Friday night fun

Aaah, it's Friday night here at Chez Knittingnurse. What a relief to have this week go by. DH just got back into town this evening after having been gone all week on business. Of course, as if on cue, DS decides that he needs to be a slightly bit moody and snappish right before his father comes home. . .I was a good girl and I let it all roll of my back (mostly) but I felt bad having DH come home to moody teenage boy. UGH!

Tomorrow I am going to the Carolina Fiber Fest with my buddy. I certainly don't need anymore yarn but when the festival is only 15 mins away, how could I NOT go? Besides, it's being held at the NC State Fairgrounds which also happens to have the NC State Flea market one of my favorite "picking" spots in the area for vintage items to fill my Etsy shop, "Something from the Heart". One of my best friends and I each have vintage online shops via Etsy and we go picking together for items to fill our shops. Her shop is lovely as well and you can see it here.

Oh and, btw, did I tell you all that I won a contest and got to dance with Derek Hough? You know as in from "Dancing with the Stars"? yep, that Derek.

I didn't mention it you say? Hmmmm, well, I'll save that juicy story for next time. I'm curling up in bed with hubby now. Good night all!

Still alive and knitting!

Yes, yes, the rumours are true. Knittingnurse is indeed alive and KNITTING! Whew. So much to say. Well let's see. Um, DH and I are still wrestling insurance companies et al re: the total loss on our 7 day old car! Which, btw, now looks like this:




But, again, we are all safe and sound. That's what matters and dealing with this stuff re: the car doesn't seem so bad in light of what could have happened to us.

Since then I have been knitting and have finished 2 pairs of felted clogs, a pair each for DS and DH. I have the wool to make a pair for myself, but, that's been put on the backburner. Uh, let's see. I've started and have woefully not completed SOTS2 - Savannah. I am making the original or Savannah version of the stole but may turn around and make the charleston version (with beads) as well. It's a lovely stole and a great pattern to follow so, we'll see. I haven't completed her b/c I got sidelined with the clogs and about 6 dishcloths that I've made as giftees. Um, I have also started (I know, I know) and am halfway to completing my first Baby surprise jacket. I am using up the rest of my blueberry & pistachio Cotton-ease for this one. It will be gifted to a neighbor for her newest addition. I have been good and have also picked up a few old and until recently ignored UFOs. Of these, I am working on completing a pair of socks started waaaaay ago as well as a few other UFO's which I won't jinx by writing about.

I will take photos of these and post when I get a moment (not too soon probably).

Knittingnurse and fam went on vacation over DS's spring break to Montchanin Delaware and NYC!!!! First we spent 2 nights at one of my favorite Inns of all time, The Inn at Montchanin Village . This was our 2nd stay but the first had been so memorable that I had wanted to return since we first left. DH planned it into our trip and I had just as lovely a time as when we were there the first time. We will return once more. When? Who knows, but it will happen. It's quaint and quiet and beautiful and I love it there.

But now, onto NYC!!!! We stayed 5 nights in Jersey City at a Marriott right next door to a path station which conveniently took us straight into Manhattan. We spent the last 2 nights at a Marriott in Manhattan to top off the trip. DS and I had never been and it had been years for DH. What a great time was had by all. DH took me to 3 different shops while there and I did get some 'souvenir stash' to bring home. (Too much really to be called just souvenir stash, but, vacation yarn doesn't count right?). Anyhow, I will write another post detailing the trip later and will post some pics of the trip as well. It was great.

Glad to be backed. I missed writing to you. Hopefully you are all still there as well!

One last thing, please go over to Nautical Knitter and wish her well and send some prayers and love her way. She really needs it right now. Thanks!

Oh Dear,

Seems like I've let quite a bit of time pass since posting notice of completing Cherie and actually getting back on to post a picture! Sorry for the delay but without any further delays, here she is:


I love her! It's the quickest knit I've ever made (besides dischcloths) and I think it's one of my faves so far. No modifications made and the fit was spot on. I know that many knitters have had issues with the neckline decrease portion of the pattern but, I guess I was lucky? I just knit what it said and it seemed to work for me without any questions. The thin/thick quality of the Manos gives it a feel that really appeals to me for this knit so, overall I am happy with the process and the end product!

