Baby Birds and Baby Socks

Yesterday was my sister Jennet's baby shower. She collects nests with eggs (and has done a few related art series) so I used a "nesting" to get ready for the baby/baby bird theme.

These were the cupcakes

design found here, I split them up doing some with eggs in the nests and some with the baby birds. These eggs are easter egg shaped m&ms. Here's a close up of the baby birds:

These are nest cookies from an m&m cookbook, but these eggs are Cadbury Mini Eggs. I glued the eggs on with a dot of frosting.

These are delicious chow mein noodle cookies with m&ms:

Here we have some of the other refreshments (deviled eggs, heh.)

The centerpiece of pussy willows with different bird ornaments...

The favors were mama blue bird sugar cookies with Cadbury Mini Eggs

And these are the socks I knit her for the future bambino...

They are both a mix of Cascade Fixation and Elan Esprit and the pattern is from Cute Knits for Baby Feet

Rhinebeck!

It's that time again! This past weekend was Rhinebeck! I went both days again, this time I got a hotel with my mom instead of freezing in a campground... I didn't get many photos, but it was fun as usual. Here are some of the highlights...

my sister cuddling an adorable, sweet little border collie puppy

part of the llama & alpaca parade

On Saturday I kinneared the Yarn Harlot (yellow sweater in the middle)

and on Sunday Stephanie signed two more of my books (the woman in line in front of me asked if I'd take her photo and took mine in return)! Usually I can't think of a thing to say when I meet an author, and just stand there like a dope basically. This time, right before I got to the front of the line, brilliance struck! Toronto! We just went to Toronto! So I told her that and how much we loved the city and we had a little conversation about how great Toronto is and how walkable it is. phew. Disaster averted. ;-)

Sunday is when they always have authors for signings and presentations. I also met the lovely Kay and Ann, of Mason-Dixon fame!

They were both very nice and friendly. They both signed my first Mason-Dixon book (I don't have the new one yet) and put in their super cute rubber stamps of themselves.

They also did a panel discussion in the afternoon on Sunday. They brought a bunch of gorgeous finished knits from the new book and talked about how the different designs came about and the like.

We tasted a bunch of amazing cheeses, bought wonderful aged gouda for half price, and went to a sheep cheese tasting in the demo kitchen.

I bought a sticker for my car

two cute pottery wall hangings
bad angle on the photo, that's a hand not some freaky thing

and, wicked expensive but amazing sock yarn!

this looks like wool right? But I can't use wool. :-( But no! This is alpaca/bamboo sock yarn! It comes from Maple Creek Farm and is beautiful. It was out of my price range when I first saw it, but after my brother-in-law treated me to dinner (thanks, Justin!) I went back to spend my dinner money on the yarn. I should be able to cast-on with this around January, after I finish Christmas and baby gift making. ;-)

Speaking of wool, something that was very popular around the festival this year - rug hooking. I saw a few vendors last year but it must be taking off in popularity because there were a ton this year. I love the traditional rug hooking and would love to make something but again, with the wool. I even talked to one of the vendors to see if she had a non-wool suggestion. Her only suggestion was the type that uses yarn instead so I could use cotton. That has a different look and isn't exactly what I'm interested in. I did some looking around online and discovered people doing it with jersey/strips of t-shirt! The t-shirt won't really unravel, the same way the wool doesn't. Sometime soon I'm going to give this a try, and I'm thinking about doing some dyeing of the fabric so it would be possible to get some of the more muted historic looking colors that you really wouldn't find in a shirt. I'll keep you posted on this! (I also want to try miniature punchneedle! My sister bought a kit but these were also wool. But this can be done with cotton embroidery floss so I'll be able to try it eventually.)

Movie Knitting = achieved!

Ever since I learned to knit I have wanted to be able to knit in the dark and knit at the movies like my friends do. Yes, I know some people find this lame, but it was a goal of mine. I really like to be doing something with my hands and never watch tv at home without either a craft or the computer in my hands.

Anyway, I've been gradually getting better and working up to not looking, I've been knitting before the movie and then keeping up until I had to stop for some reason. Friday we went to see The Dark Knight (awesometastic, yes that is to a word. sort of) and I was able to keep knitting all the way through the (2 1/2 hour) movie! Yay for multitasking! Here's the first short version of the Broadripple, that I worked on all through the movie then did the toe the next day at home...

and here it is with the chucks that I had in mind when I saw the yarn, not the same colors at all, but it made me think of them going together...
Pink and green is my favorite color combination (oh but there's pink and brown too...) so these are perfect. I just have to start the other one. But first, I'm starting a sweater.

Movie Month!

Last night we went to a free preview showing of Hancock. It was the busiest free preview I've ever seen! Usually not everyone gets in, but this time there were hundreds of people who didn't get in, and it was even in a really, really big theater. It also had the tightest security - we had to turn in our cell phones until the end of the movie, and the "movie secret service" (guys in suits with ear pieces! if that isn't the movie secret service...) had metal detector wands. Well, for some people - coworkers were wanded but we were not - apparently we didn't look sketchy enough. :-P Hancock was great, highly recommended. Funny, and it even had a twist that they shockingly didn't give away in the previews.

