And posting will commence in 5.. 4.. 3...

I've got so much stuff to write about. All wedding plans are being delayed until we can fix everything wrong with the trailer... it's basically a pile of crap with walls. Argh, so frustrating! And don't get me started on the heat. No, really. It's freakin' hot.

I also have knitting to talk about! Not much, but some. I love hats now! But I'm currently on a sock... I knitted one right before this that messed all up, but the second sock is going fine, I'm almost to the decreasing-for-the-toe part and all is great so far, so I'm going to make another sock to match it. I want to get good because I'm making K a pair for his wedding present. He picked out the yarn himself (SWS in Natural Denim), and I'm hoping to make them from the Thuja pattern on Knitty.

This would be so much better with pictures. I'll remedy that soon.

Yes, I'm still here.

And yes, I'm still knitting. That blue patterned yarn from Joanne did indeed make the CUTEST ROLL-BRIM BABY HAT EVER. And I got gauge on this hat before I started. My first gauge ever! (Five stitches to the inch on size 6s with worsted weight yarn. I feel so grown-up! Almost like a Real Knitter!) So I'm sure it will fit the cousinlet, which is more than I can say for my last attempt. More on The Tale of Two Hats later, with pictures.)

I should be cutting back on knitting for the time being, though... I should be packing. Why? Because I'm getting married by the end of the month. (Squeeeeee! Also, finally!) Do I know the exact date? Ha, no. It's going to be a tiny last-minute thing at the Justice of the Peace's office, with a couple of friends as witnesses, after we've gotten almost everything moved into the new place.

But I can't put down the needles altogether. Knitting's keeping me sane. And I found the cutest yarn in the clearance basket the other day that was screaming to be a scarf...

Sunsets are awesome.

When I went to round up the cats tonight, this is what I saw from the back deck:


(Also: Is anybody else having problems viewing the Yarn Harlot's blog & main site?)
(June 23, 5pm update: Never mind, she's back. Webhost problems have been fixed. Yay!)

Wow! (warning: LONG)

I got a package in the mail today from my Dishcloth Swap spoiler, Joanne, who is completely awesome, and spoiled me SO MUCH.

My colors are a bit off. Everything is actually less blue and more green than it looks.

The group photo, aerial view:

It took a lot of organizing to get everything to line up for this shot. The frog kept wanting to make a run for it.

Section 1:

Clockwise, starting in upper left corner:
- a skein of Classic Worsted Tapestry yarn (color "7017") - a gorgeous acrylic/wool blend in muted blues. I can't stop petting it.
- a cone of Halcyon cotton yarn (color "Casco Bay") - it's greener than the picture shows. Thick and cushiony. This looks like it will be awesome for really soft washcloths.
- a booklet of twelve (12!) dishcloth patterns - four to knit and eight to crochet. (Not pictured because it was hiding from me during the photo session: crochet hook, size F/3.75mm. I have no excuse now, I have to learn how to crochet!)
- the stars of the swap, The Dishcloths. On the right: it looks tan in the picture, but that's my favorite green color ever. You know how in fancy catalogs they have blouse colors called "Celery" and "Sage" and it's this really delicate green with a brownish undertone? It's like that. (Also: too pretty to use on dishes! :D)
- a doubleknit (? or maybe it's two cloths seamed together?) potholder in blues, greens, and grays. Nice and thick.

Section 2:

Clockwise, starting in upper left corner:
- a tin of SweetRidge Raspberry Lemonade mix. I'm looking forward to making this.
- a bag of Lindt Lindor Truffles in white, milk, and dark chocolate. YUM.
- a cute summery glass with flip-flops all over it, which I will use with the lemonade :D
- (in front of glass) handmade vetiver oatmeal soap. It smells so good.
- (in the green box) a windchime. (I know where I'm putting this. *g*)
- a flip-flop magnet. (which should have been next to the glass :D)
- a colorful New Hampshire keychain
- a frog! It's a cute zipper container for little knitting accessories.

Section 3:

Clockwise, starting in upper left corner:
- (red package) green and tan split-lock stitch markers. VERY useful.
- three New Hampshire postcards with beautiful pictures.
- a refrigerator magnet poetry set with a knitting theme. It's got words like "yarn ball", "fringe", "scarf", "sheep", "sock", et cetera.
- a starburst that says "From My House To Your House". She's even got lovely handwriting!
- a letter written in a card with an old-fashioned knitting lady on the front. (She looks a bit sad, like she just noticed a glaring error three rows back. Been there, sisterfriend!)
- a needle inventory, to slip in a purse and keep track of what I already have at home. (You can't see the inventory part, because I forgot to unfold it. Brilliant.)
- a nifty bookmark that is made out of some magnifying material. It works, too. :D


Oh, noooo! Froggy's eating the yarn!

