The Fiber Fix

On Friday, I woke up to this lovely sight.

I received my package from The Fiber Fix. They have MMMMMmmalabrigo on sale!! Woohoo!!

I ordered Stonechat Worsted to make Springtime Bandit. I ordered Solis to make Ishbel. After I saw Sharon's, I fell in love. I decided on the Solis Colorway because I wanted it to match a jacket that I have.
So, before I go on about my knitting I just want to talk about Vanessa from the Fiber Fix. A little over a year ago, she became my Ravelry Buddy because she had a few questions about the Central Park Hoodie. She has since made a second one from the top down. She has somehow figured out the secret to converting bottom-up patterns to top-down. She has also made a top-down Vaila that is awesome. So, now a year later, she has opened an online yarn store. Her customer service is amazing and she goes above and beyond to ensure that her customers are happy. I was confused about which color would match my jacket. She sent me a picture of the skeins that she had and let me choose the exact skein that I wanted. It is a perfect match! I also got my yarn in 3 days. The Fiber Fix is awesome. She also let me in on a little secret. She will have a few more yarn brands appearing soon that are just as delicious as Malabrigo. But, I am sorry. I can't divulge the information. I have been sworn to secrecy. So, you will just have to visit the site to check it out. Haha!!

As for my Sock Madness socks, it was brought to my attention that I did the wrong cuff. I did a K2P2 when the directions clearly stated K1tbl, P1. I must have been really tired. So, I had to redo it on Friday. Arrgghh!!! Thankfully I kept my spot in the competition.

I was also able to finish the Peapod Baby Sweater in time for the baby Shower. I made the hat the day of the shower. The shower started at 5. I showed up at 6:15. The mommy-to-be showed up at 6:45. Whew!! That was a close one. She absolutely loved the outfit! She said that she knew she had to get something handmade from me.

Here is a picture of the hot mama!!

An angel wing caught in a WEB!!!

Sock Madness 3 is in full swing, and I have made it through to the third round. The name of this pattern is Talia's Wings (Ravelry link) . I am using Colinette Jitterbug in the FIRE colorway. The pattern calls for size 1 (2.5mm) needles for this project.

I am a bit on the fence about this pattern. When I first got it in my mailbox and saw that it was toe-up, I was super excited. I like to try on as I go along because it is very gratifying. However, I have been on Ravelry all day yesterday and minute after minute mistakes in the pattern were being discussed in the group. There were a bunch of silly things that could have been fixed if the pattern was thoroughly proofread. For example, what was in the written instructions did not match what was illustrated on the chart. What is up with that?

What makes it worse is, that the pattern had a test knitter. Doesn't that mean that the kinks should be worked out? At this stage of the game, there are 20 people in each of 4 divisions. Only the 12 people who finish first in each division will carry on to round 4. So, that means that the pattern designers had at least 1 month extra than the Round 1 designer. So, why all the mistakes? We are supposed to be running neck and neck in this competition and knitting to the finish. Not stopping a nd ripping back, and being confused about important directions. Arrgghhh!! Whar would have happened if I had not seen the Errata on ravelry? What if I didn't have a chance to log on to the internet? OK... I just had to get that out.

I still think that the pattern is gorgeous. It is just that the execution needed a little more fine tuning when it came to writing it down. That said, here is my progress as of this morning. I finished 1 pattern repeat on the foot. 2 at a time magic loop, baby!

I also made progress on the Peapod Baby sweater. I completed the sweater portion, and just have to sew the shoulders and add a neckline. I also started doing the sleeves, and am about halfway done. But, this sweater has to be put on pause so that I can continue with sock madness. Will is be done in time for the baby shower this weekend? We will see. I also have to do the hat to match. EEK!!! Well, at least I have enough yarn.

So, in other knitting news..... I went to WEBS this past Saturday. I went with Tawana as well as a few friends from the Park Slope Knitting Circle (Liza, Marci. Katherine, and Shannyn). We had such a blast. When I walked in the store I took a deep breath... the I got an instant headache, because I wanted it all and didn't know where to start. LOL!! It was very overwhelming.

