Yarn shopping plans and a kitchen update

So the dishwasher and garbage disposal or in BUT the dishwasher was plugged into the same line as the garbage disposal and, therefore, the dishwasher cannot be run unless the disposal is on, too.  It will be fixed very soon, I am assured.  So today I had to do a HUGE load of dishes by hand.  I also have been engulfed in moving around everything in the kitchen since I lost a large cabinet and drawer and have to find a place to put all of the displaced bowls and mixing spoons.  The kitchen is still a bit typhoonish, so no picture yet.

I also was given the green light to go YARN SHOPPING(!) Hubs is letting me go buy expensive yarn store yarn for a few Christmas presents.  I am so excited!  I have a randomly striped scarf, ssimple pattern, in grey tones and a Jacques Cousteau hat in mind (but not in red, probably also in a coal or slate grey), but I can't say for whom.  I think I'm going to use Brown Sheep Company yarn, but of course I will have to check out all of my options!  I'm also involved in another project that I can't say a thing about but you can get details on Ravelry (I'm droppedstitches72, feel free to friend me!).  Will post some photos of YARN after I go shopping!

What are you knitting right now?  I'd love to know!

Lovely British Bits

Whilst surfing, I found these lovely scarfs by Powder. Yes, I know that we can knit, but isn't it nice to occasionally buy something beautiful?


Twist in fuchsia and coral - 40 pounds


Sienna in fuchsia - 20 pounds

(and yes, there are many other colorways to choose from - I just like pink!)

And while you're at it, stop by this site for beautiful home accessories. I will take one of everything, please.

Want to know how much you are spending? The XE Currency Converter can do just that.

I am currently cleaning and painting my mom's new condo, so posts may be a bit sporadic. But I love to paint (there's nothing like a freshly painted wall to spruce up a place) so I couldn't turn down the opportunity!

Lace Knit Along Update

So I've completely changed my mind about what to knit. I am knitting the Cold Mountain Stole by Kieran Foley from the summer 2009 issue of Knitty. I'm not much into girly lace and I'm growing sick of socks because of the current pair I'm knitting, so I did a total knitting turn around. This stole is right up my alley and would work with yarns and supplies that I already have.







I tried using my red merino wool cashmere blend, which I have tons of, but I have found that if I pull it too tight it breaks. I suspect this would be a problem with any one-ply cashmere, so I'm just going to be careful with it. I think red would work extremely well with this pattern. Another option, but one that would take a bit more time, is that I have a 100% silk sweater with 4 ply lace weight yarn that I haven't unraveled yet. It's a salmon color, which isn't a fav of mine, but silk is incredibly strong - oh, and it's silk. BUT, I probably could make a boatload of money off of 100% silk laceweight, so I think I'll go with the red (stream of consciousness writing helps solve so many problems, I've found).

So that's it. Will be casting on Monday! Happy Sunday!

The Scarf that Would Never End

While surfing the internet I found this cool pattern (called Palindrome) for a reversible cable scarf. I'd always wanted to learn how to do this, and jumped all over this pattern to do just that. The pattern is simple and just the thing to learn a thing or two about reversible cables.



So I jumped right in, cast on, and started stitching. And kept stitching. And stitching. I don't know what it was, but this scarf took FOREVER! I kept putting it around my neck with the ignorant hope that it would finally be long enough (and I could move on, already!) and, in moments smacking of deja vu, it never seemed to be. I used well over twice the yardage that I would use on a similar length scarf, and when it finally got long enough to throw around my neck, FINALLY bound off the thing!



But it turned out quite nice. It's not as long as I like scarves to be (I used up all of my white cotton/wool blend, so I couldn't add anymore length - hooray for a reason to end!), but it is squishy and warm and quite nice to look at. Even though I was at the point of pulling my hair out from sheer exhaustion over this scarf, I'd recommend the pattern to anyone who wants to learn reversible cables. I know, not the greatest review, but really, it is a nice scarf.



So on the needles now is a Ruffle Scarf. I think I'm about half done. It is knit lengthwise on a circular needle and is a really simple knit. When I'm done with it I'll tell you how to make one, too!

My Beautiful Grandparents/The Reason I learned to Knit

My Beautiful Grandparents

My grandparents died three years ago and I still can't believe that they are gone. They were such a huge part of my life, really like second parents. My grandmother taught me how to run a home, how to cook; I can't say she taught me how to clean, though, she didn't do much of that (have to thank mom for that one). My grandpa was my buddy. We fished together, talked and talked, he was a great cook, too. He'd give you the shirt off of his back, even if he was a bit of a curmudgeon. I love this picture of them.



When I look at it, I can hear my grandmother laughing and my grandfather's voice. I can smell his tobacco. I can feel her hands. I miss them.

O.K. I'm getting all choked up, so I'll tell you about

The Reason I learned to Knit

I was getting caught up on one of my favorite blogs, Hot Toast and Jam when I was reminded of why I learned to knit:



Yes, it was the Doctor's scarf. I grew up on Doctor Who, specifically Tom Baker. And I wanted one of those scarfs SO much. The first pattern that I looked up when I figured out how to knit was this scarf. But don't ask me to show my amazing Dr. Who scarf to you - I still haven't made one. I haven't been able to collect the correct colors - all in 100% wool because, come on, this scarf deserves 100% wool - all at one time. And do you have any idea how expensive all of those skeins of yarn would be? I think I'm going to have to start searching for sweaters to unravel with this project in mind. Cuz' I'm still yearning for that scarf.

If you, too, are now having nostalgic Dr. Who warm fuzzies and want to know everything there ever was to know about the Most Amazing Scarf Ever, the Doctor Who Scarf is a site that will fulfill your every desire. Scarf history, the author wearing THE scarf, it is all here. And, of course, there are instructions. I want to make the Season 16 scarf. So now I will end this post, which further clarifies that I am a geek. (I love you, Tom Baker!)