Brittany will have to wait

No luck yesterday with finding Brittany double-pointeds in #2 so recasting Crusoe will have to wait until Saturday when I can get by Knit N Knibble again. Still have loads to keep me busy with all of my unfinished projects. Yikes!

Mystical update: Danielle and I decided that the easiest solution was to ship back the newest skein and send a sample of my first skein and see what we can match up. Yippee! I'll be making a detour to the PO on my way to work tomorrow for sure!

Half-Blood Prince update: I am about half-way thru. Unfortunately last nite, my very own HP lookalike decided to share with me what his friend told him about the ending. Boy was I MAD! I had been avoiding book reviews, stories on NPR, etc. And the spoiler lives in my very own house! But I kind of suspected what would transpire so I calmed down fairly quickly but E was very emotional, tears and hyperventilating. And this kid never cries (except when in "AI" they leave Haley Joel in the woods). The situation was remedied by a good ole dose of humor in the form of "Who's Line Is It Anyway?". We saw Wayne Brady in Orlando a couple of years ago...what a talent!

Going to get in my ankle fixation and catch up on "Rock Star".

I LOVE MYSTICAL CREATION

I don't want anyone to think that Mystical Creation is at fault with this yarn dilemma. When I saw the difference in color between the two skeins I thought that I requested a different colorway. I had originally been dabbling between two colors (Cranberries and Mimosa) and I thought it was my mistake.

Danielle told me that the first and second skeins might be different when I requested the second skein but I thought that the purples might be darker by a shade or two and the order of the colors in the dying might be different (I have done it with two different Noro Kureyons as well as Silk Garden).

I am a recent convert to high quality fibers so I really don't know all that much about hand-dying. I just was terribly disappointed that the two dye lots were so far off. This one has a predominance of yellow and I look DREADFUL in yellow.

I love my silk yarn from Mystical Creation...it feels like butter in your hands. Much better than Noro Silk Garden. In fact, many knitters were admiring my clap when I was knitting the clap at my LYS anniversary party because everyone thought the yarn was wonderful. Sent them to Danielle!

Sorry Danielle if I offended you in any way!

Problem with the Clap

My clap has been on hold because I knew that the yarn from Mystical Creation Yarns wasn't going to be enough. I ordered more and look at the difference...not even remotely close...totally different colourway! Oh Danielle!!!!!


Difference in the clap yarn colourways 

Sock It to Me

Moved right along with my sock pal's crusoe socks in Diamusee fine. managed to get all the way to turning the heel when I decided to test the waters and try it on. No amount of give was going to get this sucker on. No wonder...I was so excited to get the sock started I neglected to do one very important task...GAUGE! So a froggin' we will go. I will need to get myself size 2 double-pointeds and really want to get another set of Brittany's so I will be close to a LYS on the other side of the bay tomorrow during lunch. Then I can get started once again. The pattern is really great and easy...looking forward to making my pair in the koigu that I liberated from Cast on Cottage. Here is my sock pal's sock pre-frog so you can see the patterning:


Crusoe for my sock pal pre-frog 

I didn't let this setback spoil my knitting pleasure this weekend. I picked up my size 5's and started to knit up Alison's ankle sock pattern after my recent purchase of Cascade Fixation at Knit N Knibble. I am really digging the feel for this thread...tug, tug, tug...making that stitch tight! However, I needed to frog this one and start again as it was my first attempt at a short row heel. I used Priscilla Gibson-Roberts' yarn-over method and it was an utter disaster with a capital D. So I started again and decided to try the wrap method but this time I put in a lifeline. Didn't need it so I am on to the foot. This pair of denim'ish socks will be going up to NC to my friend Adria once they are done, which looks like it will be a fast knit!


Ankle sock fwith Cascade Fixation 

Crazy for Wizards...

OK, I was one of the 6.9 million that bought the new Harry Potter book on Friday nite. It was actually a very cultish experience...at our local Borders equal numbers of adults and kids came dressed up in their favorite character. But then again, there were quite a number of homogenous witches. There were activities that bored E so he was quite content to look through video game strategy guides as we waited in anticipation while I knitted his HP scarf.


