Yesterday, I saw this pattern and just had to make it for my littlest niece.
All this knitting, with the exception of a purchase of a single skein of red yarn for the Monster Butt has been out of stash. ¬†The youngins went shopping in my stash to pick out the colors for the Drive-Thrus. ¬†That sweater remains my absolute favorite pattern for kids. ¬†The yarn I’m using for Eyelet Cardi was added to stash in February to knit another ChicKnits pattern but was redirected to this one.
This morning we got up rather early for a Sunday, got dressed quickly and had some breakfast before heading out to stand in line. ¬†The pediatrician’s office received their requested H1N1 vaccines and scheduled today from 9 to 1 to give the vaccines. ¬†We got there about 9:30 and after an hour wait, wrestled two reluctant kids into holding still and baring their arms, they were inoculated. ¬† This was followed by a trip to the dollar store for a reward for being good. ¬†Ha. ¬†Anyway, the rest of the afternoon has been spent outdoors, enjoying the surprise 66F day.
While the twins did this:
I played with this:
The fiber is BFL from SeeKay in Sunshine Day. ¬†I bought this fiber at the NJ festival in Sept. ¬†As you can see, I’m spinning it on the Kromski Sonata. ¬†She makes a lovely outdoor wheel
When I finished the second bobbin (the first 2oz were spun at Jessica’s house yesterday), I pulled out another project.
Oh yeah, that project was on another wheel  This would be the second half of the 4oz of BFL, also from SeeKay at NJ, but in Rubies.
When that was done, I pulled out yet another spinning project in progress:
Bet you thought it was going to be another wheel ¬†This is the Pumpernickel n Jam batt that I got from Into the Whirled at Rhinebeck on the midi Bosworth spindle also from Rhinebeck. ¬†I’m tired now
Outside the hobbies, I’ve been downright exhausted. ¬†We’ve changed development methodologies at work moving to an Agile system. ¬†Instead of only working on one particular area of the application, I’m now working on things across the entire system regardless of expertise. ¬†It has been like starting a brand new job. ¬†My brain is overloading with all this knowledge! ¬†I come home, have dinner, get the kids in bed and then by 9, I’m having a hard time keeping my eyes open. ¬†I’m hoping that as I get experience in the other areas of the app, I’ll be able to stay up like a big girl again. ¬†On top of this, there’s been drama that I just didn’t need. ¬†Oh well.
I’m off to ply the SeeKay singles into some yarn. ¬†The kids picked those rovings for their winter hats for this year. ¬†While it might be 66F today, that will not last much longer!
If you’ve been around here long enough, you’ve probably discovered that I’m never idle.¬† I just can’t sit still and do nothing, which explains all the hobbies.¬† Well, I’ve added another one!
I’ve been eying this one for a while now.¬† A long while.¬† Way back at either my first or second NYSW, I saw someone demonstrating the using of a marudai and was fascinated.¬† Last year I bought one of those cheap foam discs to try it one.¬† Liked it but didn’t like the slowness in the foam disc, moving one strand at a time.¬† It was limiting.¬† So when a local fiber friend posted on a mailing list that she was selling one of her kumihimo set for less than I could buy a new one, I jumped.¬† Yesterday I drove out to her house and picked it up.
Love it!  Now I need to figure out a use for all those braids
I’ve been off since Wednesday afternoon and have managed to keep myself busy.¬† I whipped out a tiered skirt for Kat in pink quilting fabrics that she picked out.¬† She was able to wear it for the family gathering at the Seder on Thursday.¬† And then she wore it again Friday.¬† And again Saturday.¬† I have no photos as the thing now needs a wash
However, I did manage to finish Alex’s dinosaur quilt.
As with Kat’s, I did in the ditch quilting and machine applied the binding.¬† While my new binding foot arrived, it was too small for the wide binding that I picked up at Joann’s.¬† Sigh.¬† Oh well, maybe the next one will have a binding that doesn’t look like ass.
Another finished sewing object is this:
It is an Alexander Henry fabric, that I lined with the coordinating fabric:
I found this tutorial and made a home for my beloved MacBook.¬† It fits perfectly and I’m quite happy with it.¬† I have more of the fabric and a few plans
I finally finished the Tulip Cardigan for my niece.  I spent a few hours on Thursday finishing the second sleeve and weaving in all those stupid ends.