I ended up buying some Malabrigo Sock in Tiziano Red, Cascade Eco + in a Burgandy color, Filatura Di Crosi Zara in Raspberry, 2 skeins of Austermann Step, and a discontinued Rowan Cashsoft DK. Everything was in the pink/purple/red family. Don't worry.. I have plans for all of these yarns.

• Malabrigo Sock will become the Ishbel Shawl or a pair of socks from Cookie A.'s book
• Cascade Eco + will become a Sylvi from Twist Collective
• Zara will become Shirley Paden's Interlocking Cables pattern
• Rowan Cashsoft DK is an extra skein bought for my in-progress Snuggle sweater
• Austermann Step... I just wanted those and the were on sale. I suspect they will become Cookie A. socks.

So, Sunday I look at my receipt and see that the 25% discount that I received didn't include the Cascade Eco+. Apparently, some of the colors were on sale, and had no further discount, but these skeins I picked up were full price. So, I called WEBS on Monday, and the Customer Service rep was able to look my receipt up in the computer, comfirm that my skeins of yarn were actually discountable, and he credited me back the difference to my card. WOW!! Great Customer Service!

OK, enough of me talking. Here are some pictures from WEBS.

Outside

Just walked through the door

Malabrigo Sock and Silky Merino display (I scooped up the last Tiziano Red on display, hence the empty rack next to the Terracotta)

View of the back of store near the warehouse entrance

Warehouse views

Tokena Complete!!

I have been finished with the Tokena Socks since the 10th, which makes this a record for me. I finished a pair of socks in 6 days. Yes, less than a week. I think I need some ice cream to celebrate!! Here is a nice picture as I am attempting to "Sous-sus" and balance on the stairs at the same time. Well, It's not exactly 5th position ballet, but I had to prevent myself from falling. It's been over 10 years.. LOL!!

Now, there is a slight boo-boo in these socks. The pattern said to decrease the toe until there were 8 stitches on each needle. I did that. However, the pattern was written for 4 needles, not magic loop. Ooops!! So, my socks have pointy toes. Well it's a good thing that I have pointy feet. Also, one side is a bit more snug than the other, but I am just glad they fit my skinny ankles perfectly. Yippee!! Oh Yeah... I see the hole by the gusset. Do we really have to acknowledge that??? Cuz.. I know I said I saw it, but I don't really see it. LOL!! The colorwork was a lot of fun, and I am so happy that I conquered it. It is truly much easier than it looks.

And remember the lovely Peapod Baby Sweater that I started? Here it is. I am almost at the point where I have to separate for the sleeves/arms.

A little splurge!!

The Point yarn shop had a sale to celebrate it's 4th year of existence. I decided to have a look around, since I was missing one of the suggested yarns for Sock Madness. Initially we were given a list of 7 different yarn specs, so that we can get an idea as to what the test pattern was knit with and substitute. The trick is, we don't know which round each pattern will be. There was a pattern that called for 2 contrasting solids and it was made with Louet Gems. So, after looking through my stash and seeing that only had variegated and stripey sock yarn, I set out on a journey.

As soon as I asked the lovely salesperson about sock yarn, she said "We have a few skeins of Malabrigo left". I think that is knitting terminology for "I Love you, and I know you will love me back". I picked up 3, as they were all 20% off. The colors are Boticelli Red and Chocolate Amargo. Technically, it is enough to make 3 pairs of socks. The pattern specs call for 185 yards of each color and with Malabrigo I have 440 to spare. So, what will I make with the leftover Boticelli Red? I have always wanted a pair of Lissajous socks. Yippee!!! When I got home, I saw the post on Ravelry stating that the round 2 pattern would need "2 contrasting solids". Hmmm.....did I have a premonition??

So, back to the Point. I told the lovely saleswoman about my Sock Madness, and she said "Did you know Cookie A's pattern book is out?". Hmmm....I didn't now that. I have been out of the country and out of the loop for a whole month. They don't have Cookie A. books in Trinidad. LOL!! The book is awesome. She focuses on designing your own socks, as well as gives some really gorgeous patterns. So, yeah it ended up coming home with me.

