Monday, April 09, 2007

April Showers bring May Flowers..........what does May flowers bring????

YARN and MORE Yarn LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok, time for yet another photo intense post AND of course....some clues..................... I'll start with the clues. The names I gave in a post earlier were names that were pertinent to the answer.......the letters for the second word also include the letter S more than once and the meaning of the second word is as follows :


-Adjective 1. Absolutely necessary; indespensible.
ok, now...here is the definition of the FIRST word........ready..............


NOUN; The hotter half of the year!


Ok, those 3 clues are HUGE!!!! Oh, and just a tip...........the item HAS arrived WOOHOO!!!


Now onto some yarn porn (sorry mom LOL) and sock pictures.


I FINALLY got the Rowan cashsoft today and I have BIG plans for it. I am really impressed with this yarn. It is so smooth and so soft and it really has some great stitch definition. I will be excited to swatch it and see what happens that way. I also want to see what it is like after I wash it.The picture below is the Rowan.


The picture beside it with Mr. Mann's Tommy Turtle (who is a yarn connoisseur) is of the best yarn porn.........Crash into Ewe @ http://www.crashintoewe.etsy.com/ it is the new colorway she did called Proudest Monkey in sock weight. Let me tell ya'll, this picture does NOT do it justice. I am so in love with this colorway. It is fast moving to one of my favorites. It's funny because Mr. mann seen it and told me that I could make him some socks or a hat out of it and he would like it LOL. I can't say enough good about Terry, she is FABULOUS!!! I have 3 specific shops that I have been getting yarns from and I'll tell ya, I will be hard pressed to go elsewhere. Terry's customer service is the BOMB, her prices are FAB and her merchandise is AWSOME! I HIGHLY recommend ya'll pop on over there and get yerself some yarn and do it FAST cuz people, I am on the loose and I have been known to wipe out an entire store of stock in less than 2 days LOL *sheepish grin* that's really not that far off of a statement either. LOL Seriously, try her once and you won't be sorry and you WILL go back. If she is out of a colorway you want, I am sure if you email her, she'll be happy to accomodate. **Disclaimer** I am not affiliated in any way with any of these shops, yada,yada,yada, I am just a satisfied customer:)






Okie Dokie, be sure to look at the end of this week. I will have photo's of my other favorite shop's yarn porn. I ordered a fab colorway and can't wait to get it. I am completely happy just buying all of these guys yarns up and knitting till my hearts content! LOL


See the sock I was working on? This is the yarn from my friend that I blogged about this weekend. This is the Socks that Rock yarn medium weight. This is just a basic 2x2 rib stitch for 6" and then straight stockinette. I cast on 64 sts. for that sock and it fits nicely. I must say though, has anyone else had the experience with this particular yarn of it being a REALLY heavy yarn? I dunno, I used a size 2 needle and this is some darn thick yarn. I am not sure I would be that happy with it in the summer months, and I am also not sure if it will work with my sneakers. This yarn strikes me as the type to use for winter or for house socks or for boot wear. Maybe it's just me. Has anyone got any tips for me as to why it is so heavy and thick? If it is supposed to be that way then that's peachy too. I just have no idea because I have never used it before so I'm not really sure what to expect. Anyways, I just casted on the second sock and should be finished by Wednesday at the latest. I am still working on Miss Priss' Bolero by Debbie Bliss.






























Look at the little mess I have going on here. This is my BIGGEST pet peeve with hanks of yarns. I dunno if it is because of the dyers or what but I can tell ya it doesn't come from my end. THIS is enough to stop me from purchasing this particular yarn again, this is the SECOND time it has happened. I won't say what yarn it is because I feel that is being a bit snotty and I don't want to be rude. I just am hoping other yarn shop people or whatever see this and always make sure they take the steps necessary so that this doesn't happen. That little wad that is on the table is a knotted mess and was in the hank like that. Grrrrr............see Mr. ArchieCat under the table, even he is a little freaked out;) but isn't the colorway pretty *giggle* see, there's always a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel!!


