Too Much Yarn

I'm OK

No heartattack! Just an abormal EKG reading - but normal for me! I've been discharged - and I didn't get my sock finished!

Have sock will travel

I woke up with a chest pain this morning. Went to Urgent Care at 8:30. Kind UC doctor gave me a GI cocktail and a nebulizer treatment my asthma. I feel great! Better than I have for weeks. They did an EKG and had some abnormal readings. I was admitted to the hospital for further tests. Good thing I brought my knitting.

I feel great, though I'm so hungry but I can't eat because I may need to do a stress test later.

Do not worry. I'm fine. I just wish I brought my shawl to knit! I wish I can take a nap!!


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I won!

Remember when I was "sick" and didn't feel like going on the Minneapolis/St. Paul Yarn Shop Hop last weekend?  OK - I didn't - I just went to the ONE store by my house - Amazing Threads. And my name was picked from the daily drawings!  Wanna see what I won?

A bag...

and inside...

were 2 pattern magazines - Noro Vintage by Jane Ellison, Debbie Bliss Spring 2012; a scarf pattern, a shawl pattern; a book,  "All You Knit is Love" (more about this later); a shawl pin, a 24" 2.25mm Hiya Hiya Sharp circular needle, a set of Hiya Hiya Sharp double point needles, a needle gauge, 5 sock patterns, and an Amazing Threads Thingamajingy.

I have a suspicion that when they drew my name, they decided I should have this bag - who loves knitting socks like I do?  Two of the patterns are from Chrissy Gardiner!  Other than the double points and 2.25mm size, I love everything that are included.  The DPNs will be added to the stash I want to send to Jennifer so she can do a comparison of these needles to the other ones...  These are the new Hiya Hiya SHARP!  Here's the book Denise (the monster-and-bunny-maker) would covet!

Here are some cute patterns from the book... this may be called "All Caught Up"

This one is "Toadtally into You".  Thank goodness I've sent my frog-themed items to Jennifer or I would feel compelled to make her this:

The Thingamajingy is quite useful!  First, there's the tape measurer:

Then, there is the notepad and pen:

And then, let there be light!

I don't know if you can tell, but it's shinning at one of the peas on the cover of the book...

Well, I'm excited... I won!

Otherwise, I've been spending most of my time packing/deciding what to pack; what bag to bring... I'm hearing so many horror stories in China - the scarest ones are the organ harvests - they tricked you into smelling some tea in a cup and when you sniff it, you'd faint because it's some chemical.  That would be the last time you are awake because they're going to harvest your organs to sell to those who needs an organ transplant.  They will harvest EVERYTHING!  Then, there's the one about there are 5 times more people in China than the US.  For every criminal in US, there are 5 times as many crimals in China.  I'm getting locks, caribiners, ways to prevent pickpocketers from taking what they can from my bag.  OK - I'm scaring myself again. I'd better go to bed.

p/s I started a shawl today!

 

Artwork Discovery

It has been three years since we've moved to the third floor of this building. I walk by this set of artwork everyday. On some days, I walk by them several times to get to the fridge or microwave.

Yesterday, while waiting for my lunch to heat up in the microwave, I decided to give these guys some attention. I was instantly attracted to the one with the four sailboats on the graph paper background.

At the bottom is a series of notes. They look like a key of some sort of the various colors on the sailboats. I zoomed in.

You probably can't read that. What about this?

Yep. You got that right! It said "knit or purl two together". I've been walking past a knitting pattern for three years and I didn't know about it.

Food is not ready. Let's check out the framed pair of slippers.

Yep. Those are stockinette stitches alright. What's this other thingy 3 feet away?

Oh, it's a picture of the slippers being worn. What's the book hanging from it?

I walk by 2 knitting patterns everyday! Yep. Knitting is my life.

Three new members to the Lonely Hearts Club

Yep.  I finished 3 socks this week. 3 single socks.  The third one is a test knit so you won't get to see the photos here until June because it's a Mystery Sock so I don't want to spoil it for anyone.  But take my word for it. It's pretty!  Here are the 2 new members of the Lonely Hearts Club:

We'll start with Redbud - a Rockin' Sock Club pattern (GASP! I'm knitting a club pattern!) by Linda Welch.  I finished this sock in 10 days - along with knitting 2 other socks!  I will cast on the second sock next!

This is my Design Your Own sock for the SKA challenge.  I tried a different gusset and in the end, I went with the boring/traditional gusset.  I tried to do something funky with the heel, but I really need to buy those fake legs to show those as I can't get a good photo of the heel.  Wonder where Emily is?

I knitted the test knit with Sockkusu Original that Jennifer had sent me.  I have to use size 2.25 mm needles for that pattern.  This month's Cookie' A Sock Club yarn is Sockkusu but I'm not so sure about both patterns.  I think I may use Cookie's yarn on Alice's club pattern (Alice's club yarn is always Sockkusu).  These are the 2 club yarns I received:

Also this week, I received these!!!!!!