So, I've been doing quite a bit of knitting in my absence from the blogging world. I've finished clue #1 and started #2 of my Secret of the Stole. Yep, I'm behind but I'm enjoying the knitting so, I am not too concerned about it. I just want to finish and I will be happy to keep myself in check, within 2 clues of the forerunners, until I am done with it.

My heart was broken since I've last blogged but, I will get over it (again). Sigh. There's always next year right?

A couple of weeks ago, we took an overnight trip to Biltmore for their Harvest Celebration. I was hoping that the leaves would be starting to turn for our drive on the most visited Parkway in the US but, alas, not yet. (I bet it's GORGEOUS now!) We had a great time away and enjoyed ourselves. We took our first ever specialty tour at the Estate, the 'rooftop tour'. We got to see some different areas and views that we hadn't seen before. Here are some of my fave shots of that day:






DS has been having a great time this Fall. There are so many more neighborhood kids his age in this development and he's made quite a few friends. There are a core group of 4-6 boys that come over each afternoon to play and jump on our trampoline. It's so cool to have kids FINALLY be able to just ride their bikes over and ask him to play. In Ohio, I always had to organize playdates and have kids dropped off or drop him off somewhere. Then I would have to watch the clock to be able to pick him up in time or make sure that no new games were started too close to pick up time. Now? Now, he goes off with his friends or they come over and they play until they're tired or it gets to be dinner time. LOVE IT! He's also been "booed". . . TWICE! Despite posting the first "boo" sign, we STILL got "booed" a second time. How cool! He also had a ball sneaking over and 'booing' his friends in the dark. Very spyish y'know!

Uh, for those of you that don't know about "booing" here's a link with an explanation and all you need to start your own 'booing'.

Other than that, life's been the same over here. Work. DH traveling (blech). Sunny being sunny. DS being wonderful. It's all good.

Yep.

All good!

I'm such a two-timer! (psst actual knitting content)

Well, actually, it would be more accurate to say 5 or 6 timer with the number of UFO's I have going right now. Yep, this is a knitting blog and I actually have knitting content! Will wonders never cease? tee hee.

Oh yeah, back to my scandalous ways. So, remember when Ashley recently tempted me with this beauty?. Well, actually I first started to notice Ashley's designs when this first came out. I thought "Wow, that's hot!" albeit a bit impractical for a 40ish suburban mom with that big peek a boo back. I was contemplating it sans said hole but not enough to actually begin it. Then in this month's Magknits we saw Ashley again with this. Once again, it caught my eye but not enough to put me over the edge.

But then. . . . . .

Then there was Cherie Amour. Oh, my. I just went into my best Stevie Wonder when I saw this one.

"My cherie amour, pretty little one that I adore. You're the only one my heart beats for. How I wish that you were mine. . . . . . . ."

ahem.

Anyway. I fell and I fell hard. So hard that I went out immediately and purchased (yikes, I know I know) the yarn for it. Now in my defense, I searched my stash but alas I had no yarn in sufficient quantity and correct gauge for this one. So, purchase it was. Thankfully I still had some credit on the gift certificate that DH got me for Christmas last year (yep! I can show restraint when I want to, see?). I did have to purchase a 24" size 13 circular but, that's beyond the point.

So, cast on I did and after just 3 knitting sessions, this is where I am:

Isn't she beautiful? (uh, the sweater I mean). I love it. I would be much further along had it not been for some snaffoos I had yesterday in the neckline decreases. I had to knit and unknit a total of 12 rows (knit 2 1/2 - realize a mistake - unkit 2 1/2 - knit 4 1/2 - find mistake - unknit 2 1/2, etc.) That's what I get for knitting while watching college football I guess. But, I'm happy with the results and glad to have fixed all my mistakes. I'm so close to the end I can't stand it.

Specifics: Cherie Amour
Fall 2007 Knitty
24" addi-turbo circulars in both US 9 and US 13
Manos del Urugay kettle dyed wool
Color 107

My goal is to have her done before the start of Secret of the Stole. I think I can do it. What do you all think?

