So, as a quick round up and as some motivation, I wanted to list my WIPs front and center (It's a long list). There are several things I want to start for Christmas so not sure if I should just put the WIPs off or what...will have to ponder.
1. Super Scarf (could be a xmas gift)
2. Mama David Shawl (just add fringe)
3. Snowflake Divine Sweater (for me - really do want to finish for xmas)
4. Moonlight Mohair Vest (for me - will probably finish quickly)
5. Indiecita Alpaca Scarf (would love to have this comfy dressy scarf for the upcoming cold weather...!)
6. Sisterly Love (ongoing project...not sure if it will ever be finished lol)
Tomorrow I'll round up the list of additional things I would like to knit for friends and family for Xmas... :-D

Also thought I would mention that my mom has her own ideas of what I should make for family this Christmas lol :-P
1. another Katrine Stripes Afghan (takes forever!!!)
make that, another one for each household (3)
2. another Spring Beret for my aunt (I've already made 2)
Funny how non-knitters don't understand that certain patterns call to you and you must make them and that knitting the same pattern over and over is only pleasurable if you so desire :-)

Hello there...

I finally finished the Spring Beret I was making for my friend and it turned out really well :-D I can't wait to show pictures!! Instead of using a solid color yarn like I did the first time around (chocolate brown) I used a variegated light orange and cream yarn. I think the variegation actually worked quite well with the pattern.
Oh and Happy Belated Thanksgiving :-)

It's been far too long :-(

So I'm back and with a completed couple of projects!!! yaya :-D
I finished the Spring Beret and 3 little hearts for my mom (blue), dad (dark red), and little bro (specked red) for Valentine's Day :-)


Mama David's shawl is finally complete except for the fringe and the Super Scarf is well on its way to only needing another Superman "S." The shawl is truly gorgeous, I really hope I can figure out a way to get it to my homestay Mama :-/

I also have just started a turtleneck Moonlight Mohair vest that is movin' fast! I'm hoping it will be done before i have to head back up to school at the end of the week (I'm on spring break).

Well, I've also finished 3 more books! I'll be reviewing them soon.

To everyone else who is on Spring Break I pray y'all have lovely ones and to those who are not, i pray ya'll have lovely weeks with the spirit of Spring Break :-P

Goals for the week and a brief book review

I'm going to make a list of knitting goals for the week just to see how well I can follow through...
1. Finish current skein on Mama David's Shawl
2. Finish current skein on Indiecita Alpaca Scarf
3. Finish Spring Beret
4. Complete 2/3 of the Super Scarf
5. Finish another A Glittery Christmas

Shouldn't be too hard...lol.

So I have finally completed my first book for 2009, Dewey:The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron.
This is a really sweet book although awkward in spots. The story is sometimes just as much about the author/owner of Dewey as it is about Dewey. In other words, there are some extremely personal autobiographical elements about Vicki. It is an interesting story and quite fascinating that one cat could impact so many lives. The book kept saying that news reports all over the world would talk about Dewey and now I'm really interested in seeking out these reports ... I'll let ya'll know the fruits of my labor when I get around to looking. In conclusion, I do recommend this book but be prepared for some repetition and out of sync timelines as well as a heartwarming story.

:-D

A Glittery Christmas (a Christmas tree shaped ornament)

A Glittery Christmas is the name I am giving to the Christmas tree shaped ornament I designed and gave out to friends and family this year as gifts.


























The design is as follows:

A Glittery Christmas (a Christmas tree shaped ornament)

Materials:
Size 8 needles
Red/Green/White Christmas multi yarn (medium weight), even better with tinsel woven in

Finished Measurements: 3 3/4" tall x 2 1/2" wide (at widest)

kfb = knit in front and back to increase 1

Make slip knot w/ 6-7" hanging extra to tie later for loop to hang ornament on the tree.
CO 2 sts
Row 1 - k2
Row 2 - kfb, kfb (4)
Row 3 - k4
Row 4 - kfb, k2, kfb (6)
Row 5 - k6
Row 6 - kfb, k4, kfb (8)
Row 7 - k8
Row 8 - kfb, k6, kfb (10)
Row 9 - BO 3, k7 (7)
Row 10 - BO 3, k4 (4)
Repeat Rows 4 - 10
Repeat Rows 4-8
Row 23 - k10
Row 24 - kfb, k8, kfb (12)
Row 25 - BO 5, k7 (7)
Row 26 - BO 5, k2 (2)
Row 27 - k2
BO
Weave in bottom leftover yarn and tie top leftover yarn in a loop for hanging on the tree.
Sew a fun Christmasy button on to the tree for decoration :-)

Now you have a fun and sparkly ornament that takes absolutely no time to complete!!

Comp Results!!! :-D

So, the last two weeks are finally over and I ended up passing my Comprehensive Exams with DISTINCTION!!!! Such an amazing feeling for all of my hard work to pay off in such an unexpected way :-D Apparently it's pretty normal for a person to feel like a complete and absolute moron after leaving oral exams. I was told I spoke a lot more intelligibly and articulately than I thought I was :-) Yayness for continuing on with the semester and life.

And now for more knitting...

ORAL COMPS!!!! :-D

So I completed my comprehensive exams (a huge test encompassing my entire major-Ecology and Biodiversity) Wednesday night and found out today that I did well enough to try for Distinction!!!! This does mean I have to go through another round of testing, but this time it will be oral. Practicing talking about ecological concepts to other people will be great prepartion for my hopeful future of relaying conservation issues to "the public." I'm SOO super excited :-P

On a knitting note, I have relearned how to knit without looking and so have been reading my Geology textbook and knitting at the same time...this way, reading the textbook doesn't make me antsy!!

