Yarn haul

Yarn haul
Originally uploaded by samuraisqurl.

The yarn sale was AWESOME. We got there at maybe a quarter after it opened and it was packed of course. I looked for a long time at all the wool and couldn't really pick anything out. So we saddled on over to the cotton blend side and Maya found Euroflax! Euroflax!? I never knew she carried it! It must be new inventory. Brilliant move. I was floored. I think I shoved someone out of the way to get to it. Four (4) skeins of the lighter weight in a beautiful brown. Also, another score. The first yarn you see on your right as you enter the front is the sock yarn. She had freaking Austermann Step! So Soft! Yay! So here in the picture is my Euroflax and Austermann Step with some US 7 addi turbo's since apparently there isn't a size 7 needle in the house. (? how does that happen?) I also bought some polyester yarn that is so soft that you almost feel like you are touching nothing. I'm knitting it together with another novelty yarn I bought at Joann's for a scarf. I figure this scarf will keep me sane while I knit another gray sweater (Mike has been assimilated). I didn't get much but I absolutely LOVE what I got! It was a lot of fun and I wish I hadn't had to run off but we had a barbeque to go to.
This next week I'll try and go to the knit-in on Thursday just to see whats left over and whats new. Besides, I bought some baby yarn I want to return (valid excuse). Mike can't believe I spent $100 on yarn and didn't even buy the yarn for his sweater.
The book that is under the Euroflax is The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova and I'm about 24 chapters in. It's really good. I have this thing with vampires- I think they are fascinating. This book however, is so well done, its creeping me out! Good stuff! New yarn, good book... what else does a girl need?

The next project

Yarn for the pullover
Originally uploaded by samuraisqurl.

I hate being in this gotta sell the house limbo. I feel like there are a million things to be taking care of and like I have no clue as to what they are. So giving myself more things to do is the only logical solution to this problem (in my mind anyway). Some "more things" include a new knitting project I want to begin right away. This cute pullover sweater for Maya that I found in Family Circle's Easy Knitting Spring/Summer issue. It's really cute with a twisted border at the cuffs, bottom and collar. I bought some Andean Silk Twist from Knitpicks for it and it is very soft. I figured she would be wearing it against her skin so it had to be soft yarn. I let her choose the colors and crossed my fingers that they would go well together. They don't look as great as I'd hoped but they'll do (she really likes them) and maybe it'll look better knitted up.
I worked on a gauge swatch yesterday. Its always the same thing with me and the gauge swatches: first I stomp around the yarn looking at it longingly wishing I could just knit it and not waste time (and yarn!) on an f*^#ing swatch! Then I give in, find the needles and cast on the 30 sts. I knit the sucker really fast, feeling better about myself and the kind of knitter I am for doing such a good gauge swatch. Finally done I whip out the measuring tape and realize instead of 5.25sts/inch, I'm getting 5.64sts/inch. I remeasure the damn thing about forty times and get more and more pissed off each time (as a side note: I think my measuring skills are improving). Then I frog back the swatch and put the yarn away for the night. I know that one doesn't always get gauge on the first try, but I was so sure with this one I would be. I had visions of myself knitting the back piece of this today. Of course thats not happening. Anyway. Despite the amount of yarn and projects in the queue, this is the ONLY thing I really want to knit right now. I started Mike's socks and out of sheer heel turning entertainment purposes that one has managed to stay alive, but nothing else is interesting to me.
Good thing the LYS is having a sale this Saturday. Insert evil laugh here. There are four projects I want to make and I've got my yardage requirements all written out for shopping purposes. One of these projects is a sweater for my beloved husband who recently told me he "just doesn't like sweaters. Not on anyone." WTF?! He'll learn to like sweaters if thats what it takes! The sweater I want to make him is Piers from Vintage knits for crying out loud!! He'll look like Fabio or something! What's he whining about?! How can someone who's lived in Salt Lake City not like sweaters? Come on!

EVidence of my Finished projects!

Fo's for babies
Originally uploaded by samuraisqurl.

