the Akamai Knitter

I love.. car and errand knitting. Yesterday I was able to finished the first Canival Tweed sock.

Carnival Tweed Sock

I was also able to make some progress on the second sock. All while running errands and hitting the multiple doctor appointments I had.

Carnival Tweed Sock - Second Sock

I love.. mojitos. I ordered one while at my favorite Italian restaurant this past Saturday. I’m not sure it matched the food, but it was delicious.

Mojito at Bravo

I love… lasagna. Especially the one at the restaurant Bravo. Too bad I’m rarely in that neck of the woods.

mm. lasagna.

I love.. Cookie. She’s inspired me to start knitting my Springtime Shawl again. I may only get a row or two done a day, but that’s better then nothing at all. I only have to finish the current repeat to get to the edging.

Springtime Shawl

I love.. all the new charms I got in this week. I’ll probably be drowning in stitch markers this week, as will the shop.

mermaid stitch markers

I love… rainbows. I haven’t seen too many of them this year due to the lack of rain clouds we’ve been experiencing. So I was lucky to capture this one on the drive home on Saturday.

Hawaiian Rainbow

Can you believe I didn’t mention spinning? That’s because my Suzie Pro has been squeaking lately. The squeak really disrupted any thoughts of peaceful spinning time this weekend. I bought some bike oil for it yesterday and it seems to have banished the squeak. So far so good at least. I remain skeptical, yet I harbor a secret hope.

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I hope your day/night is squeak free!

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Last night there was a  meeting of the Aloha Knitters so I finally got some knitting time. I was shocked to realize that the last time I had picked up the needles prior to that was on Saturday! :-o

Despite the chaos of the chatter of twelve different women and meeting Naomi, which was really exciting, I was actually able to finish the knitting of the Nanner Socks.

Pattern: Nanner Socks by Wendy Johnson

Yarn: Shibui Sock in Jonquil

Needles: Size 2.25mm/1US

Started: June 28, 2008

Finished: July 10, 2008

No modifications.

I had so much fun knitting this pattern. It was super easy to memorize making it the perfect project to tote along with me whenever I had errands to do. It was also an adventure as I got to try a couple of new techniques. The first was the Turkish Cast On.  The second was the heel construction.

Usually when I do toe-up socks, I do a plain short-row heel but with this pattern Wendy has you do an actual heel flap. I’m a huge heel flap fan so I was eager to try it, but  I was a little mystified by the heel turn. In fact, I really couldn’t see how it would work out. But I kept plodding on and lo..

… a perfect heel. Wendy is genius.

I think I’m going to try to do this type of heel for all my toe-up socks. Unfortunately I still don’t get how she does it so the math mystifies me. But then math usually mystifies me.

As for the spinning? The spinning continues to consume me.

On Tuesday I started spinning the Superwash Alpaca/Merino fiber Lori sent me. By the end of the day I had finished this much of the bobbin.

I just love the stuff. It’s so soft and buttery. It was like drafting a cloud. I was able to finish it all on Wednesday. I plan on Navajo Plying it sometime today.  Thanks again, Lori.

I also managed to finish the first bobbin of the Corriedale From Hell. Lemme tell ya, I feel quite virtuous about it too.

In celebration of the finished bobbin, I threw this on the wheel.

Berry Pie Filling Merino roving from Moonlight Baker. Good stuff.

Jen sent me this roving to “test spin”. For some reason she wasn’t sure if her roving was good enough for general consumption. I have to say it’s plenty good enough. It’s 80 count Merino and it’s another buttery soft roving that I wish to eat.

Gratuitous close-up shot.

I have a graduation party to go to tomorrow night. I hear the place doesn’t have adequate air-conditioning and I’m having second thoughts about going. Only the food will be really good. And of course the people. The people I will love.  I think. I tend to hate people when it’s humid and I’m sweaty. Is the food and people worth sweating for?

Have a good weekend everyone! Stay cool. ;-)

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Since I finished those Burgundy Ditto socks, you know I had to start another portable sock project. Since I had some lovely Shibui Sock yarn on hand, you know I had to use it. Since I’ve become an obsessive Plurker, you know I had to use a pattern specifically designed for us.