Last week we went to see The Happening (birthday month request!). We both like Shyamalan's movies usually and the preview we saw in the theater looked good. My opinion of the movie can be boiled down to: "meh" This review basically sums up all the same problems I had with the movie too. Plus the fact that I normally think Mark Wahlberg can act (come on, The Departed!) but oh no, not in this movie. Not one bit.

That same night we also saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Now that was more like it! Considering I hadn't even seen the first three until we watched them on dvd in preparation for the new one, I was a huge fan of this movie! Funny at times, just the right amount of cheese, and Shia LaBeouf!

Here's an update on the socks!
Related to movie month since I got almost an hour of work in on it while waiting for Hancock to start. These have been just waiting around etc. socks so they are slow moving. Stupidly really, since I'll be lucky if I'm done with these summer socks by winter. oops.

Sunfire and Moon dog

First the knitting... as mentioned last time, I'm making a pair of short socks using the Broadripple pattern. I want them to wear with shorts and my pink converse sneakers so I don't want them too long and I'm only doing the pattern on the leg. The first sock is just getting the gussets because I haven't been knitting much. I'm kind of in a rut, I feel like I should be making the baby surprise jacket for my future nephew but I just don't feel like it so it's making me not feel like knitting period. I did wind the yarn for it, and I started the cast-on but I'm just not feeling it right now. So I think, along with these socks, I'm going to start the Rainbow Marley hat from Itty-Bitty Knits for the same future nephew instead. Something I need to get done, but not a sweater on infernally small needles.

Now, on to Sunfire and Moon dog. This
is Sunfire and this
is Moon dog! Sunfire is my new PINK (obviously) bike and Moon dog is Trevor's. No, we didn't name our bikes, those are the model names and are printed on the bikes. Isn't mine kind of retro? I love it. Also I love how 60s surf movie/Gidget Moon dog sounds. Also they are pictured on our front porch which I also love. An enclosed porch is a lovely thing to have.

Now I just need to learn how to ride it...

The Yarn Harlot, WEBS, Socks, and the Loopy Ewe...

Last Sunday I went to the WEBS hosted Yarn Harlot talk with two friends, Kate and Katie. It was, of course, great! I got a few pictures at the talk then my camera died so I didn't get any at WEBS or around town. Thanks to Katie scouting out our seats, we were only in the fifth row so you can actually tell who it is in the photos, unlike last year. ;-)

Here's Stephanie getting the camera out
more getting ready

And here she is with the sock, taking a picture of the other side of the theater.


After the talk and the Q&A, we went back to WEBS for a bit. The book signing line was already long so we didn't do that (she said she'll be at Rhinebeck again this year and last year I was second in line with no problem so hopefully I'll get one then) but we did get these nifty tour buttons!

I didn't really have any shopping plans but Kate and I both fell in love with this Plymouth Royal Llama Silk and each got it in different colors. It is sooo soft and scrumptious! It might be a lacy scarf, or it might be a hat.

My other purchase was from the button department, which is quite extensive! Especially extensive was the skull button selection! There were five or six different designs, believe it or not. These were voted the two best designs, one of each for Trevor and my sister who is a big skull fan. Project to be determined, or I might just give them to her to add to something on her own.

Next, the socks! I finished them Tuesday morning just in time to wear them to work. I loves them and they got many compliments at work.
Then I cast on my next pair! I'm making a short anklet pair for the summer out of this cute pink, green, and lilac Fixation. I'm doing the leg using the broadripple pattern but then I'm going to drop the pattern because I'm going to wear these with my pink converse sneakers so the foot pattern wouldn't show anyway. Not enough done to bother with a photo yet though.

I needed a needle that The Loopy Ewe had in stock so I ordered that and got one of their cute little tote bags too. It's a good size, good for a baby sweater sized project, or my sock bag and wallet etc.

The hang tag says "Sock yarns don't count as stash!" hee!

This was my free gift from this order, a super cute Loopy stitch marker.

edited to fix a link

Slogging along...

Geez, I didn't think it had been this long! I've just been working on the same socks the whole time so there hasn't really been much to report on. I have one sock and half a leg done my pink and brown broadripples
Here's the first one with my mary janes. I finished the first one the quickest of any sock yet, then I've been dragging my feet a bit on the second one. I do want to finish it up quick though so that I can wear them! Especially since I wear sandals all summer so sock time is drawing to a close for awhile. Also showcased in this oh-so-artistic photo would be my PJ pants with socks all over them.

The other thing I have to show you is my wee tiny sock from the wee sock swap! Slightly belated. Oh, my partner sent it lickity-split, I'm the one who is being belated. :-)

Isn't it cute? It came all the way from Germany, thanks Marcia! (not that I can read german :-P) And believe it or not, she's even been to my city before even though she lives across the world from me. Small world, indeed. Oh, the sock is made out of Opal sock yarn.

Finishitis???

For once in my life, I have a case of finishitis instead of startitis! Look over there ----> see how short that project list is? Shocking, I know.