Thank you, Denise (RAV: graylagran) ! My sole-mate, I call her.  She has more single socks than anyone I know - actually, Adrienne (RAV: bellybuttonknits) may have more, but she's excused because she's a designer.  Denise makes those cute creatures and she also crochets.  A few months ago, I sent her some miniskeins so she could knit me an owl.  Aren't these cute?  After my skein of yarn on my keychain felts, I will replace it with the owlette:

Oops!  In the mood of bunnies, I have put Stuart's cousin (Stuart is Denise's Monster) upside down, thinking his legs are his ears!! OMG!  I hope Denise doesn't read this post. I'm not going to remind her to read it!  This is Stuart:

By the way, I think I'm sick.  This weekend (started on Thursday), is the 6th Annual Minnesota Yarn  Shop Hop and I don't have much interest in visiting more than my neighborhood store.  I just need to show up and pick up a free pattern and each store has exclusive yarn (my neighborhood LYS has Three Irish Girls Adorn and DK - yep, I pick a skein of Adorn up).  And if you donate food to the Food Shelf, you get a charm - My LYS has Paris - the theme this year is Around The World.  So, I have the Eiffel Tower charm... shall I go?  or shall I just stay home and cast on those second socks?  I think I'll stay home.  See? I told you - I'm not myself.  Not interested in yarn shops, casting on second socks, not casting on new projects.  I'm not myself... 

 

 

 

Happy Easter Sunday!

Or anything you're celebrating today...

And what better way to start the day than with an egg hunt?  Go to Romi's blog, @ Romi's Studio, and play along!

Jill from Thursday's Knit Night calls this yarn (Socks That Rock Lightweight in Grimm's Willow Wren) - Barfed-Up Easter Eggs.

Well, it's turning out quite lovely in RedBud, the March Rockin' Sock Club sock pattern.  It's a lovely barf!

This was the color of the club yarn, in Mediumweight: (Dianne and Christy - I haven't decided to destash this skein yet, but I will keep you guys in mind if I decide to destash and let you both arm-wrestle for it. haha!)

Otherwise, I'm working on the foot for 2 socks - a test knit and my Design-Your-Own socks.  I'm now trying to figure out what I want to do with the foot.  This was what I decided on the heel:

Hope you have a wonderful Sunday.  We are expecting it to be windy this afternoon, but so far, it looks calm and SUNNY!  I'd best get back to the kitchen to prepare some dishes for Easter Brunch at my brother-in-law's.

p/s - after reading Jennifer's last post on her blog, AmphibiaKnits, I've also started a Lonely Hearts Club for my single socks.  I've tagged them.  Please visit them and tell them not to be lonely.  They will have a mate in the next 25 years.  You can visit them on my Ravelry Projects page, under the "lonelysocks" tab.  Hmmm.. I noticed there are 13 of them. That's unlucky.  I'd better make some more singles!

Sock Design

One of the April challenges for the Sock Knitters Annoynomous group is to design your own sock pattern.  I used one of the Japanese Stitch Patterns (Knitting Patterns Book 300, stitch pattern #135, page 48).  But what I did was to add a rest row in between the rows that is in the book.  This is what it looks like...

I haven't decided on what to do with the heels or foot yet.

Stay tuned...

No more Marshmallow Bunnies!!!

Whew! I'm glad I got that out of my system. This is for the birds! (no offense, Denise!!). I hadn't gone shopping. I had Beccoro Vintage Worsted, but I has no black beads do I used Turquoise eyes and tissue instead of filling. Not very cute! I'll just enjoy looking at Denise's photos.

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Sock #4

YAY!  Another finished pair of socks.  I really enjoyed knitting these Firestarters by Yarnissima.  I've knitted a few of her patterns so I'm now familiar on when to start the gusset.  It is the perfect fit!  Here, let me show you!

 

I've cast on a new sock I'm designing.  I'm not quite sure of the lace pattern on it yet, but I think I will continue.  I want to finish a couple more repeats and then get your opinion.  I'm also test-knitting a sock pattern.  I'm knitting the foot now.  A few more inches and I'll be done.  But, I can't show you this sock (one thing about test knitting is that I only have to knit 1 sock!) until June - ok, maybe a little in May.

Well, maybe it wasn't so much Susan's fault as it has been a week and I have not cast on any shawls.  And now, I have received the Rockin' Sock Club March shipment and there is a shawl pattern there.  Since I'm all ready to cast on a shawl, perhaps the club pattern will take precedent as I want to knit more patterns from the clubs I joined.  I like both the sock and shawl patterns.  So I think I will use a different color for the sock and use the club yarn for the shawl - or dare I be different and use a different color as well?  A color that I will actually wear!  This is pretty but will I wear it?

In the past week, I've also received the Knit Sock Love club's March shipment.  A very pretty skein.  I'm using Sockkusu Original on the test knit now.  I am using 2.25 mm needles, which is the right size for this "thin" yarn!

While we are on the topic of yarn, I was near The Yarnery in St. Paul, and couldn't resisted this skein of Casbah.

Yes, I bought JUST ONE SKEIN!

So, I'm doing my usual Ravelry-Read-My-Friends'-Blog thingy this morning and I came across Denise's blog at haphazard knitter.  Crud!  Guess what I'm going to knit today? But first, I'll have to see what cotton yarns I already have or can I use 2 strands of fingering yarn?

I need filling, black beads.  ARGH!  I hate being enabled!  I'm sure you hate me, too, when I sent you shopping after reading my blog!

March Destash

March was a good destash month... There was a Madelinetosh Sock Yarn mini skeins swap so I was able to sell 3 skeins in two days.  So let's get this out of the way and I will post later this weekend on a pair of finished socks.

Dye Dreams Twinkle Toes in Purple Aster

Madelinetosh Sock in Baltic

Citrius

Oceania

Bugga Pink & Green

Hazel Knits Piquant in Violetta

Bugga Mayhem

Bugga March Nudibranch

Bugga Blue Sting Bug

Bugga Devil's Flower Mantis

And I don't think I've shown anyone this skein before. It's the perfect color for Jennifer, which I've sent to her.  I had picked this up at Sock Summit.  It's Strickly Smitten.