SP12 Question of the Week #2

As a kid, what did you look forward to most about summer vacation/break/holiday?

Well, since our summer holidays fell over Christmas I always had that to look forward to - not to mention my birthday and New Years. I also had plenty of friends with birthdays in December so there were lots of sleepovers and going to the movies. I have to say the thing I always looked forward to was spending so much more time with my best friend. Most of the time we stayed over each other’s houses, sometimes for days at a time, without having to worry about getting home the next morning. And when we did have big slumber parties which included my small group of friends (about 5 of us) we would order pizza, gossip and talk about boys, and we would ring the radio station up and request a song and dedicate it to our crushes at the time! It was hilarious. Even now the smell of fresh cut grass on a hot summers day takes me right back to those times.

A couple of photos of “Home”. I didn’t shrink them down like I usually do because I thought they’d be too hard to see properly otherwise.

A view of the Swan River from King’s Park in Perth, Western Australia.

The city center of Perth. I’m sure a lot has changed since this photo was taken

His and Her Afghan

My friend A. recently got married (my trip to Vegas was in honor of this happy event). Instead of doing the traditional household gift of a toaster or appliance, especially since I wasn’t sure what to get them and she is the type of friend who tells you not to worry about a gift when you ask what they need/want, I decided to be creative. And since it’s a wedding gift it has to be for both the bride and the groom - so what’s a person to do?

THIS!

Project: His and Her Afghan (totally made up name)
Materials: 6 x 6 inch Amy Butler Lotus fabric on one side couple with some strips of cream fabric to break it up a bit; and Washington Redskins fabric on the other side broken up by 6 x 6 inch squares of burgundy and gold. Inside the batting is 100% bamboo.
Started: June 4, 2008.
Finished: June 12, 2008.

Now I’m not the best quilter and by no means a perfectionist. I knew A. would love the handmade gift and her hubby G. would love it simply because of the Redskins fabric! I didn’t bother with actual “quilting” the top. Instead I did a technique called “bagging” where you sew three sides together and then turn it out so the right sides are facing and sew the last side shut with some topstitch. Because I didn’t bother to line up both sides - I used the same basic lay-out - I didn’t want to do any stitching along the seams because it would end up looking silly on the other side. And the fabric chosen (especially the Redskins fabric) would have looked funny with free-form squiggly lines running through it all.

About bloody time

So it’s taken this long, but the UN has finally classified rape as a recognized war tactic that can be prosecuted. Go here to read the story. As someone in the article mentions, it may not serve as a deterrent but at least it has now been recognized as something more than just a consequence of war or an accidental happening. There are people out there that deliberately attack women and children, often the most innocent and powerless group in the community, and it needs to be stopped.

Viva Las Vegas!

‘Nuff said. Be back in three days.

Supermarket Rage

Seriously, could things get any worse? Read this and you’ll know what I’m talking about. It seems there are some real anger management issues out there.

SP12 Question of the Week

What’s your favorite summertime drink?

Well, other than water and soda, I don’t drink too many cold drinks during the summer. But I have found something new I like, which is the Strawberry Fruitkula from Seattle’s Best (the cafe at Borders).

Blogs I love

I think about blogging quite a bit throughout the week yet I don’t always seem to keep track of my thoughts (I should write more stuff down) so I can actually remember to blog about it. So for today, I thought I would share some of my favorite blogs with you.

AfricanKelli
What do I love about this blog? First of, I’m jealous of all Kelli’s travels. Her photos and posts feed my restlessness, plus she goes to many places I most likely will never get to. On top of that, she sews! I dabble in sewing myself and I find inspiration in some of the great projects she does, like this cute little skirt.

Bekka
How many knitter’s do you know that play the accordian? Me? Just this one! I think (if I remember correctly) Bekka was my partner in a swap…funnily enough I think it was a swap hosted by Kelli from the blog above - the wristlet swap?? She is entering a new chapter in her life, and I’m so happy for her and love hearing about it. On top of knitting and all the other things she does, she is making this cute quilt.

Knit/Wit
SJ is a sock knitting machine! Honestly, this girl turns out socks like crazy - and I am so jealous! I wish I could knit that much because I really do have so many patterns I want to knit, just not enough time. Secretly, I think she may have a double, or an extra set of hands, or something…Or she could just take every opportunity to knit, which is where I am slack. Can you believe I never used to carry a knitting project with me? I never had one in the car? Now I try to remember to carry one with me, and I’m mostly successful at that. SJ was also a swap partner of mine - I think one of the Secret Pal rounds. She has knit a couple of things that I have waiting in my queue - will I ever get around to them - such as this jacket.

So now I’m done “talking about” people. These are just three of my favorite blogs. I do read more, but what I like in a blog is regularly posting (yes, I know the pot calling the kettle black since I have been bad about regular posts! And yes Michelle, just a little jab at you there sweetie )

If there are blogs you read and would like to share with me, please let me know in the comments. I’m always looking for new reads.

Rusted Root

Voila! This top-down top is finally done and I love it! I am a big fan of these kinds of patterns now, no seaming! I often look at patterns and hope they are done in the round, and if they’re not, I consider how much trouble it would be to convert them if possible.

Note: This top doesn’t bunch up at the back. It’s just my bad posture and the fact that I forgot to pull the top down to smooth it out. Also my dad took the pictures so I’m not sure why it looks like there are swirls on my top. For the record, there are no swirls on this top.

