*collapse*

I'm home from the Des Moines Metro Knitters gathering. Second year attending and it was even better than last year. Great fun to reconnect with people.

The State of the Knitting

County Clare Leyburns - Didn't touch them all weekend. They were too big a pain to haul in and out of the bag with a sock attached to both ends of the ball.

Hollidazed socks - Got a bit more done on them. Heel flap of #2 needs a couple more rows, then I can start the gusset and head out the foot.

RSC Queen of Beads socks - A very nice lady at the gathering (ToastyToes on Rav) helped me string the beads for these so I'll be able to start the actual knitting soon.

Fetching mitts for Rene - Knit entirely this weekend for a secretary at work. Just need to do the thumbs and weave in ends. Out of Malabrigo in a pink called Little Lovely.

February Lady Sweater - To be done with DiC Classy in Blue Lagoon. Swatched this afternoon when I finished the second Fetching and didn't feel like moving on to the thumb. Swatch came out great so I'll be starting the actual sweater sometime this week.

And now I need a nap! Who knew that knitting and talking for a weekend could wear a person out so much?

catch-up

It's been a while, hasn't it? Time to play a little catch-up.

Have to go all the way back to early January. My parents had bought me a new stove for Christmas, so a weekend they were down to visit I picked one out at Lowe's and had it delivered. Here's my new baby, Frank (I named him after one of the delivery guys).

We're happily making beautiful meals together and I love the fact that the burners light on the first turn of the dial.

I also joined the Leyburn KAL on the rav Socks that Rawk! group. I'm using lightweight STR in County Clare. This has been marinating in my stash for at least 3 years now....maybe 4. All I know is that it was one of the first skeins of STR I purchased. These are being worked top-down and I've already had to rip out and increase from 60 stitches to 66 to make it fit over my instep. Things are going fine now. And I'm much further along than this.


Guess what? I've got a picture of Snow White!! Okay, it's only of it in the sink being washed, but it's a picture. I just couldn't believe the color of the water as I was pulling the sweater out. And I don't think it was dye. Considering this was mostly at-home knitting, I was pretty disgusted. But I keep my house fairly clean, so I couldn't figure out where this dirt was coming from. I guess it's just off the yarn from the spinning process. But ewww!


Finally, my sock yarn stash tried to rebel a couple weeks ago. It exploded all over my craft room, leaving me with a 4" path to get across the room. I couldn't stand for this little rebellion, so tonight I went through the offenders with an iron fist. Culled out at least 50 skeins that are now packed in the duffel and the white plastic shopping bag. They will be going to the Des Moines Metro Knitters gathering this weekend and divided among the knitters there.


Knitting on the second Holidazed sock continues, I've got another sweater planned soon, and I still need to work on my mom's birthday present and the Fetchings for the secretary on my hospital unit. But I'm going to get through the weekend first.