One big sigh of relief!

You know why? because my vacation has officially started! woohoo!

As you can see, we're taking a road trip to New Mexico. And those are my special "vacation" socks that I already started with Interlacements Tiny Toes in the Southwest colorway (get it? Southwest. New Mexico). It took me a couple of tries to find the right pattern and needle combination but I've ended up with the Cable Twist Socks pattern from Hello Yarn. I'm really loving it so far!

Have a great weekend everyone and I'll catch up with you when I get back!

Fleece Artist socks

Yay! I finally gave my one Fleece Artist sock its mate! It's about time too. I really wanted to get these finished before I started my "vacation" socks (more about that in another post) so I just buckled down and got it done. Peasant heel:

Short row heel: Pattern: none, just plain ole stockingette stitch; one with a peasant heel and one with a short row heel

Yarn: Fleece Artist merino sock; color Cosmic (from The Loopy Ewe)

Needles: US #1 circular

Notes: I learned two new heel methods with these socks! First I wanted to try out one of Alyssa's favortie heels, the Peasant Heel, done by knitting in waste yarn and then going back and doing a sort of wedge heel. I like it okay. At first, I decreased way too much (down to 8 sts on each needle I think) so I ripped back a little to about 12 or 14 sts on each needle and then grafted the heel together. It still wants to bunch up a little on the bottom of the heel so maybe I did something wrong. So, with the second sock I tried a Short Row heel to sort of compare it with the other. I'm not sure I'm 100% happy with it either....I don't think it creates a deep enough heel for me. One thing I did love about it was how quick it was compared to a traditional heel flap/gusset combo. All in all, it was a good experiment and now I have a nice new pair of cozy socks.

Hey! I was tagged by several people for the 7 Random Facts meme!

1. I'm not a James Bond series fan at all but I actually loved Casino Royale.
2. I have by B.S. degree in Geography
3. I actually use my degree at my job....I'm a Reaseach Analyst for a commercial real estate company (sound important, doesn't it? haha)
4. I've never lived anywhere else but Texas
5. I LOVE steak!!!! specifically, ribeye steak. I'm drooling right now.
6. I learned to drive a manual transmission about 5 years ago when I met my husband and that's all I've ever driven since....I love it!
7. I have a major sweet tooth! I seriously could eat dessert after every meal.

Okay, so that's 7 totally random things about me. This meme has really spread like wildfire. If you haven't been tagged yet, considered yourself tagged. It's fun!

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiip

This about sums it up: Sizing Issues/Guage Issues

Front half of Crisp Rectangle Tunic, Before:After:Lelah:

It's just been one big rip-fest around here lately! You know that nagging inner knitter that you sometimes ignore? that's what I did with the Crisp Rectangle. Well, that and just not use my brain! Let's just say, because my guage was off, I would've ended up with a crop-top. No thanks!

And with Lelah, I just didn't swatch well enough or take into account that the lace would be so stretchy. Waaaay too big! Oh well, back to the drawing board on this one!

I'm just living and learning here people!

A new summer knit

Thank you all so much for the nice comments on my Tatami!

So, moving on. Since I've completed two projects lately, I had to cast on for a new one (of course!). I guess I've been in the mood for something summery and Lelah caught my eye.The Michaels near me finally got some of the "new" Cotton Ease in and I figured it would be perfect for this project. Even though it's worsted weight I'm going with a little tighter gauge than called for in the pattern so hopefully my math works out.

And, here is my first completed square for Lizard Ridge. This is the #247 color.

I actually did one more pattern repeat than called for in the pattern because I had so much yarn leftover still and I wanted to make the most of each skein. I haven't blocked it yet, that's why it so lumpy looking.

And lastly, the latest addition from my favorite crack stash supplier, The Loopy Ewe.

It's more Interlacements in the Poppy Fields colorway and some Zephyr Style stitch markers "The First Step". Hubby got a real kick out of those!

To all the Moms out there, Happy Mother's Day, hope it's a good one!

The much anticipated Tatami Kimono

Here it is!

Pattern: Tatami Kimono by Melissa Wehrle

Yarn: Louet Gems Opal in Eggplant; exactly 4 skeins

Needles: US #3 circulars

Notes: I am actually pleasantly surprised with this one! I had hoped and dreamed it would be beautiful but hadn't seen any finished ones out there so I was a little apprehensive. I'm happy with my yarn choice, although it's not as drapey as I had hoped, I think it will hold up well. I love the construction of this piece but it does get quite boring towards the end. I do like how it turned out though. It's very light and nice feeling.

WARNING: Rant ahead!!!

What I don't like is the fact that the pattern cost $14, including shipping!!! that's for the pattern ONLY. I'm sorry but I really think that is ridiculous. Yes, it's printed on lovely card stock. Yes, there are a few lovely pictures included. Yes, I bought it anyway. I hate to complain and be negative but I think the price is one of the reasons so few of these have been knitted up. I think charging $12 for the pattern and then $2 for the shipping is just plain greedy. Ironically, I think they could've made a lot more money if they had offered it as an electronic download and charged less.

Okay, rant over. Sorry, I must be a little cranky. This is totally just my opinion and I don't want to discourage anyone from buying this pattern...in fact, if you like, then it's worth it. It's quite a flattering pattern I think and I don't regret buying it for myself.

Tatami is blocking...

I'm pretty nervous about this right now. You see, I think I may have made a mistake. I gave it a good soak to wet block it but after wrestling with a seriously misshapen blob, I really wish I had pinned it out and then spritzed it with water. Why do I always forget there are other ways to block besides wet blocking!!! Let's just hope everything turns out okay.

Lots to show and tell!

Let's start with an FO.

Pattern: Something Red by Wendy Bernard

Yarn: Blue Sky Dyed Cotton in Toffee; 4 skeins

Needles: US #7s

Notes: I love it! Absolutely love it. I would've liked to have made it just a hair longer but I was really trying to use only 4 skeins. And can you believe it that I'd never done short rows before this? pretty neat and not hard at all.

There is only one thing that I would caution anyone else making this sweater. You have to be careful of your raglan length. The directions tell you to knit the ragland increases until it is X inches or X number of increases. Definitely go by the number of increases. If I had continued on to the directed measurement then it would have been way too big I think. Just something to be aware of. In my mind, the raglan length can be the difference between perfect or terrible fit. I highly recommend this sweater pattern though. I know I will wear it lots. Especially in my chilly office.

I couldn't resist starting the Crisp Rectangle Tunic from Fitted Knits. I'm making the shorter length version. I don't think the longer version shown in the book would be very flattering on me. This is going to be a great summer knit I think. And my next new obsession:

It's the Lizard Ridge afghan from Knitty. Don't even ask what set me off on this (I don't know!). I've never really had a desire to knit a blanket before but since this one is done in blocks I think it will be much more managable. That is Noro Silk Garden I'm using in colors 247 (bottom), 203 (top left), and 34 (top right). I'm only going to buy a few skeins at a time because I couldn't afford it any other way. I love Silk Garden colors!

I'm this close to finishing the Tatami Kimono. I'm really going to tackle it and hopefully finish this weekend.

And the winner is......

Drumroll please! randomly chosen......Wannabe! Congratulations! I'll be getting your lovely skein of Cherry Tree Hill in the mail this weekend. Y'all should definitely check her blog out and see the most adorable baby socks ever.

Thanks for playing everyone! I REALLY enjoyed reading everyone's stories...so inspirational!

Coming soon.....an FO!