Oh Snap!

Jeez, I must be getting senile with my old age... :D I finished Mata Hari Drowned on ... Thursday? WHAT. Here are some peektures.







Pattern: Mata Hari Drowned (with Mods listed below)
Needles: Clover Bamboo DPNs US 2
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM, colorway 850 (2 skeins at 175yds/50gr each)
Modifications: Since Mata Hari is really just a stitch idea made into a sock, I cast on 64 sts (my usual bigfoot size) and tried to figure out how the pattern went from there. Slip stitch heel, gussets, etc, and my first star toe (to give that 'swirling down the drain' feel). Whee!

- Ambrr out

My Freakin' Awesome SP!

I received one more package from my Secret Pal, who revealed herself to be Ms. Beth C of Numerical Knitting. It pretty much goes without saying that it is freaking amazing.



Three KP 32" circs, in 0,1 and 2, THREE skeins of GLORIOUS handdyed superwash merino (about 600 yds total), a cute lil quilted heart-pocket, and Nicole Miller fanciness. WHAT!! Too awesome. Mum tried to steal the Nicole Miller, but I caught her.

Beth, you are too amazing for words. Be on the lookout for a package of your own soon!


In total awe, Ambrrr

OH, I almost forgot that I cast on for my Chevron Scarf. Here it is when I'd first started out:





It's about 14 3/4" long now. Wheee!

I'm so excited!

Britannia is done! The pictures are crappy, but she's done.
It fits up top, and then the waistband is actually a little loose, and it's way too short, which is just a result of my being*ahem* well endowed. I'm still very excited. I think if I put together the right outfit, she'll be perfect.













Pattern: Britannia
Yarn: Classic Yarn's Soft Lux in Mist. Almost 7 balls.
Needles: US7 for the trim, US9 for the majority
Started: May 17, 2007
Completed: June 23, 2007

Yea!

<3 uhlissa

Sweater Update #2

I just spent a few days up in Tulsa where I had access to a camera. Unfortunately no knitting got done, but here are a few shots of the current status of my Britannia.

This one's dark, but shows the progress. I'm still working on the other sleeve, but I went ahead and sewed the other pieces up, because I'm impatient:









The back in a much truer color representation:









Collar detail:









Sleeve detail:









I'm really proud of how it's turning out. I'm about half way done with the second sleeve as we speak, and my plan is to not sleep tonight until I have a new sweater.

<3 uhlissa

Hey Kids.

Minor site update - I added all of the blogs that I read. All of the knitblogs, anyway. Check 'em out, they're all really neat.

Also, I forgot to mention before that my user name on Ravelry is Ambrrr. So add me if you're on there, and I will extend that courtesy back to you!

Mata Hari Drowned is almost done. Hopefully by Friday? Saturday?

<3 Ambrrr

New Obsessions: Ravelry and Clapotis*

Hokay, I have seen two things that I already have & love/must have & love.

1. Ravelry

2. Clapotis

The first can be blamed for the second. I've seen Clapotis (or "the Clap" as I've fondly taken to calling it in my head, although the less frightening nickname seems to be "the Clapper") a million billion times before, and never really thought twice about it. Oooh, a shawl, I thought. How fancy. OMG SOCKS. And then I signed up for Ravelry about a month or so ago, forgot about it, and went about my "bidnezz," as the kids are calling it these days.

Then I got the invite in my email, signed up and WHAM. Ravelry is AMAZING. Perhaps because I am inclined to things that help me sort out my v busy and v complex internet life (har har) Ravelry is perfect for my knitting habits. You can organize your projects, stash, needles, everything on here. PLUS you can see what other knitters/crocheters are up to, talk about projects and yarn, it's awesome.

AND THEN! I noticed how utterly, utterly amazing Clapotis is. Perhaps the yarn used for Knitty just didn't set right with me (I'm not really a magenta-bright-pink-yellow kind of lady, you see), even though the model is adorable and the setting amazing (PARIS FRANCE?! YES). But all of the different yarns, and color combos, and WOW. I have to make this thing. I've already added it to my "queue" (which is another reason Ravelry is so neat, you can add a bookmark to your browser and bookmark patterns on the interwebs) and and and!! I want it!