Lastly, my best friend is having her very first baby. I was there for her mini arguments with her boyfriend, I was there when he apologized, I was there when he proposed, I was there at the wedding, hooked them up with a hotel for the Honeymoon. So, I have to make something for the little bun in her oven. However, I don't know if it will be a boy or girl. Sigh..... "We are painting the baby room green and yellow", she says. I said "How do you expect me to make something for the baby when I don't even know what color to choose?" ARRGGHHH!!!

So, I saw some Debbie Bliss Superwash Rialto in Brown for 30% off. I am adding some green bird buttons to the sweater. Boy or girl, the baby will wear it. I am making the 12 month size. These babies grow so quickly. It will technically be 6 months in the fall, but I am leaving some "just in case this baby grows too fast" room. Oh yeah, and I have to finish this sweater before the 25th. Here are some pics of the beginning of it. It is going to be a Peapod Baby Set, I swear. LOL!!! Oh, the pattern isn't available online anymore. Luckily I had a copy of it from the last time I made it, about 1 and a half years ago. (Deb thanks for helping me out as well)

Here are some pics.

Buttons
It's gonna be a sweater, I swear!!

Yarn Sale!!!

A Wonderful Knitting Weekend!!!

This is my recap of my past weekend, where I knitted more than I ever imagined I would, but have always wanted to.

I decided to spend Saturday with Tawana, because I haven't seen her in ages, and I miss my friend. So, I walk in and what do I see? Look at this beautiful blessing from God, Karen Joi. Isn't she adorable? Look at those cheeks!! Oh, I held her and she was just smiling and laughing the whole time. So, now I officially have "the touch". Hehe!! She is also wearing the Peapod Baby set that I made for her. It is so wonderful to see the children in the clothes that you make for them. I was overjoyed.
So, my knitting project of the moment was the Bittersweet Climbing Lace Socks. But on Saturday, I was under the gun. I was on a deadline to finish it by 2 PM the next day for the Sit N Knit Sock Exchange. I was having issues that I was not supposed to be having at the eleventh hour. The pattern has lace going up the middle of the sock as well as the sides, but somehow I kept losing stitches.

Hmm.. maybe they went to stitch heaven, but I couldn't find them. So, instead of going crazy, I decided to omit them.

And the socks came out lovely... ahem... at 10:30 AM the next morning. I knit on Saturday until I was knitting with my eyes closed, then I managed to really sleep in my bed and wake up at 8 AM on Sunday to complete it.

My sock exchange recipient Meghan was happy, so I was happy. Plus, she really liked the orange Nail Polish that I got for her as well.
I also received a pair of socks from Ileana, and I love them. The pattern is called BroadRipple. I think it looks amazing in the Fire Colorway of Colinette Jitterbug.

Who says Jitterbug has no yardage? Look at how high these babies are up on my leg!!!

Here is a birdseye view of everyone's socks. How cool is that??

And, this guy was checking us out the whole time. He was so busy staring at us, and wouldn't even say hello. How rude!!!

So, I started immediately to make a pair of Jaywalkers. I needed something portable to take on the train with me. So, I grabbed my Felici yarn from my last Knitpicks purchase, and got crackin'. I found that not all skeins are wound in the same direction, as I have opposite stripe patterning going on.

I figured I could live with it, but by the time I got off of the train, I was going nuts, so I decided to rip it out and start again. This is where I left off after my commute home from work. I can't really see the pattern yet, but it will appear soon enough.

I also decided to make some stitch markers that don't dangle, to make sock knitting much easier.

So, that was my lovely weekend. More surprises later on this week!!!

Holiday Parties Rock!!! (Picture heavy post)

I had so much fun at the Sit N Knit Holiday party. Here are a few highlights.

Here is Penelope, organizing the raffle, and takin' care of business.


Chante and Judy were helping to organize the raffle and gift exchange entries as well.

Tina, of Interweave's Central Park Hoodie fame is seen here knitting a sock.Here is Tawana and Tomo, causing knitting trouble in the corner of the room. The martini on the table is mine. Tawana was filling up on herbal tea, so the little one can be happy.
Chante and I. Chante created a drop spindle kit that was raffled off later on that night.

Gift Exchange

Here is the gift that I received from Judy (behind me in the black sweater). The scarf is super-duper soft. I love it.

