examples of how she did it in Wordpress;
Jen edited the following files to get it to work for her; wp-atom.php, wp-rss.php and wp-rss2.php
I have been unable to find a way to edit the feed in Blogger, if you know of a way please let me know and I'll post it.
May 28, 2006
Sunday and no work Monday!
I love a 3-day weekend! However not much has been done after the socks. We went to the bookstore and I got a good technical book on making a better podcast. Then we went to see X-Men which was good, Hugh Jackman is sex-eeeey
Today I worked on a swatch, and I have a possible pattern in my mind. We'll see.
RYC Natural Silk Aran - Viscose, Silk & Linen
May 27, 2006
Someone slap me please
Wow, so I finished my Sockapaloooza socks today and while this photo hides the problem fairly well, it's a doosey. I can't even bring myself to type it. However they are wearable and I am going to send them to my pal, with some sock yarn included. I do hope she likes them, even with their wee problem.
This came in the mail yesterday, it was meant to be my reward for finishing these socks. The gold is for me, and the pink is for a pregnant friend who loves pink. When my sister was preggers, I would always make a point of giving HER something, because well once the little one is born, ya don't get to many presents for yourself anymore. This friend LOVES pink. I hope I can finish them some time before the baby is born, and I hope I don't mess them up.
100% Merino and Washable.
Wish me luck, I am a determined women!
May 26, 2006
Cleaning House
Well last night my husband got desperate and used the Shopvac (sp?) to suck up all the dog fur. Goldens shed so horrible, I suggested we use it on her but she's to much of a chicken and he didn't want to traumatize her.
If you can tell from the picture of our house, the beds against the front of the house are WAY overgrown and what you can't see are some tall weeds that are sticking up! So this weekend the hubby promises to get off the computer and help me clean it up. I'm looking forward to it. It’s hard to get him off the computer over the weekends and I just want us to accomplish something so when Sunday roles around I don't feel like the whole entire weekend was "wasted". If he got to sleep all weekend he would not view it as wasted, but well spent.
I was able to record my podcast last night. Hubby fiddled with the power cord until it worked and I got through half way in the editing when it ran out again. It charged well all night (yay!) so I'll be able to finish editing when I get home and put it out into itunes etc.
Willow loves her new toy!
May 25, 2006
The Devil Wears Prada
I simply adore this book, it's basically about the boss from hell and I'm so excited they are making it a movie, and with a good cast! Watch the Trailer
I have two very big knitting deadlines (socks and something else) so well I'm sorry for the sparse content. Plus of course, I can't use my MAC powercord anymore and I refuse to walk into the apple store again. The hubby went to go at lunch, but first cancled his debit card to get a new one and as we spoke on the phone it dawned on him he had no way to pay for it so he went home. So I can't record my podcast (and havn't been able to sence monday night when I planned to) which is highly frustrating because I had the outline all set out. Work today was chaotic.
Oh and tommorow, X-Men!! OHH!! I can't wait! The season finale to House was SO GOOD!! Lost was good enough and IDOL was perfect because Taylor won!
And because I always like to include a photo;
Magic Bean Stalk
May 24, 2006
Atlanta Yarn Thieves caught!
Audrey Yandel and Michaeleen Rose are the Atlanta Yarn Thieves!
We were talking about this at NEGA SnB just on saturday, several local shop owners had spread the word about an older women stealing yarn from shops around town.
My husband was the one who pointed it out to me that knitting was in the news, I was too busy working on the socks.
The shop owner of the Woodstock yarn store (Whole Nine Yarns?) who is a really nice women, was on the news even!
“She hasn’t made a decision on whether she wants to press charges against these subjects or not,” says Lt. Will Merrill with the Woodstock Police.
Ms. Light is perhaps indecisive, because the husband of one of the accused thieves invited her to his home to recover her yarn.
“We came back with 12 great big, huge garbage bags full of yarn,” says Light.
“We thought, maybe, you know, a couple of thousand, but we totaled it up and Debi and I both just went white,” says shop manager Caryn Southwick.
Shocked because the total was almost $13,000!
May 23, 2006
Handspun on Flickr
If you like to spin, and have a flickr account then you should join; Handspun Flickr!
Knitters in the news
Kelly Gilliam over at Suite101.com is doing a series of interviews on knitting podcasters! Read the first interview now.
May 22, 2006
What's with movies these days?
So over the weekend I watched both of those movies, "The Family Stone and "In Her Shoes". I hate that all the current movies, tv's and books always seem to have themes around adultry or cheating, and how in the end these things happening are for the best! It bugs the shit out of me!
Sock Fishy! Made for me by The Giving Flower, straight from Berlin Germany! He's made very well, she's a very good seamstress!
