the Akamai Knitter

Remember the knit along? The one for the Oyster Bay Shawl? The one where I was supposed to knit with Cookie and Megan? I kind of fell behind them by a mile or three. Well not only did I finally finish the shawl, I also blocked it.

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Pattern: Oyster Bay Shawl

Yarn: Malabrigo Laceweight in Whales Road from our Cookie

Needles: size 5US/3.75mm

Started: 9/11/09

Finished: 11/04/09

No modifications.

The pattern really gets lost with this yarn, but the yarn is so pretty  I don’t think I mind. It was a nice little pattern to knit too. Not too hard, not too easy.  It was enough to keep me entertained.

I love the yarn. It’s nice and soft and like I said, the colors are perfect. Cookie picked a winner. Thank you, Cookie!

In other news, there’s a flash flood watch across the state. You wouldn’t know it looking at the morning sky though. Yeah the sun is shining brighter then bright and the sky is blue.

Island weather is just crazy.

Happy Friday everyone! Have a great weekend!

Megan has finished her socks.

So here I am upholding my end of the deal.

It’s a good thing I finished something over the weekend, eh?

That little thing is called the Diamond Mine Bracelet and I used 6 different shades of blue crystals along with size 15 Charlottes and size 11 seed beads.

I think I started it in June.

What? I was busy flitting around from hobby to hobby!

Seriously. It’s not that I didn’t have fun making this bracelet, I just had so many other things going on that this wasn’t a priority.

Want a closer look?

I’m so happy this is done because this bracelet is in my favorite shade of blue. It’s going to match quite a few outfits in my closet and that makes me happy as a fish in the sea.

I’m already planning another bracelet in purples, because next to blue what could be better then purple?

I even thought of dyeing the boys purple and blue. They’re reaction made me decide against it. As you can see, they’re still not happy with me.

For those of you who have a long weekend, I hope you’re enjoying it! For those of you who don’t? I’m sorry!

P.S.  I would never dye my boys. That was meant as a joke.

Remember how I said I was blocking another shawl? Well it finally dried (living in a climate with high humidity sucks) and I finally got off my lazy ass to take pictures of the thing.

Pattern: Shetland Triangle Shawl (Ravelry link) from Wrap Style

Yarn: Fearless Fibers Lightweight Superwash Sock Merino Wool in Lust

Needles: size 4US/3.5mm

Started: May 7, 2009

Finished: May 13, 2009

I so enjoyed this pattern. It’s so easy to memorize and yet it’s not boring to do. In fact it was just blissful and I would make another in a heartbeat. Since this one is for my mother, I might just make one for myself and maybe  a few more for any innocent bystanders that may fall my way.

I’m so in love with this yarn. It blocked beautifully and it’s incredibly soft. I had zero problems knitting with it. There were no issues with it splitting or any other such nonsense. And the colors? Oh so heavenly.

I’m already lusting for more. (No pun intended.)

While I was out yesterday, I caught a rainbow on the way home. All I had was my phone so the picture isn’t the best. That’ll teach me to leave the house without my camera.

Hopefully you can still enjoy it! It makes for a much more interesting sky then the last one.

Happy Monday, folks! I just might block another shawl today. Shocking, isn’t it?

It’s a little late, but I finally finished the pair of socks meant for my mom’s Mother’s Day present. Luckily, she knew I was knitting them and she didn’t really care that she wasn’t getting them in time. It’s not like she really needs them with temperatures in the upper 80′s during the day and in the 70′s at night.

Pattern: My own toe-up 2×2 rib pattern with short-row heel from Sensational Knitted Socks.

Yarn: My own handspun from CJ Kopec‘s Montana Moon 100% Merino fiber.

Needles: Size 2US/2.75mm

Started: April 8, 2009

Finished: May 13, 2009

Even though I wasn’t a huge fan of how the colors played out in the beginning, I enjoyed how soft the yarn was. Eventually I even came to like how crazy the colors came together as well.

I don’t do a lot of toe-up socks, so this was an adventure for me. I used the Turkish Cast-On for the toe. That didn’t give me any grief. I was more afraid of how the heel was going to work out.

Thank goodness for the book Sensational Knitted Socks. I swear that book is like a sock knitting bible. It’s got just about everything you need to know in there. And in the end I was quite pleased with how my short-row heel turned out.

The most important thing is that my mother loves the socks. So even if there are minute details that irritate me (like the yarn isn’t as consistent as I’d like or there are a couple of holey bits in the second heel) all that really matters is that it pleases the recipient.

Yesterday, Dee said she couldn’t help but notice how well Sammy coordinates with my curtain.  I do have to agree with her. Now I can never change my curtains, because I’d really hate to have my cats clash with my decor.

O.o

Now I need to go and watch the season finales of Bones and Grey’s Anatomy. From what I hear, they won’t disappoint.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Has it been nearly a week since I last blogged? Really? That long?

It hasn’t been like I haven’t had anything to blog about. I’ve just been resting up and vegging in front of the TV and I’m feeling much better now. Thanks for all the wonderful get well emails and comments.

Speaking of television,I’m disgusted with the fact that Dollhouse has been canceled. I’m hoping that Castle and The Unusuals will get picked up for a second season.  Although it looks like Castle is the only one with a fighting chance.

I’m excited about tonight’s season finale of Bones. If you’re a fan, you’ve seen the trailers. It could be great or it could be a monumental disaster. Let’s just cross our fingers and hope this episode doesn’t end up in the toilet like last year’s finale did.

Also, I was shocked with last night’s American Idol results. I know Kris Allen is a very talented guy, I don’t want to take anything away from him, but I always believed Danny would be right there with Adam. In fact, I’m still in a state of disbelief.

During all this insane TV watching, I had to keep my hands busy.  I finished a few things and hopefully I’ll be able to show them off in the next few days.

Then the unbelievable happened. I actually blocked a shawl!

Pattern: Caricia by Anne Hanson

Yarn: Dizzy Blonde Studios Sock Yarn in Olivia

Needles: 4US/3.5mm

Date Started: April 4, 2009

Date Finished: May 17, 2009

This was a really fun knit. I love Anne Hanson’s patterns. Her instructions and charts are so consistently easy to follow. In fact, I may have just started another of her patterns.

But I digress.

The yarn was a real pleasure to use. It reminded me of Fearless Fibers base yarn, which I adore. The Olivia colorway just made my toes tingle with its saturated goodness and its subtle variations.

Today I plan on blocking another shawl.

Tomorrow there may be socks.

I do believe I’m back in the saddle.

Sammy defies you to disagree.

Happy Thursday, everyone!