Crazy, CRAZY I tell you!

Yep, that would be me. Crazier than a LOON! So, not only did I already have too many UFO's on the needles throughout this house, not only am I expecting my team's box from the Dish Rag Tag this week, not only do I need to complete my Hogwarts Sock Swap 2 sock. . . . . .I started a Chevron Scarf. I don't usually fall prey to the "it" project (I still have not knit a jaywalker or a clapotis) but this one, I just couldn't pass up AND it's from stash yarn. Bonus!

I know, I KNOW. I stink. I can't help it though. Everyone has all those beautiful scarves everywhere on the blogosphere and in Ravelry. Have you seen these things? How could I resist?

So, want to take a looksy? Here it is:

You can see a couple of more shots of it on my Flickr page. It's about 3 or 4 times longer now and I can't put it down. It's an addictively easy and fun knit. I see a couple or more of these at some point in the future but hopefully not before I finish a couple of other things.

Hopefully.

Now, don't you want to make one too? C'mon, you know you do!

CRAP!

As IF I needed another sock yarn to fall for. . . .along comes this beauty. Now, when it comes to kettle-dyed worsted, I am all about my malabrigo or manos. They are amazingly soft and FABULOUS with their colorways. Rio de la Plata hadn't really impressed me with the texture of their worsted or their colorways. So, I had never really thought of purchasing them for any worsted projects. Now, today I am at the LYS (don't even think it, I can't believe that I had ANY reason to be there - but I did so there!) looking for sock yarn to make my pal her Ravenclaw socks (blue and silver or bronze seem to not be in my color repertoire) and I came across THIS:

I thought to myself "Self, THAT is the perfect blue for Ravenclaw socks!" So, I grabbed it and upon closer inspection of the tag, I noted that it was from Rio de la Plata.

"Huh?" I thought to myself. It MUST be scratchy & blotchy. I felt it. It was soft. I looked the color over. It's a "semi-solid" but doesn't have any glaring areas of stark white anywhere to be found. I was intrigued. Then the shop owner noticed what I had in my hand and said "I just got that in. I'm knitting these out of one of the multi-colors." Then she proceeds to show me a pair of embossed leaves socks she is working on in a great moss, palish orange, mint and cream colorway. PERFECT for embossed leaves!

I asked if I could feel the sock. She agreed and I felt it. It was soft. It was sturdy. It was. . . . .GOOD! So, I now have the blue sock yarn and I think I know what pattern I am going to make but I need to find a corresponding silver or bronze sock yarn. Sigh. I wanted to stay away from that and really wanted to try to do a variegated or self patterning colorway since she got a pair with stripes and alternate heels in the Hogwarts Sock Swap #1

but I couldn't resist this yarn. I think there might yet be ANOTHER sock yarn for me to obsess over. God help me (uh, help us all - wait until you see this stuff you guys).

So, the question that now stands before me and therefore YOU, how should I do these so that they aren't the same as her first pair? Here are my thoughts. . . .

#1) Use bronze instead of silver (book colors vs. movie colors)

#2) Attempt (notice I say attempt) to do a lace sock. sigh. I should write her now and tell her that I am going to be late already if I take this option.

#3) I don't know of any other options. . . . .


So, HELP?????!!!!!?????

Yarn p0rn pictures

That there would be the vacation haul in it's entirety. See? I told you my hubby was too good to me. Individual yarn shots:

I didn't even photograph all the yarn individually. . . . . so much for the summer of stash more like the summer of stash enhancement over here.

Safe and Sound

Aaah. Back home after vacation. Made it early enough to even be able to pick the puppy up for the Vets (they board her for us). Had a great time.

There WAS knitting.

There WAS yarn shopping (OMG - it was bad. Hauls. 3 shops. Sock Yarn and sweater quantities (yep plural) and patterns. OH MY!)

There will be pictures. But not now. Now there is unpacking and laundry and lunch making (tomorrow is after all a work day - bleck!)

Glad to be home.