While I love how it came out, I seriously hated the yarn.¬† Sublime Cashmerino Baby.¬† It was awful to work with.¬† I also thing if i were to make this pattern again (and I probably will since I bought some 220 in similar colors to knit it for Kat), I’m going to modify so that the button bands aren’t picked up at the end but knit along at the same time.
It isn’t all about finishing at Chez CFL.¬† Oh no.¬† It is time to start something new!¬† I watched Amy knitting this sweater and decided I had to have one too!¬† I had taken advantage of Web’s recent sale on Cascade and stashed up recently.
I cast on a few minutes ago.  The base color is reading purple by the camera.  Which is not how my eyes see it.  In my oddly lit bedroom, I see brown.  But then you look at the closeup at Webs and it is a rainbow of colors.  It is color 4006: Galaxy.
Galaxy indeed.  It is a galaxy of colors!  I kept Kat busy for a while this morning with the ball winder
Since Dad has the kids off at the duck pond, I’m off to play with something.
Oh my the last week was busy! ¬†We’re deep in a redesign at work that has me seriously hopping, not to mention juggling the development and production support. ¬†Seems this week was the week for all the current customers to have problems and need me to help. ¬†Sigh. ¬† This is the first I’ve had a chance to take pictures to sit down and write a post.
That’s not to say I haven’t been knitting! ¬†There’s still that commute to keep busy during. ¬†This week’s project has been that Tulip Cardigan. ¬†However, I’m not doing it in the Dream in Color, but in the Sublime that I started the Lily Cardi in. ¬†I dislike that pattern intensely and just couldn’t force my way through it. ¬†I did the math, including solving for X as to where to remove the sleeve stitches to waste, and am quite happy with how it is going.
I’m doing the same color progression as the original pattern, just not the variation in the number of rows per stripe. ¬†While I want a 12-18 month sweater, I had to make the 4yo size in order to make up for the finer yarn. ¬†I’m almost to the bottom hem. ¬†I’m going to make a second one in the other color sequence for the younger of the nieces. ¬†I also matched up the colors in this one with Cascade 220 colors to make this sweater for Kat.
Even though I haven’t finish the February socks, maybe because they take too much attention due to the splittiness of the Mini Mochi, I pulled yarn for the March Pseudo-Sock-Club. ¬†Up next is this yummy Claudia Handpaint. ¬†I’m torn between a plain arsed sock for working on while playing the Sims or something else. ¬†It is the Strawberry Latte colorway.
I’m close to getting the “B” generation of my Sims family ready to produce a “C” generation. ¬†On the left is the older kid who was subjected to the odd method of carrying by her folks. ¬†She’s a cute kid. ¬†So is her younger brother, Benjamin, on the right. ¬†
They’re a few “days” apart and wind up spending a couple of days at the same age level. ¬†You can see the family resemblance here. ¬†They both look like their father, Abe. ¬†He’s the one I created. ¬†He got to choose his mate and from there on, genetics will take over. ¬† As you can see, red is the dominant haircolor
Belana is now a teen.  Cute thing, excellent student.  
Here’s Benjamin’s birthday as he ended his childhood and became a teen. ¬†The family gathered around and celebrated. ¬†Shortly after, he sproinged into being a seriously cute teen. ¬†His sister brought home a friend from school yesterday that he has the hearts for. ¬†He’s the backup heir, I need Bela to pair off ¬†Having just installed University, I think I’ll send him off to college just in case she falls apart.
Dad has the twins off at the park, enjoying the more seasonable weather. ¬†I’m going to take advantage of the quiet to catch up on my DVRed Ryan’s Hope and just maybe finish the button band on Mr. Not-So-Greenjeans!
I know, its been ages since I last posted. ¬†Life has been truly busy. ¬†The folks heading to the Caribbean for 10 days was the crux of the busy. ¬†Since it snowed a gillion times while they were again, I got to use the snow blower repeatedly. ¬†Thankfully there is no photographic evidence of that! ¬†Beyond the domesticity, I’m still toiling away on a big rewrite at work. ¬†
I’ve had a case of startitis recently as well. ¬†For whatever reason, Rhinebeck wasn’t doing it for me, so I started another sweater. ¬†Back to Mr. Greenjeans, but this time in some yummy mmmMalabrigo in a deep blue.