I can't decide which yarn to use, ie BUY, ie OH GOD I HAVE NO MONEY, ie CRY. :D I've been looking at WEBS and Elann and various and sundry places. In all actuality this is my queue:

1. Mata Hari Drowned (Slowly coming along, am still on the foot of the first one)
2. Sam's Space Invaders Hat (which I will talk about in a future post, I don't actually have the yarn for this yet)
3. Anna's Oh-My-Stars Socks (>:C)
4. Clapotis

You can see how far down the list it is! This is sad. I have spoken to dearest Uhlissa about Clap, and she, like a sane person, was like "knit something else from your stash, work on your current projects," all that common sense that no one wants to hear. Well, my lack of fundulation make cause Dearest to get her wish. Curse you, Uhlissa, and your Voice of Reason!

Also, here is a picture of Yazoo, sitting on my bed next to some found US straights in sizes 8, 9 and 10 1/2. WEIRD!



His sneer says "Go work on MHD, and get off the internets!"

Sad over lack of monies and Clapotis, Ambrrr

*An accidental rhyme, I swear!

What what!

So I did it. I FROGGED POMATOMUS.

I was staring at it, and it seemed to be mocking me, and the long, pointy DPNs seemed to be daring me to do something about it. SO I DID.

I am now working on what I'm calling "Mata Hari Drowned," using the Mata Hari pattern from Craftoholic. Instead of evoking bullet holes, the yos look like escaping air bubbles in the blue/purple Koigu. Oh, was that too morbid? I can be strangely morbid sometimes.

So here's where I am so far. I am slightly making it up as I go along, since there's really no pattern.




It was a nice day outside, so I did a bit of fresh-air knittery. I've just finished the gusset, actually, and am taking a break before I tackle both job hunting and working on the foot tomorrow. SIGH. Won't someone give me money to knit? Knit things for myself and for fun? Not for anyone else? D:

And now for a farewell photo of Pomatomus. Pomatomus, we hardly knew ye. Perhaps we will meet again someday, when I have more patience, sock yarn and circular needles.



In need of cash, Ambrrr (<3)

Sweater Update

I'm very sad that I have no way to share pictures of the progress I've made on my sweater.

I finished a sleeve today.

So all that's left now is the other sleeve, and the edge around the deep v-neck.

I started to make the edge but I was working it backwards and had to rip it out.

I'm not yet discouraged. It's in fact been a pretty easy knit. I'm not looking forward to seeming, though. I'm not feeling inspired to knit the second sleeve though, so I might try and finish the sock that's waiting for me.

sigh.

<3 uhlissa

Le Sigh.

Hello, Friends.

Not much knitting has been going on in these parts of Ohio. Anna's Oh-My-Stars socks have made essentially no more progress, nor has Pomatomus. Since those are the two pairs of US 2s that I own I can't start any more socks (a good thing?). I was counting on a job that fell through to get more needles from KnitPicks, probably a pair each of US 0, 1 and 2 in 32" circs. I had such high hopes! High hopes that are now dashed!

Ah well, here are some pic-a-tures.

I finished another Dreamswatch, this time for Anna. This one has a lot more modifications than mine, sort of.


Pattern: Dreamswatch, with mods listed below
Needles: Clover Bamboo straights US 8
Yarn: Lion Brand Yarn Incredible in Copper Penny (Art. # 520, Color 208), a LOT less than a whole skein (110 yds/50gr), 100% nylon
Modifications: So Anna saw mine and demanded one as well. That's cool, I guess. I mean, I still haven't finished her birthday socks, so ok. Her specified mods - thinner and short. This came out to mean only two repetitions of the pattern instead of four, and I added a stitch on both sides that was only knit in garter to discourage curling.

A close-up of the pattern and how the loops look in this yarn.


And here it is on Anna!

Ok, I'll try to work on Pomatomus (although I seem to have lost my printed pattern and have no idea where I am in the heel flap), even though I am often struck with the urge to frog it and try another pattern. Uhlissa and I have discussed this, and though I long to do another Monkey if I DO frog Pomatomus I promise I'll only do it to try another pattern. Jaywalker, perhaps?

(<3) from the Queen of Whatever*, Ambrrr

PS - I highly encourage clicking on the pictures to embiggen them. You can see the stitches and color a lot better! Plus a big 'ole picture of Anna's head.

*"The Long Way Around" - The Dixie Chicks