Now onto some "technical" knitting. See the cast on in this photo? This is my FAVORITE cast on...ok, ok, so it is the ONLY cast on I do..BUT most of that reason is because I like how clean it looks, how even, and crisp. Why am I yakking about it then you ask...well, I have been reading in several patterns about different cast ons, like cable cast on, long tail cast on to name a few. I am wondering if : A.) Can a person always stick with one particular cast on? So far I have and have had no problems but I also haven't delved into to many patterns that require anything specific. Next question: B.) What type of cast on do YOU prefer, what one do you mainly do, if any specific. C.) Can you get that clean of a cast on with all the others or is this a specific trait with this one?
I am all about smoothness and evenness and I have a hard time with cast ons or any stitch for that matter that appears loose or sloppy in my eyes. This cast one gives me wonderful flexiblility but I just want to make sure I am not shorting my knitting items by not expanding out on the cast ons. I really admire all of the knitters out there and you are all so very talented and very knowledgeable in many ways, I just value what you all have to say soooooooooo.................Any and all info is GREATLY appreciated, so, type away;)

And of course, no blog would be complete without THIS cute little photo. This is the monkey crew AFTER a morning of hunting for their baskets LOL Poor Mr. Mann was just spent LOL Miss Priss was still telling us how the Easter bunny could improve his hiding skills LOL which we are STILL hearing about today LOL. Kids crack me up, they are soooo funny. And can ya see, Miss Priss has no socks on...what kind of a knitter Mommy am I?? LOL Truth is, she hadn't put any back on since she woke that morning LOL. She made it a specific point to put her pink socks on after her morning bath. She wanted to match for the color of her basket LOL .Don't worry, those didn't last either.



Oh, I almost forgot. I have a GREAT new blogger that you will LOVE reading. She is such a sweet person and she just started blogging so stop by and leave her a comment, let her know not only how great the knitting community is but also that there are people interested in her blog and what she has to say and show. I know when I get comments here, it really makes my day to know someone is interested. So share the love ya'll. Here is her site:http://www.agileknitter.com/


APRIL IS AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH..................PLEASE................BE AWARE!!!

9 comments:

SpindleKnits said...

WooHoo, I figured out the second word! And I think I have the first but not sure how to fit the two together. Bummer.
I ALWAYS do a long-tail cast on, although I know it is not always the best for what I am knitting, and definitely not the neatest. That's a cable CO right? It looks wonderful, I should definitely give it a try, especially for socks.
Happy Belated Easter! (I have just recently crawled out of the hole I was hiding in, thanks for checking in on me!)

Rhonda the Stitchingnut said...

Well I'm stumped. But I've been clueless forever and additional letters didn't help ;-)

SpindleKnits said...

Okay, I am about 90% positive I have figured it out.
I was going to e-mail you so that if I am right I don't spoil it for everyone else but I don't have your e-mail.

Anonymous said...

I just finished a pair of STR medium weight in the Scottish Highlands colorway and you are right, it is VERY thick! If it weren't for the fact these are rather lacey, these would be completely impractical where I live, in San Francisco, regardless of what time of year.

Stephanie said...

Debbie - You rock!

Thanks for the really great comment about SSK Podcast. It was really cool to hear from you!

We're working onthe next episode...but my microphone crapped out on me.

Anywhoos...have a great one! Hope to hear from you again!

knitspot anne said...

ok, FINALLY even i got it! i'm emailing the answer to you!!

Unknown said...

Pretty pretty yarn! You had some good questions about casting on. I've always used the long-tail or the cable cast on, but would LOVE it it my LYS had a class on the different types of casting on, with a nice handy booklet to take home with me. Doesn't that sound like a good idea? Wishful thinking...

Also, that blob of yarn you found IN the skein? Yuck. You may want to tell the dyer, because perhaps she's/he's not winding the skeins herself before dyeing and because of this, she/he is unaware that she is getting a bad product. Just a thought. :)

hope you are doing fantastic!

xo

Danielle said...

I emailed you last night with what I'm 99% sure is finally the right answer too. I don't know if you got it yet or not.

Most of the time I use a slingshot cast on, but sometimes I use a Maine (as in the state of Maine) cast on, that I learned from a mitten book I got. I'm all about the smooth look too. Do you happen to be a bit of a perfectionist as well maybe? Oh ya, remember when I asked if you knit english or continental? I should've said english is the throwing method(that's what I do too.) Hey, the Maine cast on is really good for not curling up, just FYI.

The kids look really cute, and Mr. Mann does look spent. Good Easter memories!!

Anonymous said...

Well, I emailed you with a guess, but I'm not too sure about it. I don't think that it's the right number of words.