My foliage hat gift went to Maria. Would you believe someone tried to buy it from her that night? People, it is a free pattern on Knitty. We all have the power to knit. She absolutely loved the hat, and together, they make a supercute pair.

Jane received this purple hat that incorporated the butterfly stitch in it. I almost made this hat. How cool is it that it matches her sweater perfectly??

Tawana recieved fingerless mittens from Jane. The colorway looks like one I have seen on SWS yarn.

Penelope recieved Tawana's gift of Thrummed Mittens. Everyone was going crazy over them. I'm so jealous, I am going to have to make my own.

Hope recieved a cute little bag with a sewn and finished inner lining.

And since she's hiding, here is a picture of her, full of excitement after winning the raffle. Noro sock yarn. oooohhhh... aaaaahhhhh!!! I'm putting that on my christmas list.

Meet my new friend Martha, who was sitting across from me. We share a love for thrummed mittens. She won a tape measure from one of the raffles. We had a really lucky corner that evening.
Tawana won some laceweight yarn as well.

Well, I did manage to finish that baby hat. I am thinking about sucking it up, doing the math, and creating an adult version for me. That is of course, after I finish my Mary J. Blige hat that I am swatching for.

And, to my surprise.... today at work, Deborah gave me my Christmas gift early -a hat and ruffle scarf set, along with some great homemade cookies. Good thing I didn't wait until Christmas to open it up!! I am so greedy that I ate them all already..hehe!!! Deborah will recieve a very special gift, because so much love went into her present. Thank you so much Deborah!!

Whew!!! I am overwhelmed with excitement. I am just reflecting on my knitting experiences this past year. I used to be so afraid of the Purl stitch, and now I am super-confident that I can face any challenging pattern. I have met such wonderful friends through this blog universe, and I just thank everyone so much for leaving comments as time has progressed. I am so happy that I have friends that I can call on a whim to visit a yarn store or knitting event. It really means a lot to me to be able to open up to you about my crazy and funny life experiences. Happy holidays to everyone!!!

Finished Object Update

I just wanted to let you all know of a few projects that I have finished since my last post.

Here is my Foliage hat that I made for the Sit N' Knit swap. We will be exchanging gifts at the Annual Holiday party. I am so excited. This is made from leftover Cascade 220 that I used for my Central Park Hoodie. Stashbusting feels great. I followed the pattern exactly as stated. Keep in mind that if you try this pattern, it is best to use stitch markers between each pattern repeat, and don't forget to Yarn over. I ran into a few issues where I had to frog a row or two because of missed YO's. However, I still think that this is a great pattern. It was a quick knit. I am very happy with the finished product. I am sure that the swap recipient will be very pleased. This took about 4 days to complete, because I had very little time where I could actually sit still and focus.
Here is the Peapod baby set that I made for my Cousin's baby, who will be born in January. I used Knitpicks Shine Sport in Orchid, using size 5 needles. I managed to knit the sweater in 2.5 days, to make the deadline for her baby shower last weekend. Whew!! I initially bought 5 skeins of yarn, and I have about 1.5 skeins left. Hmmmm.....maybe I can make another baby hat.


Here is the second Peapod Baby Set that I am making for Tawana's little one who also is scheduled to arrive in January. I used Knitpicks ShineSport in Crocus. All that is left to do is sew on buttons, and weave in the ends.


And here is the hat in progress, modeled by my Goddaughter/cousin Symara. She is anxious for this hat to be done, because I need to use the needles to make a hat for her birthday gift, which is the day after christmas. Whew!!! Holiday knitting never ends.


Here is a closeup of the hat. The stitch pattern looks beautiful. I just have about 4 more rows to go before I do the decreases. This will become a finished object soon enough.

Next on the list....

• Top Down hat for Symara with fun fur edging (Jaeger Baby Merino DK - Color -YoYo- variegated pink)
• Top Down hat for Carissa (Symara's sister) with fun fur edging (Jaeger baby Merino DK - Color - Hula Hoop - variegated purple and lilac)
• Mary J. Blige hat - there is no way I am backing down from that challenge. (Cascade Magnum)