So on Tuesday while I was out running errands and doing some $hopping, I started the Jonquil Nanner socks.

*love*

I’m usually a top down sock kinda gal, but as you can see this particular pattern is toe up. Lemme tell you, I’m lovin’ it. From the Turkish cast on to the nifty heel flap, it’s all love.

One of the reasons I’ve been so resistant to the toe up method is the short row heels. With this shiny new to me method I get a heel flap and gussets.

Seriously. What’s not to love?

I haz knitting mojo.

Now if I could just get the spinning mojo to cohabitate with the knitting mojo, I’d be a happy girl.  Why they can’t exist together as a couple is a complete mystery to me.

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This weekend the postman brought many delightful goodies to my doorstep. First up is a surprise gift from someone I met while I was in Pennsylvania. Her name is Kathleen and not only does she have a lovely Etsy store called Friend of a Friend, she also makes the best English Muffins from scratch.

Kathleen sent me the cutest little stitch marker holder and the sweetest bookmark. I’m going to make a lot of use out of both of these things!

This is the rest of my weekend haul.

Wendy of WendyKnits graciously gifted me with the book Eclectic Sole once she learned of how much I coveted the book and of how hard it is to find it on Amazon. I am so happy to get my hands on a copy as there are so many socks in this book that I want to make. Thank you Wendy!

The yarn I got for myself. It’s Shibui Sock in Jonquil and I plan on knitting the Nanner Socks that Wendy has designed for her Plurk buddies. I’m really looking forward to this project as you all know how much I love Shibui.

I feel completely justified in starting a new project as I also have an FO to report. I give you the finished Burgundy Ditto Socks.

Pattern: my own 64 stitch, 2×2 rib pattern

Yarn: Universal Ditto, Color No. 4807

Needles: Size 1US/2.25mm

Started: May 21, 2008

Finished: June 23, 2008

I am so glad these socks are finished. Initially they were a very relaxing knit, but they soon became rather boring. There’s only so much 2×2 rib a girl can take!

I say that now, but I know I’ll return to it like a moth to a flame in a heartbeat. There’s something about 2×2 rib that always makes me go running back.

At least  I’ll be knitting with the Summer Of Socks gang now! Well.. except for the pair of Mingus socks that are still on the needles. But we won’t talk about those.

Instead, we’ll indulge in yet another cat picture. This time it’s Scheyer all curled up like a pretzel.

Happy Monday you all! After all, it’s almost over. :)

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Now that I’m back home, I feel I need to take stock of all the projects I started with reckless abandon during my long vacation.

First up is a shrug I started with Pedicure Shimmer in Pond. It’s designed by Carla who owns the yarn shop Delightful Ewe back in Altoona, PA.

The sparklies are actually sterling silver thread shot through the yarn. You’d think that would make the yarn scratchy, but it’s actually pretty soft.

Then there’s the Origami Cardi that I couldn’t resist starting. I’m using Berroco Comfort DK and I’ve already got the back and the two fronts done.

I’m a little nervous about whether or not this one will fit me. Most of the sweaters I’ve done have been raglan sweaters and this cardigan has a really unusual construction. So I’m a little insecure as to how the pieces will come together.

Now I had to also have a pair of socks on the needles. So while I was in Pennsylvania, I picked up some new sock yarn and started a pair of plain 2×2 ribbing for the plane ride back home. I managed to get one sock down and I’ve made a good start on the second.

These aren’t pretty socks. In fact, they look more like man socks, but I really like the yarn. So much that I bought more of it in another color. It’s a nice sturdy yarn that I think will wear well.

It doesn’t seem like I have too much on my plate when you look at these three projects, but when you look at these:

That’s when I start to feel really overwhelmed. I also have a feeling there are some other projects lurking in the wings that are completely forgotten and undocumented.

Let’s not even talk about how many spinning projects I have going on. We won’t even go there. Not today.

I think I’ll just reminisce over the beautiful grounds of the Mount Assisi Monastery and let the memories of all the beautiful wisteria cover me in tranquility.

P.S. I would probably get more done if I weren’t plurking all the time. It’s all Wendy J’s fault. I dare you to try it. ;-)

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