:-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D

Katrine Stripes Afghan Done!!

I have finished Mommy's Afghan (pictured above) and given it a real name since I created the pattern myself. It is called the Katrine Stripes Afghan and the pattern is as follows :-D

Katrine Stripes Afghan

Size - 4.5' x 6'

Materials
Size-19 29" circular needles
Tapestry needle
9" long piece of cardboard

Yarn
6 skeins Patons Divine Deep Earth
Bernat Soft Boucle
3 skeins Black
3 skeins Westport Shades
3 skeins Earth Shades

Gauge
I will update this tomorrow

Pattern
Holding all 4 strands together loosely cast on 58 stitches.
Knit 5 rows in garter stitch.
Then begin 2 row pattern repeat.
Row 1: K5, P10, K8, P5, K2, P5, K8, P10, K5
Row 2: P5, K10, P8, K5, P2, K5, P8, K10, P5
Continue 2 row pattern repeat until afghan measures 70" long.
Knit 5 rows in garter stitch.
Loosely bind off.

To make tassels (4):
Holding all 4 strands together, wrap around the 9" piece of cardboard 8 times.
Pull loops off of the cardboard
Cut 1 long separate strand and thread into the tapestry needle.
Thread through the top of the loops and wrap several times around all the loops about 1 1/2" from the top.
Thread strand through opposite side of loops so a strand sticks out on either side and attach to each of the four corners of the afghan.

This afghan is so warm, soft, and cozy!! I love it and my mom does too :-D
First FO of 2009!!!

Resolutions and Challenges

So to begin the new year I have joined several challenges on Ravelry and have made some resolutions of my own both involving knitting and my general life. My non-knitting Ravelry challenge was to read 52 books in 52 weeks (a.k.a. 1 year). This should be a lot of fun as I have really been skimping on the for-fun books what with all the studying that being a college senior requires. Other Ravelry challenges include stash-busting and UFO-finishing in a variety of groups including Stash Knit Down 2009, Procraftination, Burnin' Up The Stash (BUTS), Finish or Frog and one for general knitting organization called The Organized Knitting Club. This all should be great fun and keep me on track with my knitting and keep knitting fresh and fun! I'm so excited about this upcoming year, I think it is going to be a fantastic one!
Personal resolutions include:
1. Buying no new yarn until a lot of what I already have is used up.
2. Working on as many projects as I want at a time to keep things interesting, BUT
3. I must finish 2 projects a month
4. Keep up with this blog :-)
Non-knitting:
1. Show up 15 minutes early to everything!!!
2. Don't procrastinate or fall behind with anything!!!
I guess the two above are everybody's wish :-P

So far I have begun making personal kits from the "Marie Yarn Store" which I will be calling my MYS in future posts. I have 19 "kits" already!!! TOO much yarn lol. Well, I still have more to go through but am so excited that my organization is already under way :-D

Oh and happy last day of Christmas!!!!

Pictures!!

Here's a little update on what my current projects look like. Sorry for the super awful resolution, I used my computer camera (my real camera's up in TN).


This is the flower I knitted from the book I got for Christmas. It will eventually be sewn onto my blocked Wildflower Headband. Turned out pretty good huh? I love the dimension.


This is the sweater I cast on tonight, obviously it has a ways to go but I am soo excited that I will finally have a sweater I made that I will be able to just throw on and go with :-) The first 3 inches are ribbing, something I had yet to do, so I actually am finding it quite fun.


I have to say this shawl is probably one of the most tedious projects I have ever done. It just keeps going and going and growing and growing and never seems to end. It's fun to knit a few rows but definitely not an hours on end type project like Mommy's Afghan is despite its size (I gave the afghan a pattern). At least it's being knit out of Homespun yarn so I can look forward to how the yarn is going to appear differently in each row; Corinthian is actually quite an interesting colorway as it seemingly randomly changes from red/blue/gold to red/blue/green.


I love this yarn - 100% baby alpaca. It is so soft to the touch and for some reason my hands always feel moisturized after I work with it. The Indiecita pattern is enticing too with its raised texture. Not a pattern you can mindlessly knit though, the variations in knits and purls do require some attention.

Well, that's all for now and I will hopefully get some pics of the finished Goat, Wildflower Headband, and Brick Pullover shortly. Until then, Happy New Year and a Merry Christmas (5 days left)!!

Yarn Frenzy!!

I officially went crazy over the past couple of days with yarn...but it was on sale and I only purchased those brands with the best deals. I was especially excited about Patons Divine and the now discontinued (!) yarn Patons Lacette. Using the Patons Divine, I have just begun the Divine Snowflake Sweater, a free pattern on their website, with Richest Rose as MC and Soft Earth as A.This yarn is the softest (18% mohair) most amazing yarn...I'm in love :-) For the Lacette, I purchased the hard to find pattern booklet "Patons Lacette Romance (knit)" which contains some of the most beautiful knits I have ever seen. I've never knit true lace or used lacey yarn so I am super excited about trying out the Lacette and at the same time super sad that it's discontinued :-( Both of these brands were 2/$3!! Much more has been purchased, but I will wait and comment on them until I begin those projects.

As for current projects, Mommy's Afghan is going beautifully and I have made some headway on the alpaca scarf. The afghan must be done by next Wednesday so I need to get a-workin' on it at the same time that I have to study for COMPs!!!
Here is the afghan so far: (isn't it soo pretty? - the blue flecks are just in one of the four yarns and yet they play such a large role in the overall palette which I find really interesting and lucky since blue is my Mom's favorite color...you wouldn't believe how SOFT and WARM it is :-) My Mom is definitely anxious for me to complete it :-P


Oh yeah, Happy New Year!!