First, Friday night I finished Trevor's Dashing gloves - his anniversary present from (cough) December. Hopefully he'll be able to wear them a few times this season before it gets hot. Let's just say after six pairs of Fetching and 1 1/2 pairs of Dashing, I don't want to make another pair of gloves for a loooong time.

I shortened them in these places:
After third cable round - work 12 rounds instead of 24
After thumb opening - work 15 rounds instead of 18

Yesterday I finished the George Socks, also for Trevor. Major SSS with these since I started the pair back in July, oops.


At that point, I was really enjoy the rush of finishing things. So I got out those green cabled toddler socks that I don't even need until god knows when and finished those too! ooh yeah.


Then I "finished" this hat. (it was already done but I never got a photo before it went into a display so I kept it as unfinished on the progress bar)

It's the Yarn Harlot's Ken's Dulaan hat in a child's size and will be going to charity the next opportunity that comes up. (Maybe they're doing a hat collection at WEBS next month? if not I'll take it to the City Mission)

That left me with only two WIP (not counting two I've moved to "hibernating" - the grey dashing that doesn't have a home to go to and the snowflake headband I'm not ready for) - two dishcloths!

So then I let myself cast on a new project. This is Broadripple in Elann Esprit.

This is the yarn that has all the same makeup as Cascade Fixation and seems to be exactly the same. Except it comes in different colors and is cheaper (except for the shipping from Canada thing since they don't sell it locally). I got three balls in this color 9055 and two balls of a blue and brown colorway from people destashing on Ravelry. I got a really good deal so it was a good way to try it out. I love pink and I love pink and brown so I had to have this color. I am a smidge eh about the grey that's in there but doesn't show much in the photo (if it was white it would be Neapolitan ice cream!), but over all I love the way it is working up.

This will be my portable project and I'll also be starting one of the Baby Surprise Jackets too, but I have to get all the yarn wound first.

Wee Tiny Socks and Loopy Ewe Goodies

Last night I made my wee tiny sock for the swap, tomorrow morning this sucker will be headed off to the UK and its new home.
It's Cascade Fixation in Italian Ices # 9955 out of the Jennifer's Mini Sock pattern I've used before.

This one is for me, it's the same yarn but using the Keychain Sock Blocker Sock pattern that comes with the mini sock blocker. (used size 4 needles with the fixation) Very nice pattern. This is my second mini sock blocker, I had a Loopy credit and I used it to get another one of these for my knitting bag (the first is on my keychain)
and to get this
it's a kitchener stitch dogtag! This ingenious little thing comes from Knitcellaneous the same people who do the mini sockblocker keychains. Here it is at the Loopy Ewe, unfortunately they are out of stock at the moment but I'm sure there's more on the way! Oh, I see they are still available directly from Knitcellaneous. But if you're working toward Groupie status, cough cough... I am also in deep love with Sparkle the Peacock and really want one. But I'm holding off because Sheri said she'll be getting them and you know, I'm a groupie wannabe. ;-)

Here it is again in it's new home attached to my sockmonkey sockbag. Just what I needed to keep the steps in my head!
One more goodie from The Loopy Ewe, this time a freebie! This purchase put me one step closer to being a Groupie and got me this little treat from Sheri!

Fitting into the tiny sock theme, it's a Loopy's Red Sock Kit! Since I can't make it myself (wool) my friend Katie has offered to make it for me. yay!

Two quick things...

1. My progress on Danica - I'd say I'm 70 to 75% done now? I'm guessing I have about a quarter of the yearn left. And it is just over four feet long so it should be a good size when I run out of yarn. I am kind of working on this all the time when I should be making progress on other things because I want to get it done so I get to wear it this year before it gets too warm!
2. Wee Tiny Sock Swap! - If you don't do sock swaps, like me, (too much work to swap away, the wool thing etc.) consider the Wee Tiny Sock Swap from yarnmiracle - all you do is make ONE tiny sock, send it off to your assigned person and get one from someone else in return! There's a flickr group, there's a ravelry group... You have to sign up by this Thursday, you'll get your assignment on Friday, you mail the sock on Monday. Emily has a pattern (pdf) you can use or use any tiny sock pattern - if you have the mini sock blocker that has a pattern, or this is the one I've used in the past. These things are quick so the weekend is really not a bad deadline. Or, get started now! Info here, sign up here
   

Half a dashing down... and an almost done pair of baby socks

100_3697, originally uploaded by Alissao.

I have one of Trevor's Dashing gloves done and it looks really good! This went smoother than the first grey dashing I made in the fall - I'm not sure if it was just from having already made one or if it was the yarn or what. This is the Rowan Summer Tweed, the same as I did a few pairs of Fetching out of.

And, following the green theme, here is a pair of toddler socks that are about 15 minutes from being done, but they just got waylaid by other projects... (I don't need them any time soon anyway).

Cable socks are so cute, I have to make myself some sometime. These won't be finished for the next month at least though since I stuck them into a display case! ;-) I put up a knitting display at work to advertise for the knitting group I'm starting at one of our branches and these cuties are in the display. (display photos coming, I just keep forgetting the camera)