Thank You Secret Pal!

I arrived home last night, and found I had received a package. I finally got a chance to pick it up today, and it's from my Secret Pal! I'm so excited. It's soooo cute and St. Patrick's day themed (which just happens to be one of my favorite days.)
I got a wonderful candle, Jelly Beans (!!!), Cascade Sierra, a teddy bear (!!) and stickers,all in delightful shades of green.
I wish desperately I could post pictures this minute, but that can't happen until I steal ambrrr's camera, perhaps nearer the end of this week.
The yarn is absolutely gorgeous. I don't actually think I've ever seen Sierra. I have no idea what I'll do with it, but it's already inspiring me to hunt for the perfect pattern.

Thank you so much Secret Pal! You're amazing.

<3 uhlissa

Update! Pictures:

Sleepless

Hi. I know it appears once again that Ambrrr has taken over completely, but I'm here, I promise. I was out of town for the past week, which is why it's almost two am and I'm not tired. I was in California, and I thought I had done a great job of not getting too adjusted to the time zone, but I was wrong. Actually, all the caffeine may have something to do with my wakefulness.
The trip was super fun, though not at all productive.
The day I got there, I finished my first Hedera sock. I barely knit after that. Today I did about eight pattern repetitions. It's coming along. Slowly.
On a more positive note, I finished reading a book I've been reading since school started in August. I didn't mean to be so slow, I just never have time to read for fun. Or if I do have time, I choose to knit.
Hopefully later this week I'll have more interesting things to say, and perhaps some Hedera pictures.
I did deliver the shawl to my mom, who absolutely loved it. So, that was awesome.
Also, I had knit my friend Whitney a calorimetry, and now her boyfriend is begging me for a hat. Fun, but not on the top of the priority list.
Priorities this week include:
-actually doing all my homework
-not failing my accounting test on thursday
-finishing this sock, cause i'm tired of it?
-getting re-adjusted to central time
I think that's it. There are probably other important things.
Oh! Like sending my secret pal gift! I found some super fun secret presents on my trip, and I can't wait to get them sent. Maybe after Secret pal is over, I'll fill y'all in.
Also, knitpicks updated their site, and all I want to do is buy yarn. Uh oh.
<3 uhlissa
I know this post is all over the place. I'm feeling very scatterbrained. It might be the time thing, it might be my overactive mind thinking too much about things it just shouldn't even consider. Who knows.

You guys. Really.

Guys, we need to talk. Seriously.

I was so enthusiastic about Pomatomus! I was all "Oh my gah, I simply cannot wait to knit this sock. Cookie A. is a genius. Honestly. And all that Koigu! Fantastico!"

Guys. I have failed us.

While Ms. A is still an amazing genius genius, Pomatomus is kicking my arse in a serious, intense fashion. The pattern itself was not hard after the first repetition, but it takes me so long to do one that I just cut out a pattern repetition of Chart A entirely. I've just started on the heel flap, which seemed so much easier using Magic Loop. I forgot how much DPNs tends to poke you and try their hardest to slit your wrists. Oh man.

I'm putting it on the back burner for now, as not only do I have some intense studio work due this week but there's a Brotherhood Retreat for my architecture fraternity Alpha Rho Chi this weekend. Anyways, enjoy some pictures of me knitting on the way to and from the APX National Convention in Memphis this weekend. Hurrah and sadness!


I took the photo above on the way there. I'd only just cast on a week before, and done the ribbing. I think I mentioned this already, what with the messing up and whatnot. That's at one pattern rep, I believe. And also something like 4 hours.


Here's Pomatomus on the way back, at two pattern reps and the beginning of the heel flap. My hands were hurting so bad I thought they'd fall off. I stopped soon after this.


A little close-up of the stitches. I really love the way they look all scaly, it's really fascinating. In the sun it looks like I am making some sort of fabric fish. Weird.

<3 Ambrrr

Stitch For Senate

I believe, truly believe, that this is a worthwhile project. No matter where you fall on the matter of the war in Iraq, you can only support your position this way. Or at the very least express your position.

I think next time Uhlissa and I order from KnitPicks, I'll be picking up three skeins of Swish Superwash in Coast Grey and a 32" US 6 circ. That way, if Sherrod Brown (the Ohio Senator I'd like to send my helmet liner to) decides to send his to a soldier (as I hope he will), they don't have to worry about any special washing or something.

Please support our troops! They need all of our prayers/good thoughts/handmade knits to help them through.

<3, Ambrrr

A Contest! I love contests! Drinks all around!*

So Mme Shelby informs me that to participate in a CONTEST (which I love to do) I must do two things:

1. Make sure you know where my SP10 Questionnaire is, and
2. Post one of my current projects.

Well, as Uhlissa mentioned in an earlier post, we put links to our SP10 Questionnaires in a sidebar item, right near the top. Mine is here, and I'll try to remember to post when I update it.

And my newest UFO (sigh) is Pomatomus by Cookie A. Again with the Koigu, as well. God, I love this yarn. It's so soft and cushy and knits up so well. I'm using my US 2 Clover Bamboo DPNs again, which feel a little off after the Addis. Much stickier than I remember. Which is good with this sock pattern, as I am having a heck of a time with it. I just started today at work, so not much has gotten done. I think I'm on.... row 7 of the Chart A pattern. I messed up the twisted rib by doing k1tbl, p1 instead of p1, k1tbl. It's not a huge deal, but just aggrivating.

Mas mas photos!!



I'm experimenting with the settings on my camera, trying to get a more accurate color. This Koigu has a lot of variated blues, from bright sky to violent violet. It's gorgeous. I'm hoping it'll bring out the scaliness of the Pomatomus pattern.


For some reason (probably the fact that I have sweaty, gross hands) this particular Koigu stained my fingers a little. Nothing major.

*And if you can link this to the quote I destroyed to make it, you win my own personal contest.

<3 Ambrrr

Mas Photos! Mas Photos!*

Pattern: Bob Marley's Grandma's Footies
Needles: Addi Turbo Circular US 2, 32"
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM, dye code P118A dye lot 603, 1 and 1/4th of a skein
Modifications: Instead of DPNs I gave Magic Loop a shot on this one. It IS Magic. I adore it.

So these are the Magic Loop Bob Marley's Grandma's Footies. I am in love with Magic Loop. As you can see in the photo above the way I had them situated on the needles allowed me to have the very small, very slight ladder running down the sides instead of down the front and sole of the footies.


Even though they look like different sizes they actually are the same, and fit really really nicely.


Here's my god-awful Kitchener stitch, which somehow always starts with a purl stitch (on the left) instead of just knit across the row. *tear*

And I figure, it IS the Heels 'n Purls Knitting Society, right? They're not black, but they'll do. Also, they're made of pure awesome.

<3 Ambrrr

*As always, click to embiggen the pictures.

Ready, Set, Knit

Ready, Set, Knit, originally uploaded by Wakeful Dreamer.

The summary of our Saturday A+ Adentures!