One Geek to Craft Them All

So I wound all the yarn from my last few purchases while watching a disk of Chuck episodes.  Sad that it took me this long to get into the show. But it’s fun.

I’d like to say that was all of it. But that was just what there was before I took a break before getting the big skeins from Vogue Knitting Live together.

Those 3 skeins together were about 5000yds in Lace, Light fingering, and worsted.

It left me with a sore hand and a high desire to cast on some new projects. I want to make a hat, cowl and arm warmers, as well as fingerless gloves for myself. The ones I’m wearing now are clearly on their last winter.  And now that everything is wound I just need to gather patterns and just get started. Easier said than done. But for now I hope that I will be happy enough with the yarn in my life. And not buy any more.

That is the majority of the yarn stash. Not including any of the newly wound yarn or the eco-wool I just picked up and the many bags of yarn floating around the apartment.

Days w/o yarn purchase: 2

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Knitting yarn

So yesterday I went to Vogue Knitting Live. Just the marketplace as most of the classes sold out long ago. But I knew the marketplace would be a good time. I possibly went a bit overboard with the purchases but I had a great time. I saw Debbie Stoller discussing the latest stitch and bitch.  Saw Lilly Chin, Meg Swansen, and Nicky Eptstien.  Got yarn, Glass buttons that the vendor made by hand,  even stopped at the Knitty City both and picked up some Madeline Tosh.

See what I mean about picking up a lot of stuff? I decided it was best for my poor wallet to not head back today.  I think I got the most out of my marketplace admission.

My favorite purchase has to be the Qiviuk I picked up. I was tempted to get the 50%  Quiviuk 50% Silk but could not get myself to pay that much for a single skein of yarn.

Instead I got got the Qiviuk/Merino/Silk blend at 45/45/10 it was still a bit pricy at a little over 40 for 218 yards but I have wanted to play with  Muskox for a while.  I think I will make myself a lace cowl. Possibly with buttons.

Speaking of buttons I got a few sets of those as well.

The designer said she had modeled them after a candy only available in Canada that reminded me of Swedish Fish.

Not sure what these buttons will be used for but they were great.

I also stopped at the Soak booth as the yarn wash I have now I don’t particularly like the scent of. I think I made the sales girl’s day.  I left with 2 bottles of soak and some Heel, their lotion brand.

Now the rest of the yarn.

This is just under half a pound of a  deep purple lace.  Which was a) Half off and b) 4500yds a pound. So I have likely about 2200yds of it. It has been added to my mental pile of 11shawls in 2011.

Two skeins of tosh merino in Citylights.

About 1000yds of a cashmire Merino blend in bright red. And around 700 Yards of  some worsted yarn in dark purples and gray/black. I’m looking forward to playing with all of these yarns. But after Vogue Knitting Live me and Yarn purchases have to go our separate ways for a time. I’m aiming for not making a purchase until the summer at the earliest.  We’ll see if I can hold myself to that. The best would be if I could hold out until Rhinebeck.  Which would be a good time to pick up Christmas yarn if I need it.

Only time will tell.

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Knitting Vogue Knitting live, yarn

I’ve made some new sets of stitch markers that are smaller than my usual style.  I was pondering what kind of markers to make for a lace KAL.  These fit up to a  US 9 (5.5mm) needle. I made a few sets in red and blue. I haven’t decided if I will be going any smaller. But I like how I they came out.

And another set in blue.

Comparing them to the pumpkin markers that I finally glazed and shaped you can tell that the new ones are much smaller.

These markers are US11 (8.0mm) so they are my usual size. I like how shiny they came out though I have had adventure in trying  to get them to dry.

I also made a pair of earrings in honor of my favorite madman with a box. Or more accurately the Madman’s box.  Ah Tardis.

So I have pushed the yarn diet off to after the weekend.  I got tickets to the Vogue Knitting Live Marketplace this weekend, and I feel like it would just be cruel to got to the equivalent of a Yarn Con and not get any yarn.  I have no idea if I am going both days but I will be there Saturday.  Here’s hoping I meet some fun knitters.