Even in the morning they're beautiful (of course I could be prejudiced) so I got my models to model their new knitted clothing. I still haven't gotten to blocking the sweater. If it looks good now, I wonder what will happen after I block it! It's a smidge on the big side for him, but I'm hoping that way he might get another years worth of use out of it. It is SO FREAKING SOFT. I checked all my other skeins of Paton's classic wool and no other color except for this dark gray is this soft. ? Even at Joann's the skeins seem to be like this. Its confusing. I would love to buy some of this soft wool for my Ribby Cardi, but I don't want to make it dark gray. Besides, I know Aaron loves his mommy but matching Mom and Son sweaters may be going overboard.
Yay for FO's!! And yay for warm babies!!

Sweater backside view

Fo backs
Originally uploaded by samuraisqurl.

I had the kids turn around for this one so we could appreciate the backside of the sweaters. Maya's shrug seemed too small at first and the bottom curls under but she likes it and it has become more compliant as she wears it. Score.

putting on the zipper

putting on the zipper
Originally uploaded by samuraisqurl.

Whew. It feels like forever since the last post even though I know it wasn’t that long. I’ve been working on finishing Aaron’s sweater non stop. On Tuesday, I had one heck of a crick in my neck from knitting all day Monday (apparently with my shoulders around my ears). Today is better. More finishing. I am 98.5% complete. All that is left is to finish applying the zipper and blocking. I probably shouldn’t have stopped halfway through this process but I had to pretend like I knew what we were having for dinner. What I came up with looks so bad I think I should throw it out pan and all.

invisible seam

invisible seam
Originally uploaded by samuraisqurl.

I ordered some yarn from KnitPicks for her pullover yesterday. Last weekend we made a trip to the LYS to look at wool for it and there were too many colors to choose from! Seriously. So I left with nothing. Then yesterday, while doing my morning yarn store surf Maya and I saw that the Andean Silk was the perfect gauge and an interesting blend of fibers. So we order! Yay! I’m wondering if there is a yarn review of this yarn somewheres on the internets. I’m excited to make her sweater. Especially since I realized my seaming was crap and got the invisible seaming thing DOWN thanks to knittinghelp.com. Brilliant site! That is the third time I’ve been able to go there and get great help. I was kinda hoping that the lys would have some of that Ultra Alpaca but I guess that’s for fall so they don’t have it yet. I love that Berroco has so many shades available, but I hate that they discontinue their yarns after a while.
I still haven’t made a gauge swatch for Grannie Smith, but I so like the look of her sweater, I’m truly worried my Alpaca yarn won’t look the same. May have to order some Kidsilk haze. It’ll be a sacrifice I’m willing to make. Also saw this. I love it!! Too bad I don’t know any baby girls. Well, actually I do. But she’s brand new. Maybe I’ll save this one for her first birthday. It’s awesome but I don’t think I would knit one for myself.

Back to the Grind...

We're back from our wonderful vacation to Walt Disney World. It was pretty awesome and pretty stressful. I'm amazed at the amount of people that go to these parks! Oiy. Granted we went at the beginning of the busy season but still...very busy. The kids had a blast and so did the adults. I wish I had taken more pictures (of course). We went to the Polynesian Resort for the dinner show which was awesome once they got to the polynesian dancing. I recommend that highly. We also ate at Le Cellier in Canada at Epcot's World Showcase which was supreme! Anyway, we had a good time and everyone is back home. Joy. To take my mind off the terrible longing to return to the Animal Kingdom Lodge I will discuss the main topic of this blog...knitting.

I was working hard on getting that damn shrug done for this vacation and I did end up finishing it. I finished it the day after we got home. I think she maybe has 8 months before she outgrows it! I washed it so that I could block it and it came out looking like I'd put it in a cement mixer. Its all fuzzy and weird. I hate cotton. Or it hates me. The yarn was so nice to knit with and now its turned into a fuzzy stiff wad of....blue. To console myself, I've completed 3" of sock for Mike. I harassed him for a while about what color of wool he would like for a sweater. His reply was, "I want socks first." What the..? He's getting a damn sweater at some point. Probably one out of Vintage Knits. Also, I'm getting ready to swatch for Grannie Smith. Isn't it cute?! And I began working on the right front of Aaron's sweater so it will for sure be done by this fall. I held the back piece up to his body and I think it will be just right. So he'll get one year's worth of wear in. So thats all for now. I know this is like, the most boring knit blog ever but oh well. KNit ON!