Pattern: Rusted Root
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cathay (approx. 7-8 balls)
Size made: Small
Mods: I didn’t use the lace panel pattern included with the pattern. I chose something else and it’s written out below for anyone who might want to try it. I made it longer than the pattern as well. The only thing I would do differently is do the ribbing on the sleeves in only one needle size down, not two as called for in the pattern, because they felt a little tight.

Pattern Mod: Eyelet Swirls (I believe I started mine one stitch later than called for in the pattern, and this is written for working in the round)

Row 1: p1, k1, yo, k8, k2tog, k1, p1
Row 2: p1, k2, yo, k7, k2tog, k1, p1
Row 3: p1, k3, yo, k6, k2tog, k1, p1
Row 4: p1, k4, yo, k5, k2tog, k1, p1
Row 5: p1, k5, yo, k4, k2tog, k1, p1
Row 6: p1, k6, yo, k3, k2tog, k1, p1
Row 7: p1, k7, yo, k2, k2tog, k1, p1
Row 8: p1, k8, yo, k1, k2tog, k1, p1
Row 9: p1, k9, yo, k2tog, k1, p1
Row 10: p1, k1, k2tog tbl, k8, yo, k1, p1
Row 11: p1, k1, ssk, k7, yo, k1, p1
Row 12: p1, k1, k2tog tbl, k6, yo, k3, p1
Row 13: p1, k1, ssk, k5, yo, k4, p1
Row 14: p1, k1, k2tog tbl, k4, yo, k5, p1
Row 15: p1, k1, ssk, k3, yo, k6, p1
Row 16: p1, k1, k2tog tbl, k2, yo, k7, p1
Row 17: p1, k1, ssk, k1, yo, k8, p1
Row 18: p1, k1, k2tog tbl, yo, k9, p1

Secret Pal 12 Questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I love to knit with 100% wool, sock yarns like Socks that Rock, Lorna’s Laces, Cherry Tree Hill (I have quite a bit of this yarn so I’m willing to try new sock yarns). I love yarn that is soft to the touch – so I won’t say that I don’t like acrylic. It’s not my favorite but if something is soft then it’s good. I do not like fun fur, lace weight, or boucle yarn. I’m not a big fan of cotton yarn either, although I do sometimes knit with it cotton blends.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I store my DPNs in a little needle roll someone made me. My straights are just stored in slim vases, and my circs are in the original Denise Interchangeable case. Other than my DPNs I don’t store my needles in a needle case and would probably end up not using it.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I have been knitting since about 2004 and I taught myself. I would put myself at intermediate. There is still a lot to learn.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Yes I have an Amazon wishlist and another wishlist. I will give out the email address for that if my secret pal asks for it.

5. What’s your favorite scent? White Musk by The Body Shop. I also love fruity scents, especially orange/tangerine.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? I do have a sweet tooth. I love Skittles (regular), Peanut M&Ms, Cadbury’s milk chocolate, Laffy Taffy in Banana and Strawberry. I do not like anything cherry! And I don’t like peanut butter & chocolate together (i.e. no reese’s pieces)

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I do not spin(nor do I want to.) I do sew a little bit, plus I do cross-stitch and embroidery sometimes.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I like a variety of music and my computer does play MP3s but since this is hit and miss, I’m not really into receiving music in swaps.

9. What’s your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can’t stand? I love blue! Other colors I like are pink (in moderation), orange, and brown. I’m not sure if there are colors I absolutely can’t stand but I’m not into baby hues or bright neon colors. A look at my ravelry stash might show you the colors I gravitate to.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I have a husband, no kids and no pets.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? I love scarves. I would wear mittens and ponchos. I’m not a big fan of hats.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Socks! Socks! Socks! I also like top-down in-the-round garments. I will be trying my hand at a shawl (maybe) but not in lace weight. Check out my ravelry queue for an idea of what I like.

13. What are you knitting right now? A pair of socks, two scarves, an afghan, and I’m finishing Rusted Root.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I prefer circulars of aluminum or sturdy plastic (not Bryflex though). I do not use and cannot use needles made of any type of wood! I’m looking to expand my circular needle collection with some smaller sizes so I can branch out into Magic Loop for socks.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? I own a yarn winder, but not a swift.

17. How old is your oldest UFO? Gosh, I don’t really know. I do have a baby sweater that needs to be seamed that goes a ways back.

18. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas!

19. Is there anything that you collect? Books, yarn.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I don’t have any subscriptions to any knitting mags at the moment. I’m thinking of re-subscribing to IK and maybe even trying Knitscene.

21. Are there any new techniques you’d like to learn? Magic Loop.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? Yes. I where a size 6.5 shoe. My foot length is about 9.25 inches total (from heel to toe). This is just an estimate because I haven’t measured my foot. I make socks for myself so I try it on and see if it fits.

23. When is your birthday? December 29.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what’s your ID? Westerlywhimsies.

June Sock

Yes, I actually have a June sock project - and (fingers crossed, figuritively speaking, as typing so not to jinx it) I might even have it done in time to start another pair of socks and catch up for those months I missed.

Pattern: Embossed Leaves from Interweave Knits
Yarn: Colinette Jitterbug in Velvet Damson. This is a wonderful yarn that has slight color changes throughout. I’m not having the problem some people have mentioned with the bleeding dye rubbing off on fingers and needles, which I was worried about since this is a dark blue yarn.

I have to say, it is probably the fact the pattern is written in chart form that is making this feel like a quick knit. And (yes, Michelle, hell might have frozen over) I think this pattern has converted me to charts just a little bit more. I usually favor a pattern written out, mostly because I like to use little check marks to keep track of where I am. Maybe I will branch out a bit more and try some more charts in the future.