And I Leave You With This...

I jumped the bandwagon and started Jared's Cobblestone Pullover from the last issue of IK. Last Tuesday, when Shawn and I went to pick up Bandit, they weren't ready to release him, (in fact, he hadn't even been neutered when we got there), so we stopped by the Michael's in Lomita. I'm not a big fan of acrylic, I've used it for blankets and for one sweater. I would say I'm a bit of a yarn snob. BUT, I could not pass up trying Bernat's Satin yarn. It's very soft, even for acryclic. And let's face it, I need something washable with Shawn. I made him a sweater out of Debbie Bliss' Baby Cashmerino and I can not rely on him to handwash that. Acryclic it is. I'm happy to say that it knits up quite nicely. No snags or pilling. And I love the Navy Blue. This yarn would make a great baby blanket.

Last Thursday, (or was it Friday?), I received a very lovely package from my Monkey Swap Pal! She sent me two skeins of yarn, (there are close ups below); a Monkey pencil pouch with matching pencil, eraser, ruler and sharpener; "Twisted Flower" sock pattern from Cookie A.; a Monkey that sticks on glass, (Jem took that); a little Monkey finger puppet; and a Monkey sweater for Scout.

And she made me the best socks! I absolutely love the colors! And they fit perfectly! In fact, I'm wearing them now.

Here's the Opal she sent:

And some handspun:

I really haven't been knitting much. It's a bit tough with a new puppy. He loves to drink water, it's like he's never had it before. But as easily as he consumes it, he releases it. So we are outside a lot!

Dalton hasn't warmed up to him too much. He really doesn't know what to make of Bandit. But then again, Dalton is getting old and doesn't want to play as much as he used to. Especially not with a puppy. Lately he's spent a lot of time in bed with me.

I've been sick. Not sure what's wrong. Just some tummy problems and a sinus infection. Not bad, but not good either. I haven't had motivation to do much of anything. Yesterday I slept a good 18 hours out of the day. It was great. It would have been wonderful had I not been sick. It's been a long time since I had a chance to just lay around in bed all day.

Ready for the great news? Scout took her very first step on Halloween! We were sitting outside, on the grass, when I held her hands while she stood up. I let go and she was still standing. Then she took a step towards me! I am sooo proud of her. No steps since then. This morning was all about toys!

Take a look at this Monkey

I finished it last night, after updating my blog. I told you I was further along then the pictures showed. And I have more than enough yarn. Shawn found his scale and we measured. I was really worrying that I didn't have enough. And you know, looking at a wound ball doesn't help. Anyway, it's done and waiting for it's mate:

I'll definitely be making myself a pair. This pattern really knits up quick!

A Productive Weekend

Saturday and Sunday proved to be a bit productive.

I worked, a little bit, on the Wheat Ear Yoke Sweater from Interweave Knits. I am working the sweater on US 6's and 7's, instead of 7's and 8's.

I'm not too sure about the stitch definition though. I really think it would look better if I went down another needle size and just make the largest sweater size. I have enough yarn. But tell me what you think? (When I stretch it out a little, it looks 100% GREAT...so I guess the blocking could make all the difference.)

I also made a lot of headway on the Monkey Socks. I am using yarn from my stash that I bought on Etsy a while back. I went up a needle size, (from 2's to 3's). They are a bit loose for me, so that's a good sign. Cause they aren't for me. I'm actually further along then the pictures. (I'm almost to the toe shaping.)

This is a great pattern.

The heel flap was a bit long for the pattern, but that's probably because of the change in needles. I will definitely be making myself a pair of these...quite possibly in some Koigu.


And because she's driving me crazy, I thought I'd post a cuteness picture.

She's not so cute when she's munching on grasshoppers. Three this week. Gross.

I'll be updating Etsy later. There are a couple Amethyst sets I'm adding. (Just in case you ♥ purple.)

I lied, no pictures today

So I joined yet another swap. The Monkey Sock Swap. And I can justify it. It's August. In 4 1/2 months all the knitters that I know of will be pulling out their hair, trying to make Christmas gifting deadlines. I will not. You see, I don't do Christmas knitting. There is a good reason too. For a few years I made sweaters for Jem. Sweaters he picked out. Yarn he picked out. And the last Christmas he chose one, it turned out to be an electric blue and green striped sweater with a big prancing tiger on the front. One of which he's only worn twice. But get this, I made him two more sweaters since then. Sweaters he chose! (He picked the pattern and the yarn combination and begged me to make them now.) He hasn't worn either except for me to take a 5.5 second picture in. They all sit in a Rubbermaid container. Hopefully they will hold some memories for him when I kick him out, with the 1/2 dozen sweaters that he needed. Mainly by Christmas.

Instead of making a scarf for Grandma, and socks for Mom, and a sweater for Fiancee, and matching mittens for Children, I bake. I shop and I bake. And I knit for me. When I first started to knit, I knit unselfishly. Everything I knit I gave away. It's only been in the past 2 years or so that I actually started knitting for me too. Not just baby afghans for people my mom knew were having babies, (mind you I never met them). No more knitting double stranded, queen sized, ugly brown afghans for friends. (Even if you get paid, it's not worth it sometimes.) No more scarves I'll never wear because let's face it, I live in Southern California where the weather goes from warm, warmer, hot, hot as hell.

This is why I don't do knitting for Christmas. Instead, I will be a part of the Secret Pal 11 Swap, the Hogwarts Sock Swap 2, the Sock It To Me Swap and now the Monkey Sock Swap.

So here's my Monkey Swap Questionnaire:


The basics:

Do you consider yourself a beginning sock knitter, an intermediate, or have you been doing this so long you could probably knit a pair in your sleep? Intermediate/Advanced. I've been knitting socks since March, so I'm not a pro, but I've knit enough socks to know what I'm doing.


The measurements:
Shoe Size: 9-91/2

Foot circumference: 9.5-9 3/4" (I have a high instep, wide foot)
Foot length: 9.5"

Yarn Preferences:

What colors do you love? Blue, Buttercup Yellow, Chocolate Brown (dark)
Do you prefer solids or variegated? Depends on the yarn, but overall I really like solids
Do you prefer wool, cotton or acrylic yarn? Superwash Wool (I don't have much time for handwashing my knits)
What colors would you never wear? No orange socks. Not too into purple either.
What are your favorite brands of yarn? Koigu KPPPM, Socks That Rock, Tofutsies
Are there any new brands you would like to try? Louet Gems, Yarntini, Sundara, Chewy Spaghetti

Cookie A. Patterns: Which of her patterns have you already knit? I just bought her Rhiannon, but I haven't started it yet. Not sure what color I want to do yet.
Which pattern(s) would you like to knit and don’t already own? German Stocking or Twisted Flower

Other pertinent information:

Would you be willing to have an international Monkey Pal or do you prefer one in the US? Anywhere is fine by me.
Do you have any allergies? Nothing that I know of.
Will your knitting be exposed to smoke or animals? No and yes. I have two cats, but they don't get into my yarn. (I bag everything.)
Are you on Ravelry yet? If you don’t mind having new friends, what is your Ravelry name? Just got my invite yesterday! My id is BluEyedPenny.