Spin.Knit.Kids.School.Repeat

Dragon Wytch by Yasmine Galenorn

Forth book in the Otherword Series, an Urban Paranormal Romance type genre.  Three sisters who are half-human/ half-fae that are on a quest to save the world from demons and creepy crawlies.  Their misfit team consists of many different 'races', including full-blooded humans, a fox demon, a dragon who walks as a man a good portion of the time, not to mention of the three sisters the oldest is a witch who can't always control her magic, the next a spy turned vampire when tortured by her past mark, and the third a were who morphs into a tabby cat when stressed out.

While not my favorite series for some reason I keep reading them.  The characters draw you in as the person telling the story rotates through the three sisters.

The Jasmine Trade by Denise Hamilton

 Newspaper reporter Eve Diamond takes on more than she can imagine when she falls into the world of 'Parachute Kids'.  When a 17 year old Chinese high schooler shows up murdered in her car Eve senses something more than the carjacking the police are reporting.  But she soon gets tied up in Chinese gangs, prostitution rings and a story that slowly unravels through the murdered girl's diary, her friend's worried confessions of spying, and the befriending of other parachute kids.  A number of paths cross and keep you guessing who on which side of the story and the law.

Somewhat reminiscent of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series in the manner that Eve is constantly getting herself tugged deeper into trouble on her quest to get the truth.  With humor, romance and a good mystery you can seldom go wrong.

How to Knit A Wild Bikini by Christie Ridgway

A wonderful mix of romance, independence, good food and the sisterhood of knitting. Main character, Nikki, doesn't know what she's in for when she takes a position as a personal chef to the most eligible bachelor in Malibu.  But the faux-lesbian-chef-girlfriend role she plays quickly becomes more complicated.  While protecting herself from Jay, said bachelor, his niece from the aggressive older boyfriend, she falls into the world of SnB (Stitch and Bitch) meet ups at the local yarn shop.  But the yarn shop holds untold secrets that Nikki may or may not be ready to face.

A little on the more risque side of literature, but a definite to read if you've ever experienced the sisterhood of knitting!

Um yea, there's a reason I stay behind the camera! I took 93 portriats today and honestly pretty much hate them all!

On another note, mid-term reviews cane in and I have 3 A-'s and a C!!! 

The next instillation of the dreaded tally for 2010!  The second for February...I've been bad, very bad!

Yarn In includes purchases and trades that came in.
Yarn Out includes finished objects, yarn I sold or traded out.
Limbo Yarn includes yarn that is currently being used.

So our starting total was: 120 skeins respectively
January's Total was: 132 skeins

February (first installment still listed first with second additions following):

Yarn In:
1 (+1) = trades/gifted
2 (+8 rovings + 4 skeins) = my purchases

Yarn Out:
3(+1) = Finished Objects
16 (+4)= Sold / Traded / Gifted

Limbo Yarn:
33 skeins are currently devoted to projects in progress! (21 of those are the Doomsday Bag and 7 are the Wicked Sweater.)

End total: 118 (-5+13) =  127 (but do rovings really count since they are for the shop? so really -8 from the total gives me 119 so I'm still under the years starting point!?! Or is that cheating?)

So, here's the second installment of what came in in February:

Purchases:

 

 

 

 

 

  

My February Socks died today!

I LOVE the pattern, Bex, by CookieA.  But I couldn't get them over my heel.  Turns out I was on a needle size too small.  The pattern calls for 2.5mm, and I was on 2.25mm.  Oh well.  They were frogged this morning.  It was sad, I even cried a little.  When you see the pictures you may understand:

All the beautiful cables:

 

Another custom spin for a fellow yarnie:

Sundance
200 yards
14 WPI, Fingering weight

The next instillation of the dreaded tally for 2010!

Yarn In includes purchases and trades that came in.
Yarn Out includes finished objects, yarn I sold or traded out.
Limbo Yarn includes yarn that is currently being used.

So our starting total was: 120 skeins respectively
January's Total was: 132 skeins

February (so far):

Yarn In:
1 = trades
2 = my purchases

Yarn Out:
3 = Finished Objects
16 = Sold / Traded / Gifted

Limbo Yarn:
32 skeins are currently devoted to projects in progress! (21 of those are the Doomsday Bag and 7 are the Wicked Sweater.)