Thank you, Joanne!! I love everything to bits, and the cats have adopted the box it came in. (Bet you didn't know this box can fit 1.5 cats. Well, one cat that's completely in, and half a cat that really wants in.) You really made my week!

Okay, so I stink at updating in a timely manner. More words and pictures within a few days.

My Dishcloth Exchange recipient, Chan, got her package! Also, she liked it! :D I invented my Very Own Pattern for the main dishcloth I sent, and I'll try to figure out the pattern - I thought it came out pretty cute. :D (I'll have to borrow her picture of it, though, since I didn't take a picture before taping the package shut. I'm brilliant like that.)

Here's a sneak peek of my latest to tide you over until the next post:



In foreground: hat (My first! Way too small and long! Argh!)
In background: cat (thinking I'm taking the picture of him instead)

omg omg omg + request

My cousin's new baby son:





Seriously, how cute is he?


Now for the request: does anyone have any suggestions of quick knits for baby boys that can be done by beginning knitters? I've got the Mason-Dixon book and will be doing some bibs and burp cloths, but I would love other suggestions!

I've been tagged!

The rules, copy/pasted from my tagger's blog:
"Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write on their own blog those 7 facts as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag 7 others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog."

So here are my seven random facts:
1. I'm still a bit sad that the Gilmore Girls finale last week was the last episode ever, even though the show has been limping for a couple of years and Rory really bugs me now.
2. I've been with the love of my life for about five years, and we still hold hands in public and call each other shmoopy names.
3. I have to put my socks and shoes in this order: right sock, left sock, right shoe, left shoe. ALWAYS.
4. If it weren't for chicken and cheese, I could totally be a vegan.
5. I used to make hemp jewelry, and still have a lot of premade necklaces in a box in my closet. I stopped because the hemp was very rough on my hands.
6. My optimal room temperature is 70 to 74 degrees Fahrenheit (21 to 23 degrees Celcius). Anything below or above that range makes me physically uncomfortable.
7. I can't go anywhere without tissues - my nose runs ALL the time, and has for years.

And the seven people I'm tagging are all people from the dishcloth exchange:
Stephanie
Channon
Jill
Laura
Kena
Erica
Patty

Devon's Contest

My "hostess" for the dishcloth swap has come up with a contest questionnaire, so here are my answers:
-What is one baked item you love making or buying and why?
Brownies. Fun to buy, fun to make. (Boxed, natch - I'm not Martha Stewart! But I do like adding vanilla, cinnamon, or ginger to the mix; this makes them taste less "boxy".)
-What is one item you love to knit and why?
Right now, my favorite item is dishcloths. I get distracted on larger projects, and the cloths only take a day or two.
-Favorite outdoor activity and why?
Photography. I'm not much of an outdoor person, but when I venture out, I almost always have my digital camera with me.
-Favorite way to relax?
Knitting something mindless while my fiance watches TV. Doesn't sound very exciting, but it works for us. :)

Summer Dishcloth Swap

I got my "spoilee" information for the swap today. This is going to be fun.
(For my "spoiler" - my questionnaire answers.)

I'm in the middle of a pile of cloths for my mom for Mother's Day (different sizes of the "Idiot's Dishcloth", knitted on #8s in oatmeal-ish colored Peaches & Creme). I'll take a picture when I finish the stack.

Blog: Now With Pictures!

So I finally got around to taking some pictures of my projects for the last couple of weeks. Yes, I'm a slacker.

First of all: I really did make the aforementioned coffee cup cozy! (Well, without the handle.) I used #5 DPNs and Cascade 220, cast on 44 stitches, did 2x2 ribbing for about 3 1/2 inches (people with medium/large hands may want to go to 4 or 4 1/2 inches long), and casted off in ribbing (instead of in knit), which helped keep it from stretching until the cup slips out of the bottom. It fits perfectly on a 20 ounce cappucino cup:

After that, I decided it was sock time. I found a basic pattern somewhere (I can probably find the pattern if someone's dying for it, but it really was very basic) and set off into Sockland:

It needed about an inch more ribbing and an inch more in the foot length. I should have frogged it and reused the yarn, but I bound off and wove in the ends. I want to keep it for a while. When I'm better at socks, I'll pull this one out and laugh, laugh, laugh.