Mr. Bluejeans
I’ve made it past the point where the sleeves are slipped to waste yarn. ¬†Unfortunately, it is probably on hold for a week or so. ¬†I have 4 days to finish the 10″ of knitting on the second travelling scarf. ¬†Shouldn’t be a problem in finishing on time, but I guess I better wind the yarn tonight
Saturday I started a project that has been queued up since Thanksgiving weekend. ¬†While we were out visiting my sister for the holiday, Friday the gals piled into the car and did a little shopping. ¬†The first stop was a yarn store. ¬†Go figure. ¬†We don’t do the traditional Black Friday shopping ¬†Anyway, as I’m scoping out which skein will be my souvenier sock yarn, my mother comes over to me and says “Your sister requests that sweater” and points to the cutest little baby sweater (Ravelry link). ¬†Since she’s never requested knitting before, I’m touched and naturally buy the pattern and the yarn to make it. ¬†Not for the new baby (which as we know she’s had) , but for her 1yo. ¬†I had all those holiday gifts to finish off and then there was the brief but burning desire to knit something for myself, before I could get started on this. ¬†I was now ready for it.
 
Lily the Pink
I’ve modified the pattern to knit it in one piece until the armpits. ¬†No need to knit separates and sew them together. ¬†I looked at the pattern where there are 4 colors for every 16 rows and knew that there was no way in hell I’d knit this sucker individually! ¬†All those ends! ¬†no way. ¬†I ordered the yarn in the other colorway to knit a smaller one for the baby. ¬†Sister doesn’t know this yet. ¬†No way I’ll get them both finished before I see the baby this weekend. ¬†Woops, reminds me that I need to finish the BSJ before then though.
Anyway, gotta get back to the C# grindstone.  Wanted to leave you with this awesome video that Jessalu pointed out to me.
While I’ve been spending my quality time getting to know my new wheel (and naming it – but more on that later), I’ve had the kate from the Reeves and the Van Eaton sitting near each other. ¬†Makes sense, the wheels are next each other. ¬†They looked awfully similar in size on the kates but I really wanted to see how they compared. ¬†I figured you’d all want to as well. ¬†Humor me. ¬†And then I wanted to compare these bobbins against a few others for some reference. ¬†
All of these are with the larger end up in the cases where the two ends are not the same diameter:
larger bobbin ends
From left to right:
 
Ashford
Lendrum
Schacht
Reeves
Van Eaton (bubinga too
Side View:<
Same bobbins
This is the same order. ¬†As you can see that while the Reeves and the VE are the same width around, the VE is a smidge longer. ¬†Of course there are two other wheels in the house who’s bobbins are not included (Tina and Vermonter) but I’m too lazy to get downstairs to fetch a bobbin. ¬†IIRC, Tina’s bobbins are awfully close to Lendrum size. ¬†And yes, I realize I don’t have the Lendrum anymore, I did manage to find two stray bobbins the other day. ¬†Oh well. ¬†The wheel shipped off with ¬†7! ¬†I didn’t realize I had so many of the damn things.
Another thing to note, the only wheel I use with any regularity (other than the electric Womack) that has a Woolee Winder is the Schacht. ¬† The Tina has a WW but I don’t think I’ve used it in the last year. The rest are standard bobbins. ¬†I know there’s a WW available for the Reeves, but the regular flyer is so gorgeous that I couldn’t replace it with the wonderfully functional but less than attractive WW. ¬†And really, I ply on the Womack so stopping every now and again to change pretty hooks isn’t that bad.
As for capacity?  The VE bobbin easily holds four ounces!
 
Mea Culpa
Yup. ¬†Finished the first four ounces of the Mea Culpa roving! ¬†No wonder they call it a production wheel! ¬†I did this bobbin of 40wpi singles in a little over three hours. ¬†Dude. ¬†That’s production, even by my standards. ¬†Did I mention that the VE is QUIET? ¬†No need to adjust TV volume. ¬†The only noise is a slight whir from the bobbin. ¬†Its amazing. ¬†
While I was bonding with him, definitely a him, last night, he spoke his name to me: ¬†Fabio. ¬†He’s dark, exotic and sexy! ¬† And rich too I’ll be spending quite a few nights with Fabio, including this one!