I spend my days dreaming of our trip to Italy we hope to take this year. I am trying to decide which places I would like to go. Florence, Rome, Venice and Tuscany, far too many places to choose between!
Oh and my mac power cord? The apple store tried it and said nothing is wrong with it and would not replace it. We had an electrician out at our house today, and he says nothing is wrong with our outlets. Now I hate apple just as much as alienware. All computer companies suck, they are all evil.
May 21, 2006
Sunday in May and it's too hot already!
May 20, 2006
1 sock down, 1 to go!
Friday night knitting on the couch;
We went to see the Davinci Code around 10pm. I read the book and was extremly pleased with the movie. Ron Howard played it safe a few times, but it's probably smart that he did. I don't see what the negative publicity is about. Tom Hanks character isn't supposed to be some funny guy, and there is no romantic scenes with him and his co-star so why should there have to be some big chemistry between them? I thought they did very well together.
Saturday afternoon was spent with the North East Georgia SnB, I finished my Sockapaloooza sock!
I allowed myself to be a tad bad at the group and work on something other then the sock;
Karabella Breeze - Cashmere and Silk
Oh and I wore my cute new Aerosoles;
Can't talk, gotta knit another sock!
May 19, 2006
Spinning is my Soul
Okay not really, but it was the only title I could think of! Last night was YUCKY, on my way home I started thinking about the mess in the kitchen I was coming home to, and I started to seethe! I was harboring a little anger at my husband. He works from home and when i come from work, even if I cleaned the whole kitchen the night before, there will be some coffee cups, empty lunch boxes etc littering the counter.
So I came in the front door, went straight to the sink and threw the bowl with the nasty rice in it right into the trash. I felt MUCH better just doing that one thing (remember working towards hiding all the dishes? I only have about half hidden so far). So I continued to clean up the mess and my husband came in (technically supposed to still be working) and says what’s wrong, "I'm tired of all this!" and that's all I would say. He said he would help, I said no go back to work. He insisted on helping. Within 20 minutes the kitchen was relatively spotless.
He disappeared back into his office and I went in to our bathroom to tackle that mess. 1 hour later I was feeling like I done enough to relax so I went out to the couch to knit. He comes out and asks me if I feel better, we walk into the kitchen and I basically vent to him everything I have been feeling about our cleaning issues.
I was waiting for the fall back, when he yells back at me. Instead he said he agreed with everything that I said and he would make an effort to do more cleaning to keep it from getting so bad. So I was very happy he not only agreed with the things I said, but even said them in his own words.
Then I sit down on the couch and knit with my laptop and the battery goes dead, and I plug it in and the plug doesn't work. Do I have a laptop curse??? So today at lunch I'm going to run by apple to see what the problem is.
So last night STUNK, so after ALL THAT I wanted to focus on something totally stress free. I got out the MD Merino Top and spun a bit, and it was so pretty.
I like with spinning how I can think of nothing else in the world, but the fiber inbetween my two fingers.
Update - I went to apple to get a new powerplug and mine worked perfectly in their stupid ass store. I hate computers. They would not give me a new one
May 18, 2006
Okay, a little proof
Here is my NEW sockapaloooza socks, I made shorter cuffs because it's summer and to save time and get these out faster!
I'm calling this color way "Sandy Beach".
I stopped by the movie store on the way home to get some entertainment. I watched "In Her Shoes" and it kept me very engaged while knitting! I had only started the gussett before the movie started and I made it all the way through it and then some!
Go Go Gadget Sock Knitter! Maybe I can finish this one out tonight while watching "The Family Stone"!
May 17, 2006
Apple is so evil!
But I love them anyway!
The new MacBook, starting at 1k and aimed at the education market. I'm only mad it has the iSight camera in it which I don't have, it also has an improved power cord and a remote control. I guess it's the iBook replacment. I won't be buying one, but the black one sure is cute!
I am glad I got mine when I did, they don't seem to offer a 12 inch model anymore.
Speaking of Apple's, I finished out my podcast last night in bed, and kept getting pops in it, not from me talking but maybe from static?? I have no idea, but I'll have to sit at a table the next time I do it. I was really mad it was so messed up but I think it's tolerable.
May 16, 2006
Phildar always haunts me
I am 12 comments away from having over 1,000 comments :)
I have a lot of yarn at home, and few patterns with which to knit them so I stash enhanced with this Phildar magazine:
Knit n tyme is the only place I know to get phildar easily to the US, or any English versions of the pattern for that matter.
I want to think of what to knit next. I'm feeling "eh" about my somewhat cowl kit, I'm not sure I'm in the mood for the neck on it. I have my Silky Wool and then the Rowan Natural Silk, I would love to knit something with either of those.
I might be in the mood for a snug fitting vest, or maybe a ChicKami in the wool/cotton.
