Elephants, Owls, and Hearts

I am gearing up to start a Rhinebeck Sweater as ell as a few lace projects. When knitting these very intense projects, the most important thing isn't the yarn or the gauge. It's all about the stitch markers. Yes, having sizing is hugely important. But, keeping track of your stitches could be the difference between finishing a garment or note getting through a lace portion enough to make something you can actually try on.

On Friday night, after work, I decided to walk a few blocks over to the Bead shop on Broadway. There are a few of them in the area, but this one particular shop had something that tickled my fancy. NEON Charms. Squeeeee!!! They are so cute.

This is my haul.

I immediately got to work. I had some Swarovski beads leftover from jewelry projects that I have worked on years ago. My tools were still in pretty good shape, and I had a good amount of wire leftover as well.

So, here are my stitch markers.

Elephants, Owls, and Hearts

Love Emojis

Love

And more Love

Purple Elephants

Diamante Keys

I went a little overboard and made quite a bit, but it will surely be put to good use. You can never have too many stitch markers.

These stitch markers rings are shown here on a DK weight size 7 needle, but they can comfortably fit up to a 10.5 needle for Chunky projects.

I made some for my friend Ceci. She absolutely loves owls.

I also made a set for another friend after she saw them posted on Facebook, and immediately put in her request.

And last, but not least, I put them on my current Infinity Scarf project. I absolutely love the neon colors. Stephen West said he likes a pop of color, with more pops added to the pop. I agree. This whole thing is poppin'.

My knitting Weekend/early week

This past Saturday was the SisterFriends Harlem Knittaque in St. Nicholas park. We had a blast. However, I don't remember getting much knitting done, because I was STUFFING MY FACE SO MUCH!!! Ian, those ribs were soooooo delicious.

Honestly, I did try to knit... for real. See?? This is where I left off Saturday Night.
Then the unthinkable happened. I found two sections of the crossed rib that were not crossed. I got so upset that I ripped it out. After casting on again about 3 times later, I finally got it crossed perfectly. Then, I felt the fabric, and figured that it felt way too loose. So I ripped it again....to cast on with a size 7 needle. This is totally not good. This is like the US gymnast whose only event was the uneven bars because of her ankle injury, and she fell off. How am I supposed to finish this sweater???

The next day, I went to the Flatbush SNB, and I made progress. Maybe it happened because I didn't have that grill tempting me every 2 seconds, or the fact that I had a nice Chocolate Chai latte, or the fact that KJ was sitting across from me and just smiling with her sweet face. Who knows, but in either case.... I made some progress, and have progressed to the Raglan shaping portion of the pattern.

Here are some more pics from the weekend.

Chante showing off her shrug.
I get some sweetface time.

Happy Mommy (Tawana) gets in some knitting time.KJ getting some Pinkberry time. Yes, we are getting her addicted from an early age. 6 months and already a pinkberry fiend.

Here is my Ravelympics Progress as of today.

Sweater Sprint - and yes, I did make myself a pair of Ravelympics 2008 Stitch Markers

Sock Put
I know, I know. I've got a long way to go.

Ravelympics 2008 Training - Round 2

No training can be productive without the right equipment.

My favorite piece of equipment for the games are these Ravelympics 2008 Stitch Markers.

You can find them over at the MekaMika ETSY site. I have been neglecting knitting all weekend, just so I can make these stitch markers available to you. They will be sent priority mail ASAP, in hope of the post office doing their job right, and getting them to you by the time of the opening ceremonies.

I will be making updates to the shop daily, to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to get their hands on some. You can also send me a comment over on the Etsy site if you want to request a specific size. The stitch marker rings come in 3 different sizes to fit worsted, chunky, and bulky projects.

3 days are left until opening ceremonies. Go for the gold!!!

The Etsy Site Has Been Launched!!!

I just wanted everyone to know that I finally have my Etsy shop up and running. I am specializing in Stitch Markers and Jewelry for now. Who knows what my creative mind will come up with in the future???

I also created a new blog in addition to this one called MekaMika, which will focus mainly on my beading and jewelry escapades. Please feel free to check it out.

Here is some eye candy for you.