Before I return to my dear Fabio, I finished the second nephew hat.  This is the same pattern, same yarn but the Stormy Skies colorway.  I finished it on the train this evening.
 
Nephew Hat
Tomorrow is the office children holiday party.  Wish me luck as I schlep the monkeys into NYC and back in the snow.  Sigh.
no.. not my sister’s new baby.¬† This BIG box arrived yesterday.
BIG box
Whatever could it be?¬† That bit of wood behind it is the top of my Jensen Tina II.¬† It does give some idea of scale, unless of course you haven’t a clue how big the Tina is.¬† For those, I’ve included the required iPhone for scale ¬† I know, but I always have it on me so it makes for the perfect ‘for scale’ item.
What was inside it?¬† My new baby…
24" Production Van Eaton
Not the greatest of pictures, but the light in my room sucks, especially since I replaced the regular high hats with the energy efficient ones.¬†¬† I must say, after only a few moments, i was totally in love with this wheel.¬† It is SOLID!¬† I won’t be toting this baby around anywhere.¬† It spins like a dream.¬† No noise, except a gentle whirrr sound of the flyer.¬† She’s FAST.¬† That 24″ wheel helps there.¬† You can see tucked behind her my Reeves, so you can get a better sense of the size of this.¬†
I loves this wheel.  She came with a beautiful kate, 2 whorls with 2 speeds each, and a whopping 7 bobbins in beautiful woods!  Better pictures when the light is around this weekend.
In knitting news, here’s a look at the finished hat for my nephew M:
STR Heavyweight
and the one in progress for his younger brother D:
Sorry for the recent dirth of posts.¬† Life has gotten a bit busier recently for a couple of reasons.¬† We’re on a pretty tight development schedule at work (I’m actually ahead of my project plan for a change), and I started studying for the first exam on my way towards the Microsoft Certification (MCPD in ASP.Net for those that care).¬† I’m hoping to take the test next month.¬† I’ve been juggling spinning with video gaming and knitting at home… oh and the twin wrangling and other assorted household things.¬† I sort of prefer to be busy, but I could definitely use a vacation.
I finished the main body of the first teacher bag. 
Modified Booga Bag for Miss M.
As a reminder, this is a combo of Patons Merino and Lion Brand Wool.¬† I’ll be knitting the idiot-cord on the knitting machine when I have both bags finished.¬† That varigetated skein to the right (on the guidebook for the current gameplay) is what I’ll be using.¬† I’m pleased with how it came out.¬†
I started the second one on the train yesterday morning, though haven’t gotten very far as I’ve been working on Kat’s Mittens.¬† I finished the second one while waiting for the ferry this morning.
Actual knitting time was far less than that.  I know I cast on for the second mitt yesterday and finished it this morning.  I could have finished it on the way home last night but was busy reading about the .NET Framework.  Now to knit her a scarf or cowl.  Probably a loose cowl as she hates anything tight around her neck (turtlenecks are a big NO-NO!) and I can see my klutzy little girl tripping over a scarf   Just need to take some measurements and mod a grownup cowl.  More pink yarn.  Joy.
That unfortunately is all I have for today.¬† I thank all who pulled for the eBay auction, but alas I did not win.¬† Probably not a bad thing as I’d have to part with another wheel or two.¬† For those who are curious, it was this Norm Hall wheel and assorted goodies to go with it.¬†
Taken from eBay
The final price was $2,710.69 which I just could not justify, especially with $175 of shipping above and beyond that, and not being able to judge the actual condition of it. It wasn’t meant to be. I would, however, like to get on the waiting list for one of these beauties, but I’m not getting a response from either email or phone messages!
There is definitely an advantage to having small feet. ¬†I can get cheaper sneakers and flats because I can buy them in the children’s department. ¬†It isn’t great for buying high heels and dress shoes (unless you want bows or beads on them). ¬†The best part? ¬†I don’t have to worry about having enough yarn to knit a pair of socks. ¬†My problem with the standard sized skein of sock yarn is what to do with the leftovers.