May 15, 2006
Doopy Doo
Well I worked on the podcast but it's not ready for prime time just yet and my tummy woes won't let me finish it up. Tommorow night I hope to get it out. Sorry for the delay.
I worked on my Sockapaloooza socks tonight, I don't want to jinx myself by showing anything.
Here is the knitting I did on the plane and then finished up at the knitting group on saturday;
It's a OSW and is much more blue/green vs the limey green it appears in this bad lighting. When I put it on my husband said "Oh um.. well it's very nice craftsmanship!" and after a few proding quips from me he admited he thought it was very ugly. It's too big and I just don't think the style works on me.
I really can't allow myself to start anything until these socks are done, I hear the jeopardy music playing in the background for me.
May 14, 2006
Nearly all weekend in bed
Well after laying in bed all mourning moaning with a tummy ache and the husbeast was very nice to me and brought me lunch. Then after I was feeling a bit better we went out with the dogs for a fun little jaunt.
Other knitting things, I am still working on "the socks" and one small side project I started on the plane, and then Claudia helped me rescue at knitting group yesrerday. I would not have had the courage to rip had she not been sitting beside me, and in the end it wasn't hard at all!
I was shocked when I came home from VA to find 3 people had purcahsed pixie t-shirts, and not only that, they all purcahsed the same style! Two NEGA ladies had gotten them, NEGA is the best knitting group ever! Jenny and Claudia I believe are the two who run the group and it's full of such nice women!! Claudia is leaving for Germany soon and we are all going to miss her while she is gone.
At knitting group I was given the oppertunity to dive into an old magazine and left over ebay needle collection. I had a bit of fun! Thanks Claudia and to whomever else they first came from!
Those spin off magazines and the blue roving from MD are calling to me, but I think I'll take it easy and stay in bed for the time being.
May 13, 2006
I stole all these photos!
May 12, 2006
Get ready for a photo overload!
When I got home all i wanted to do was squeeze this face:
My husband, knowing how much I love to "open presents" brought a package addressed to me to the aiport for me so I could open it in the car :)
Sockapaloooza Socks! Thank you Liz!! I love them, and they are soo stretchy! I am guessing they are not wool, but maybe cotton and something stretchy? It's neat too because she sent me some Cascade Fixation which is cotton and elastic.
This is not somethiing I would normally buy myself and I love that it's solid and I can't wait to make some cute little footsie socks with it! These socks are a PERfect fit, liz you done good!
While I took photos, willow ate a Suzan Bates Crochet needle package.
My sister and her family!
I spent the majority of my time chasing this little guy, 3 years old.
That's Brett again with my father.
That's Laurel and I outside the middle school she works at (she teaches band). Laurel and I have known each other sence she was born! We lived across the street from each other for 18 years, I dragged her to MS&W and she seamed to anjoy it very much more then I thought she would.
We both laughed because any time she would ask me a question, anyone standing next to us would answer for me, so I never had to say anything!
I guess I will go ahead now and talk about Maryland. First off, next time around I'll go with knitting friends for the full effect. It was simply not enough time for just that 1pm meetup to speak with anyone. I said hi to Cara and Anne Marie but I would have liked to have spoken with them both more. I was too shy to say hi to a few others. I went all paparazzi on Eunny, and well I just was so happy happy to meet Monica from My Two Left Needles, and both Laurel and I both walked away adoring her and wishing we had more time to spend with her. She was just like she was over email and I felt like a good friend the moment we hugged. I got to speak with her the most and I am so happy I did, Monica you rule!! It was so fun to see all her handspun knits in person.
Also, probably best to get there at 9am I guess, but by 10am everything was so packed you couldn't see half the fiber availible and honestly it was stressful. I enjoyed it far more after the blogger meetup when the buildings were about half as empty, but then a lot was gone. I was disapointed in how crowded it was in all honestly. It was still a complete blast to go to and I had a fab time! Another thing was the blogger meetup was kind of funny, because when you walk around it's all familys and some much older peopple, but then the blogger meetup was a sea of young to middle age people with no kids in tow, so it was just such a funny contrast to walking around. I'll talk about it more in my podcast.
I took my annual trip to the Eye Doctoer in VA, I have seen this doctor ever sence I was 2 years old!
I got some extremly cute blue-ish glasses and spent near a fortune on that, contacts and the eye exam.
Then I dragged my mother to Lettuce Knit in Richmond, VA.
Rowan Natural Silk Aran
Freakin. Lovely.
Karabella Breeze
Oooh.
The last "bad" thing I bought was to complete my Blue Java collection with a smaller purse for work.
May 08, 2006
Sorry!