I made a couple of Mason-Dixon Ballband Dishcloths for a momfriend having a birthday. We put them in a pink bag with some pink soap, a pink candle, and a card with a pink flower on the front. Good thing she likes pink:

And then I may have gone crazy making dishcloths out of variegated cotton:

Don't know about you guys, but the one on bottom is starting to make my eyes bleed.

You can see how all of this picture-taking madness affected the other cat:

(Answer: not one bit.)

My favorite thing about summer...

... is watching the cats enjoy being outside in the sunshine. When they're basking, they're much more likely to pose for the camera.

I took a picture of one of the boys and made a jigsaw puzzle out of it on jigzone.com:

Not that I'm biased or anything, but that's pretty much the cutest cat puzzle in the world.

I'm a bit slow with the pictures, but good news on the DPN-learning front: After a cup cozy, I made a sock! I will post with pictures (and more bragging, natch) in a day or two.

I've finally figured out how to use DPNs. Thank God for little old ladies at the LYS!
I'll be working on simple coffee cup cozies while I practice, and then it's on to socks. (I got Knitting Rules! for my birthday, and apparently the Harlot's sock enthusiasm is contagious.)

I'll start posting pictures next week with a vengeance. You've been warned.

Happy Birthday to my little (well, not so much "little" as "younger") brother!

I'd planned on making him a blanket out of lots of black and green squares with alien heads on them, but making the aliens was dull, dull, dull, and that project has been relegated to a drawer. Maybe it'll get done in time for Christmas... a few years from now.

Whaddya mean, I can't do everything?

I've discovered that I have a few limitations, especially when it comes to wrapping string around sticks.

A Few Things I Can't Do While Knitting:
• Make my cats stop trying to eat each others' ears. It's like they think cat ears are fuzzy popsicles or something.
• Carry on a decent conversation while trying to read a pattern. Sure, I can carry on conversations that sound like "Hey, how are you doing? Crap, hang on a second: what line am I on? Where am I - oh, CRAP. Hang on, lemme figure out what I'm doing here..." but nobody wants to hear that.
• Watch The Riches. Every time I try, I end up switching needles and knitting the wrong way for a few rows.

Really Long Knitting Questionnaire

... for a dishcloth swap.

1 When did you learn to knit? Who taught you?
February (2007). I taught myself using a learn-to-knit kit.
2 What was your very first completed object? Your most recent?
First completed - a scarf for my fiance (garter stitch, blue acrylic).
Most recent - a dishcloth (Blissful Moss Rib ), brown variegated cotton).
3 What was the very first thing you sent to the frog pond? Your most recent?
First frogged - a garter stitch scarf made out of olive green microsuede (what was I thinking? I made coasters out of that yarn instead.)
Last frogged - a circular dishcloth (it wasn't working, I'm doing something wrong.)
4 What is currently on the needles for you?
1 an ecru cotton table runner for my mom for Mother's Day
2 a dishcloth (pastel variegated cotton, modified Chinese Waves pattern with added stockinette sections)
3 a jute placemat for the cats' food and water dishes
5 What types of needles do you enjoy working with? What have you tried and hated?
Love: Bamboo
Hate: Aluminum (but I use them anyway because they're cheap.)
6 Have you knit dishcloths before?
Yes.
6 1 What was your favorite one?
Yarn Over Cable Cloth
6 2 Least favorite?
Wheatfields
7 Do you use homemade dishcloths or face cloths yourself, or give them as gifts, or both?
Both.
8 What are your favorite and least favorite scents? (For your body, such as soap/lotion/etc)
Favorite - anything subtle.
Least favorite - anything very floral, or with any strong scent.
9 What are your favorite colors?
Blues of all shades (the darker the better), most greens, dark red, light and dark gray, "oatmeal" color.
10 What colors (if any) are your bathroom and kitchen decorated in?
Tan/white/light blue, but not really on purpose.
11 What other hobbies and crafts do you enjoy?
Digital photography, reading, listening to music, alphabetizing things (no, really).
12 Chocolate: Dark? White? Milk? Ew?
Milk chocolate. White chocolate is acceptable, though.
13 Do you like salty treats? What kinds?
Eh, I'm iffy on salt.
14 If you could go anywhere in the world for one day and spend the day any way you wanted, where would you go and what would you do?
Wow, that's a hard one! I would have to choose to go to Stonehenge and spend the day taking pictures. (Yes, I realize it's just a bunch of rocks. I don't care.)
15 Do you have any allergies?
Cigarette smoke.

First Post

(Oh, no! Stage fright!)

This blog will mainly be about cats and knitting, with some pictures and random babbling thrown in.