I finally got my hands on some Noro sock yarn. I picked the olive green/plum purple/denim blue type colorway.
The thing is, though, that I'm not sure if it's machine washable. The woman at the store told me that since it was a wool/nylon blend it'd be ok to toss in the washer, but people online seem to think it's a hand-wash only sort of yarn. That'll affect what I use it for.
I'm not excited about hand washing socks. Too fussy. But some nice colorwork mittens, or a lacy shawl or something might work. But I'd really rather make socks.
I'm making one resolution for myself this year: 1 pair of socks a month. I love hand knitted socks. When I wash laundry I'm always excited to see them and I always wear them first. So my goal is to replace as many crappy ill-fitting store bought socks as I can. Also, I may give a few to my family, so they can appreciate hand knit socks too.
And I guess if I wanted to make another tiny resolution, it'd be that I
need to work through some stash before I buy too much more yarn. I have
my eye on a couple of sweaters and of course I'll need a few more
skeins of sock yarn if I'm goint to knit all those socks, but besides
that (and any potential gifts that I can't use stash for), I really
need to condense the stash a bit.
The place where I sit when I'm knitting and watching TV late at night is sort of drafty. About half the windows in our house are pretty old, and hopefully we'll replace them someday. In the mean time though, drafty spots mean cold hands while I knit, which is no fun.
Last night I took a break from holiday knitting to cast on for a pair of fingerless gloves. I decided not to do another pair of Knucks because I hated knitting and keeping track of the fingers separately. I figured I'd use the Cigar pattern from Knitty (because it's knit from the cuff instead) and just crop the last two fingers.
I got about 2 inches in to the cuff before I realized that if I kept
going with the yarn I was using, I'd never wear the gloves. Araucania
Nature Wool Multy, color 410. Too scratchy. It's a bit sad since I
bought that yarn for that specific purpose and now I have no idea what
to do with it, OR what yarn I'll use to make the gloves. I think I may
need to take some pics of some unused yarn and make a post on the LJ
Knitswap community.
I really really want some white beadboard wainscoting in my living and dining rooms. I wonder if it's something that I could do myself (maybe with a little help from a friend or family member), or if it's something that's going to need a professional...or someone with some carpentry skills. It seems like it wouldn't be too hard, doesn't it? Take of the baseboards, apply beadboard, reattach baseboards, add chair rails, paint. Right?
I'd probably need some sort of miter saw, and possibly a nail gun.
I also want some sort of trim around the tops of the walls, but we have rounded ceilings (not sure what the correct term is, but there are no proper angles where the walls meet the ceilings, just a curved edge), so I'm guessing it's actually be a tiny bit of trim a few inches down, rather than something really ornate.
I'm also pretty desperate for some outside outlets so that I can put some little lights along our walkway, and possibly in the flowerbeds. And, you know, Christmas lights. We have one outdoor outlet and it's in the back yard by the deck. The other option is to run cords from inside, which we do when we use the edger, or the electric trimmer thingie, but it's not a great solution for permenant outdoor lighting.
Maybe I should just ask for a Lowe's gift certificate for Christmas.
This Robin's Egg Blue Hat appeals to my giant button hoarding nature.
Have you guys seen the new Blue Moon Fiber Arts Raven Clan colors? I'm practically drooling on my keyboard! Especially over Rook-y.
So then I see that the Knitty surprises are up, including a gorgeous cardigan by Veronik Avery - Oblique.
And then I notice that Blue Moon offers a worsted weight alpaca/merino/silk blend that'd make the most cozy sweater ever. And can you imagine Oblique done in Rook-y? So fantastic!
Alas, I don't have $80-120 to spend on yarn for myself right now, on accounta how I have to make Christmas gifts first. And I don't know anyone that wants to buy me yarn for Christmas either. Curses! I must have that sweater! In my stash, I have enough red Malabrigo for the Buttony Sweater, and enough forest green Cascade 200 Superwash for my Rogue sweater, and that's all, so I can't really repurpose either. CURSES!
Also of note is the Juno Regina scarf/stole. I'm working on a lacy sweater for the Cranky Teenager right now, and it's not using nearly as much yarn as I had expected, so I'm going to end up with a lot of Wollmeise lace weight yarn leftover, in a beautiful colorway. Probably at least 800-900 yards. Suddenly I'm interested in lacy scarf/shawl/stole patterns. :)
Stupid holiday knitting! I just want to knit for myself! ;)
Even worse, I finished my Simple Knitted Bodice, and it's too big. I
measured. I swatched. I went down a size based on other people's
experiences. But when I put it on it slides right down my shoulders,
and after trying to wear it twice, I had to admit defeat and set it
aside to be frogged. I'm not sure what I'll do with the yarn instead. I
love it, but after 2 months of looking at it I need a little break from
it. Maybe in January it'll become a cute cardigan or something.
I just got the email from Stitch Diva that they're going to have a new sweater pattern available in November, for Giselle,
which I'm in love with already. Even the cropped version would be
adorable with a bellydancing outfit (should I ever get back to
classes). I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the pattern includes my
size, but it's another top-down raglan so even if it doesn't I can
probably wing it. SO PURDY!
I want to make a clock for my living room. The TV-hole has a couple of digital clocks, but now that I moved everything around and you can close the doors on the armoire, you can't see them anymore. I can't find anything I like that's less than $30, and I'm too broke to spend $100 on a clock. I have a cool pair of clock hands, but I can't find a good base. I've done a record clock in the past, as a gift, but I don't think it fits the decor here. I keep checking at the local Salvation Army, but the most I can find are wood charger plates, which are generally boring shapes/ugly.
I need suggestions. GO TEAM!
Today I finally finished my Simple Knitted Bodice! I'll get pictures after I wash it, but YAY!
I'm stuck in a crafting rut. Instead, I baked some zucchini bread today, which turned out delicious, but fell apart when I turned it out of the bread pan.
Blargh.