Well right now I am using the internet via bluetooth and my cell phone and I gotta tell ya, it's WAY worse then dial up! Posting the previous entry with the photos took several tries with spotty wireless that kept coming and going. I am now in VA with my sister and her adorable new baby!
I am able to read email, but writting back is just to painful to try. I'll be back in town on my DSL friday night so you will get a bunch of details about Maryland from me then, thanks for all the lovely comments and emails!
And because I have hack-ish work arounds to post pics easily, I give you my view right now:
May 06, 2006
Maryland
I am sitting my my best friends condo, enjoying her neighbors wireless, and bringing you this fiber-filled blog entry.
I swear this roving smelled like cotton candy!
At the festival:
Me on the left, Laurel on the right.
That's a lot of knitting bloggers, I'm sure people will post far higher quality photos in the coming days. I was a dolt and forgot my batteries for my digi cam, so I used my phone.
May 04, 2006
Atleast its something
I'll start #2 tonight and hopefully work on it on the plane tommorow. My legs are so pale I could blind people.
Update: Super Cheap Addi's!
Monica (my two left needles) had a link on her blog, wow!
May 03, 2006
Waiting on the Weekend
Well I suppose the week could be going by slower, but it has sped by pretty well because I have already had 2 work outs this week, with another one tommorow. MDSWF!!! AHH!!
I finally got those stitches picked up and you can't even tell it happend now. I wish this was sock #2, but I'll keep on, keepin' on!
This was the closest thing I could get to capturing what our cat Tala does. She sits on the couch over my shoulder and will reach out her paw because she wants what I am eating. Today is was blueberries, and the crazy little thing actually licked the blueberry for a good 30 seconds. Cats are weird!
If you watch the Daily Show, you will want to see this.
Update: I finished da sock, OH OH!
May 02, 2006
Video iPod Cozy Pattern - at your request!
Well I was suprised a few of you wanted to know how I made it, so I threw some directions together. Let me know if I have any errors!
SIZE
Video iPod 30gig or 60gig (5.5 - 6 inches around)
FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Height: 4.5 inches
Width: 2.75 inches
MATERIALS
Rowan Calmer Scraps [100% cotton]
Note: Any DK or Worsted Weight yarn will do
I like the cotton because it won't scratch the iPod
29-inch US #7 circular needle (you may also use DPN's)
or size to obtain Gauge
3rd needle, one size larger - for 3 needle bind off
Tapestry needle - to weave in ends
GAUGE
20 sts = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
PATTERN NOTES
You can be as creative as you want with the stockinette portion of the design.
Throw in some more scrap yarn for stripes, or a cute intarsia apple, or cables!
DIRECTIONS
iPod Cozy [worked top-down]
Using circular needles CO 32 sts.
Working in the round using the Magic Loop Technique (or on DPN's)
Row 1: k2p2 to end
Row 2: k2p2 to end
Repeat rows 1 & 2 until it is 1 inch tall
Switch to knitting all rows until the piece measures 4.3 inches from top edge
I recommend trying the iPod cozy on until it is a height you like
I made mine go just a tad past the very top
Cast off Using 3 needle bind off, or whichever method you prefer
Weave in ends with tapestry needle
You could also add a pocket, I would like to do this but have not gotten around to it yet
Here is my recomendation for adding the pocket;
Working flat, cast on 8 stitches and work in stockinette stitch unil the piece measures 1 inche from cast on edge, then work in k2p2 until piece measures 2 inches from cast on edge. Sew pocket onto iPodz Cozy, now you have a place to stash the earphones! I can fit my earphones in the iPod cozy itself, as cotton is pretty stretch, but the pocket is a nice alternative.
May 01, 2006
Manic Monday
Well I am sure everyone who might be going to Maryland this weekend is starting to freak out. It's like in High School when you got all nervous but excited before the first day of 9th grade.
I had a bad time of it on Sunday with my Sockapaloooza sock, dropped some stitches and had a bunch of woes trying to pick them back up. I set it aside and took an hour to make an iPod Cozy to keep Waldo happy until his proper case arrives.
I spent the whole morning Sunday organizing the kitchen cupboards and getting the counters spotless. Today when I woke up and walked into the kitchen it was covered in empty coffee cups and lemonade cans. Apparently the clean kitchen counter gave my husband the urge to clean off his office desk. I decided to be evil and I left the bathroom door open while I took a bath and dried my hair, just to torture him. He is not a morning person. I arrived at work to find a "I'm sorry, I'll fix it" email in my inbox. He knew exactly why I was evil, haha!
I'll share with you my other evil master plan (we don't read each others blogs). He has been really bad about doing dishes lately, so I hatched an evil plan to hide all of the dishes, except 2 of everything. So he will be forced to clean it all the time and keep up with it. So far I have half the plates and cups hidden, and he hasn't noticed. Muhahaha!!