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beads, craft, Knitting Doctor Who, earrings, etsy, polymer clay, stitch markers, Tardis, Vogue Knitting live

So Sunday was Knitty City’s 5th anniversary party. I was happy to make it, there near the end of the event. I hadn’t planned on doing much shopping. Key word in there being planned.

So I ended up having some chocolate cake and picking up 5 Skeins of Eco Wool to make 2 Sweaters or so.  2 in black 2 in red and 1 in  blue. Add this to the 3 I picked up at La Casita and that’s a lot of Eco wool.

This was the last skein of the blue, I’m thinking of combining it with the black and making something striped.  A nice cardi or pullover.

I also picked up a skein of Madelinetosh in  Silver Fox.

And I have already Wound it into  a lovely ball and am knitting a shawl I bought off ravelry yesterday Batik and have already frogged it once. We’ll see how this goes.  The hope is to have at least 1 shawl to wear to the weddings that seem to be cropping up among my friends.  I have 2 standard default colors red and black, and I think silver fox would go with either colored dress; be it one I own or not.

I also joined the ravelry group 11 shawls in 2011 as I have 2 designs in mind, and 2 other shawls I want to knit already with the yarn. Though this likely means I will have to invest in blocking wires. I don’t see anyway else to get the finished shawl right.

Also I have think after the Knitty City sale I have to refrain from buying Yarn for a while. I have refilled my bins and have bags of yarn floating around waiting to be wound and waiting to be knit.  I have yet to crack open Cookie A.’s Knit. Sock. Love. which I have plenty of sock yarn to play with.

Also everyone has seen the new knitty? My next project wants to be Cartouche and I have not 1 or 2 but 4 skeins of yarn I could use in Red, Black, purple, and teal.  Though I may take a lace break and do some worsted work between shawls.

I will allow the exception for buying gift yarn that will be knit immediately.  So for now Christmas knitting can not count.  Not that I have any ideas yet. Well I do have a small idea to go with cards. I knit a bunch of mini stockings near the end of the holiday’s after i had mailed out cards, some to hold jewelry I gave out, and some to put on the tree.  I was thinking of making a bunch of these, and even if they are empty sending them out with cards.

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Knitting lace, sweater, yarn

The first FO of 2011 is a double knit cowl I designed and finished a little earlier today.

A Greek inspired cowl to get me going on my plot to design things that go with the Olympians. This was a simple 11 row pattern double knit across 84 stitches in Blue Sky alpaca in sport weight. It took a little over one skein of each color. I may make matching fingerless gloves of the remaining yarn.  We shall see.

Reversible and in my favorite colors. I have to put together the pattern though it is a straight forward one.

And I have a gift that had been kept under wraps the last few weeks but, now can be shared.

Another Dalek. This one made of Karabella Aurora 8 worsted, has been well received in its new home.

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Knitting color-work, cowl, design, double knitting, FOs

Waves. Happy new year all.

It’s been a busy few weeks in the geek house.  I finished all the stockings with some time to spare, even if I still haven’t mailed off three.  Final tally was 16 full sized socks and 5 mini stockings. Those were about  palm sized. Sadly my SD card reader has died so pictures once I get a new one.

As far as resolutions go I tend to not make them though I often set goals and strike through them throughout the year, with a monthly update. They are not always all knitting related and while I didn’t have a list for 2010 partly because I was unemployed and mostly my goal was JOB JOB JOB.

2011 has started on a much better note.

So goals for then new year.  I add to the list as the year goes on but here is:

2011 Goals

1.      Knit actual socks that I  wear not stuff full of gifts
2. Knit a sweater (I cast on Vivian on 12/25 but since frogged it three times we’ll have to do something about that)
3.      Get the designs out of my head onto paper and you know yarn (have started a double knit cowl to this effect.)
4.      Get an Etsy Schedule – Making and Posting
5.      Organize stash
6.      Organize other craft supplies Fabric and felt are all over the place.
7.      Knit for myself more (while I have a lot of scarves, I only have 1 pair of gloves 1 of which was lost and no hats!)
8.      Use Stash Yarn
9.      Get Tickets (flight) Hotel for D*C
10.  Put together DragonCon Costume be it Cyberwoman or something else
11.  Get a writing schedule down
12.  Finish a writing project

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Knitting 2011 goals, plan