End total: 118

So, here's what came in in February:

Purchases:

Sunshine Yarns Merino Worsted: Ever After

 

 
 

This is my first attempt at writing down a pattern.
It's pretty much how I'd talk someone threw it, so the technical terms may not be there, but I think it's pretty straight forward.
Any advice/feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

The name for these mitts came about due to the constant "me", "mine", "my" that went on while knitting the sample. My 2 1/2 year old daughter thinks that everything I knit is for her. And while talking to her and her brother there is alot of word jumbling. How do we know mommy is frustrated? How jumbled up her words get!

I’ve made these only once so far and while I like them I have a few changes I’d make for the second pair. Mine were made in Sport weight on US8’s; the fabric itself is a little loose as well as the overall fit. This pattern is the result of the proposed changes.

So in all my destashing and the whole 'end the year with less yarn than I have now' thing, I have to ask...Does roving count?

It's finished!  My New Moon Clapotis if finished!  A brilliant pattern by Kate Gilbert, offered free through Knitty.com.

I used Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock in New Moon Alice on US 6's, using up right around 120 g of the yarn.  It's a little shorter than I'd like, but I can always add length next time around!  There will definitely be a next time around!  It makes a nice light weight scarf/shawl with this yarn.

Here she is!!!  I can't wait to get some pictures wearing her, but I'm not about to hand my Canon over to the 4 yr old!  (The color is off in the first one due to the kiddie mats I use for blocking!)

 

 

For my Digital Illustrator class we had to take 15 pictures of Landscapes and Architectural pieces.  I wanted to get out of Denver, since alot of the students live there, and away from my house since it's pretty plain, so I went to visit my friend in Boulder and took some photos up there for the assignment!

These first ones are North of Boulder, going east toward Longmont:

 

                                            

  

 

 

I know I won't be doing nearly as much reading in 2010 as I did in '09!  But I might as well make the most of it.  I'm hoping to ba able to give a short review of each book I read this year. 

1. Born of Ice (Sherrilyn Kenyon)
2. Bite Marks (Jennifer Rardin)
3. The Maze (Catherine Coulter)
4. The Edge (Catherine Coulter)
5. Hotel Translyvania (Chelsea Yarbro)
6. Dragon Wytch (currently) (Yasmine Galeborn)

The dreaded tally of what I've done so far this year!

Yarn In includes purchases and trades that came in.
Yarn Out includes finished objects, yarn I sold or traded out.
Limbo Yarn includes yarn that is currently being used.

So our starting total was: 120 skeins respectively

Yarn In:
33 = Christmas yarns
  9 = Sweater Club ('09 paid)
  1 = sock club ('09 paid, Dec Shipment)
  8 = my purchases/trades coming in

Yarn Out:
  2 = Finished Objects
  10 = Sold / Traded / Gifted

Limbo Yarn:
35 skeins are currently devoted to projects in progress!  (I keep reminding me that 21 of those are the Doomsday Bag and 7 are my Wicked Sweater.)

End total: 132
 
So, here's what came in in January:

Received this Three Irish Girls Wexford roving in Quinn  in a trade:

 

 

 

 

 

Knitolution #2 has been marked as started!

I started knitting my first sweater for me!  It's being done in the lovely Vampire Merino Worsted Yarn from the Sunshine Yarns 2010 Sweater Club.  It's momentarily been set aside in order to finish some older WIPs.  But so far I'm about half way through the raglan shaping.

The Pattern is called Wicked, written by Rachel Bishop, and has many different variations you can make.  I'm planning for short sleeves, possibly with the pocket and most likely adding some bust darts and length to the sweater.

Here's the progress as of 2 weeks ago:

I also did a little spinning last month.  Mostly a custom for a fellow yarnie.  Her sister had sent her some gorgeous wool & mohair blend rovings from New Zealand.  They were a dream to spin!

Satin Roses:
183 yards of worsted 2 ply.

The band for the bag is finished.  16,700 stitches done at this point.  I've got the Ravelympics going on right now, a kitting challege that coincides with the Olympics, so this has been set adise until I finish what I'd like to for it.  The goal is to have this bag finished by my birthday at the end of March.

The band is going to be blocked flat tonight and I'll get some new pics taken then!

Here's what I had last week:

 

Yes, I know, we are halp way through February.  But when you have to order more yarn to finish a pair of socks and then they must wait until other items are finished it's okay if January's socks are a little bit late!

So for January's installment of the Sock-olution I made Peat Duckies in Sunshine Yarns' Peat Merino Sport Yarn.  Here they are!