E with his strategy guide at the Borders' Harry Potter Party 

Strangers came up to both of us...E for his uncanny resemblance to HP (well pre-hogwarts days as you can imagine) and me because I was knitting the HP scarf in public. E pooped out at 11:15 and so hubby took him home while I waited for the clock to strike midnite and my #147 to be called. It was fairly painless...finished reading my book online and secured a copy for us and one for my dad. Home, secure with the book by 12:50. About 1/3 done so far. Definitely great and far from disappointing. Looking forward to seeing what the last page brings.

Socks! Socks! Socks!

Besides Knitty's Crusoe socks for my Sock Pal. I also decided to make socks for my dad for his birthday. One down, one to go. Unfortunately I ran out of the Lorna's Laces in Pioneer (the main color naturally) so obviously need to order more. Another LYS on the other side of the bay, Uncommon Threads didn't have any more so I guess online I will go! They are Rob's Twined Rib Socks courtesy of Deb.


Dad's birthday sock in Lorna's laces 

I hope to get some more of my sock pal's sock done while watching reality TV again...Rock Star and Big Brother 5.

Bad with the Good

I've been very bad...very delinquent in my bloggin'. Trying to make up for lost time in one swoop. Need to start off by saying that I have the BEST SECRET PAL. Her alias is "Erin Waters" and she started the ball rolling with an e-mail getting to know me better than just the questionairre. She then send me a Sheepy postcard to let me know that my first package would be in the mail shortly. Then we started swapping recipes every week...I totally plagiarized her idea for my secret pal (but I am using my own recipes). Then my first package came as you can see in the photo below:


My First Secret Pal 5 Package! 

I was almost reduced to tears when she included a really great bouncy ball for Elijah. I also got a bar of great smelling soap by Colonial Soaps (Apple Pie) and then 3 skeins of Knit Picks Shimmer in Morning Mist(decisions, decisions, decisions about what to use this wonderful fiber for) and finally a skein of Crystal Palace Chenille with a pattern for a bath mitt included. Might be something I use for mom whose birthday is coming up in September and then I can include her favorite bath stuff from The Body Shop.

I also had to come to grips with the fact that despite driving up and back to Asheville, NC from Tampa...it still wasn't enough time to finish Elijah's Harry Potter scarf in time for Friday night's parties to launch the next book. Here is a photo (a la Yarn Harlot's traveling socks) of the scarf on our way to NC.


Harry Potter Scarf on its way to NC 

At least I am almost half-way there so for sure it will be finito by Halloween so he can be Harry and then also wear it to the Goblet of Fire premiere on 11/18. We actually listened to Goblet of Fire on CD in the care on our way to NC and back.

Yes, our trip...spent a lot of time dragging my hubby and son to yarn stores. First up after visiting the Coca Cola museum in Atlanta was Cast-on-Cottage in Roswell.


Elijah w/ the Coca Cola polar bear at the museum 

Wow...rooms and rooms of yarn. Sorry no pics as I was pushing my luck as it was just being there! I spent the first 20 minutes just wandering around and around touching all of the yarnt hat I have only heard about. Ended up leaving with 2 skeins of koigu for socks, sheep taped measure and something for my secret pal (shhhh).


Koigu and sheep tape measure from Cast-on-Cottage 

They were all out of Mountain Colors Bearfoot (wanted to get some to make the new Rib and Cable Socks pattern in Fall Interweave 2005). Saturday afternoon after lunch in Black Mountain I dragged the troops to Wilde and Wooly (this time) they were smart and left me. Again I wandered around and around. I ended up getting two skeins of Diamusee fine by Diakeito in a very fallish colourway for socks for Sockapaltwoza and Elijah picked out some Trekking yarn for socks.


Trekking yarn for Elijah's socks on top and Diamusee fine for my sock pal's socks 

I started last nite and got to finish the cuff. Wonderful yarn! I actually found 2 more skeins on ebay. However, I left the store without picking up Diadomina by Diakeito...a sparkly mohair that I saw knitted up in a mulitdirectional scarf. Now of course I can kick myself. I did the same thing with yarn I saw at Cast on Cottage...a Great Adirondack Yarn with sequins that I saw in a really cool neck scarf with funky tassels at the ends.

And last but not least the one-year birthday party at my LYS, Knit N Knibble was fantastic! Got a lot of knitting done (planned on staying for the entire day because you needed to be present to win any of the door prizes) and actually won a whole bag of yarn...On Line 10 skeins 1800 yds Black Clip...that I plan to use for the corset pullover from Interweave.

Phew that's a mouthful!