Right now it is a tossup between that sock yarn leftover granny square blanket or making monkey socks.  
Monkey socks won this time:
Little Girl Socks
I finished them this morning on the ferry.  I had an ooch more yarn.  I had been nervous about running out before finishing the second sock.  Details on these:
Pattern:  My basic sock recipe Рtoe up over 44 stitches
Yarn:  Socks That Rock lightweight РFirebird
Needles:  US1 Рmagic loop
I just have to weave in the ends and present them to her highness later.
That’s about all I have for today. Have a program I’m rewriting from J++ to C#, bringing it into the modern era, which is giving me a few fits and starts, and a technical specification I need to write. Ugh. I hates writing in english. Hope everyone has a good weekend. Look for spinning kid pictures next week as the Babe Pinkie I bought arrived. Yay!
First up, I done finished that Birthday Cowl last night at SnB. ¬†Here’s a self portrait taken on the way to the office this morning.¬†
Birthday Cowl
I loves it.  Again, it is MmmmMMmmMalabrigo in Cinnabar.  Used less than one skein.  Kept my neck nice and warm this morning.
What else, oh yes.  It is hat/mitten season.  I gave the monkeys a choice between store-bought this year and mommy knit.  Alex was all over the store bought and I figured that little miss who asked for no more handknit sweaters cause they took too long would go that way too.  Surprised me when she said mommy knit.  So mommy started knitting last night.  I bought two skeins of MmmmmMMmmmMalabrigo in a pepto pink that she just adores.  I found a CTH pattern for little kid rolled brim hat and coordinating mittens.  Add in needles and I was ready to go at SnB.  By the time I headed for home I had started the reductions for the crown.  I finished weaving in the ends this morning on the ferry where I also cast on for the first mitten.  
mmmMalabrigo in Child's Rolled Brim Hat
I just checked the tag, it is “Shocking Pink”. Aptly named indeed. I’m converting the mitten pattern which is written flat and sewn up. Makes no sense to me. I can knit in the round
I’m off to figure out where the hell my stored procedure is trying to convert a varchar to a uniqueidentifier. ¬†Joy.
Have a very happy halloween!  Trick or treating for me this afternoon.
I want to thank everyone for their concern and commiseration last week. ¬†I stayed home on Friday, still quite uncomfortable. ¬†Talked with my doctor thursday night and he suggested seeing a neurologist. ¬†I put in a call to the dude he recommended and am still waiting to hear back. ¬†Whatever. ¬†Seems that while there was a migraine part of the weeklong painfest, it wasn’t the whole story. ¬†There’s a sinus component for sure (so I started taking my daily Nasonex again as it is that time of year) as well as a tension/stress piece. ¬†The fact that I wake up feeling fine and then within a few hours or so, the back of my head gets really tight leads me to believe that tension is a major problem, probably tense for fear that the headache will continue/come back. ¬†I feel this is working the same way an entrenched insomnia pattern operates where the fear of not being able to sleep prevents sleep. ¬†Vicious circle. Add in a little TMJ (I skipped the steak at dinner last night), shake well and you have one-long-assed-many-pronged-headache. ¬†I’ve chosen to ignore the whole thing. ¬†Mind over matter and all that.
Anyway… been doing the knitting thing! ¬†I finished Kat’s Princess Socks yesterday.
Cute little things eh?  One skein of Koigu KPPPM РUS1 magic loop.  Pattern is one of my own devising but is nothing really special.  Simple stockinette.  Started at the toe with 8/16st turkish cast on increasing to 44 st overall.  As for how long to make the foot?  I had a tracing of her foot on paper with lines indicating where the ankle bones are.  When the foot hit those marks, I did the short row heel down to 8 unworked stitches.  She happily tried them on last night and declared them perfect.  
Yesterday I finished the first side for Town & Country and cast on for a sleeve. ¬†I’ll spare you the photo of the cuff repeat again.
26 days to go.  Maybe.
Finally, I got the cutest box bag from JessaLu’s etsy shop! ¬†
She used Amy Butler fabrics and has the cutest pulls:
I loves my bag. ¬†Go get one for yourself. ¬†I’ve got a new sock project in mine
 This would be the second half of the 4oz of BFL, also from SeeKay at NJ, but in Rubies.
