Another week

The Knit in Public Day gathering was very fun. The day was beautiful and it seemed like around a 100 knitters working away or wandering about admiring everyone's work. I saw some beautiful sweaters, socks, bags, you name it! I took my camera but since I knew not one person there I was too shy to take photographs - I just parked my chair near a friendly looking group of knitters and took off on another round of the endless Market Bag. I really Really REALLY want to finish this x0!% bag after nearly 7 skeins of yarn. I miss my unfinished socks (I'm truly afraid I'll forget how to do the gussets) and I know I have to finish them so I can start something new as a vacation project. I'm trying to keep to a small project, suitable for keeping my hands busy for a week since Jack has already asked with a tone of fear "Honey..how MUCH yarn are you going to have to haul on vacation?" I have a gorgeous stash of Lorna's Laces superwash in the Hawaii color..mostly white with sections of striking purple and teal. I found this free pattern for a very lacy sock that I think will showcase the yarn beautifully.

Of course I am swatching up a cotton/linen blend for a before-mentioned shawl as well. Hmm. All the yarn for that might appear before the end of July, who knows?

Jack and I play on a beach volleyball league here in Chicago. It's a lot of fun but it basically means that neither of us can move on Saturday. Ugh. I was called into work today so I'll ride my bike and hope to stretch out the soreness.

Yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of CAT - Crochet-A-Thon (from Crochetlist of Yahoo Groups). CAT is an amazing thing to me, a charity is picked each month and crocheters (and knitters!) donate their time and stitching for the chosen charity and it's needs. They pick a 24 hour time frame and meet in an MIRC chatroom over that 24 hours to yak while they work..pretty amazing! I was to have hosted an hour tonight but work is going to interfere and that bums me out. Hopefully next month but I'm sorry to be missing an anniversary month. Bleh. Work.

Friday Monkey

Yanno, I'm starting to think of Monkey as Mon-key in the same way Shrek says "Don-key". Scary. Here is the relaxing Friday night Monkey doin his (my) thing.



Tomorrow is World Knit in Public Day and supposedly Chicago knitters have a big gig going on at Millenium Park. I have this vision of hundreds, no Thousands of knitters working away on projects together all afternoon. I'm going to toss my bike and knitting on the train and go check it out for the afternoon. God knows I need to spend 4 solid hours working on this bag in order to be caught up for my next class lesson on Tuesday evening. We're doing the Market Squares Bag from Bags-A Knitter's Dozen. It's an entrelac style so I'm getting huge experience picking up stitches and more stitches and yet MORE stitches.

I have finished the last increase row and have started the decreases with Tier 7. I'm convincing myself that I WILL get to Tier 15 by Tuesday. After all, they're getting smaller each row, right?? Right. (help) Here's a shot of the bag as is..a big knarly mess in a beautiful Noro Kureyon.

Virtual Vacation Swap Questionaire!

1. If you could visit any state in the US, which would it be and why?
Hawaii..I adore the water and tropical foliage/flowers.

2. If you could visit any country in the world, other than your own, which would it be and why?
I would LOVE to visit Australia. I actually like hot weather and lots of sun and I bet their yarns are very cool!

3. Have you ever driven across several states/providence/countries?
Yes. I have driven from Chicago to San Francisco. Not planning on it again anytime soon. :P

4. Have you ever visited someplace you consider exotic? Where was it?
It wasn't a city or state but Hearst Castle was amazing to me from the grounds to the history to the castle itself and its state of preservation.

5. What was your favorite "travel" vacation? Why?
My favorite vacation was when I flew into San Rafael, CA and picked up a rental car. I then spent 10 days driving along the coast on Highway 1, stopping each day somewhere different. I ended up in Escondido where I spent another week with beloved friends.

6. Have you ever played tourist in your own home city/state (if international, country)? Explain.
My girlfriend and I do this ALL the time. Our friends live all over the country and Chicago is SO rich in attractions and culture! Whenever someone comes that hasn't visited before we take vacation time and do all the touristy things all over again.

7. Are you a museum visitor, beach comer or an amusement seeker?
Beach first, museum second. I don't seek amusement-I carry it in a ziplock. It's called yarn :)

8. What's your favorite type of yarn?
That's tough because I'm still so inexperienced. Of the yarns I've handled I think I like Noro Silk Garden the best. I also love Lorna's Laces superwash sock yarn, it feels way cushy on the toes!

9. What's your least favorite type of yarn?
Red Heart Super Saver, rough acrylics

10. What items do you like to knit/crochet?
I have a passion for lacy shawls although my skills aren't quite there yet. I also love socks since I learned how and I'm a bag/purse maniac. I am in a class for the Market Squares Bag in the book Bags..A Knitter's Dozen and now that I've learned to pick up stitches I see many totes in my future..

11. What do you pack, knit/crochet wise when you go on vacation?
I just started knitting last November so I haven't had a vacation yet. We're planning one end of July though and my girlfriend is already asking (with a touch of fear in her voice) just "how" much yarn I'll need to bring. I'm planning to try to be sensible and just start a new pair of socks. After all, I'm visiting yarn shops in the D.C. area while there...

12. What other crafts do you do/would like to do other than Knit/Crochet?
Right now I only knit, it's my obsession. I at one point in my life wasn't so singular and crocheted, cross stitched, quilted, sketched. The only other thing that tempts me right now is stringing jewelry or more specifically trying to make beautiful stitch markers.

13. Are you allergic to anything? (Yarn wise or treat wise)
No, but I'm not big on sweets ( I know, blasphemy)

14. What is your favorite color? Least Favorite?
GREEEEEEEEEN!!!!!!! I love it! Least favorite..hmm. Pastels. Baby colors (ICK)

15. Sweet or Savory (Treat not personality)?
Savory!
16. Anything else we are forgetting to ask that you think your partner desperately needs to know? I'm a relatively new knitter and a new swapper. I think I'll be pretty easy to please!

Monkey Travels

The monkey travelled to Park Ridge today. My co-workers 'had' to see him in person and he has now been kidnapped for the day by Natalya.

I am suffering to resist buying the yarn to make this shawl:http://elann.com/ShowFreePattern.asp?Id=209024

I have more shawl yarn than some small 3rd world countries. I don't need anymore. Really. (but the greens are sooooo nice and I'd love a cotton/linen shawl) Nevermind that I have a shawl on needles already halfway done that I've abandoned because it was an acrylic wool blend that I no longer like the feel of. Nevermind that I'm not very experienced with lace techniques and probably would mess up this pattern bad.

I could just do a blend of fern, pistachio and waterfall...

Journey

I taught myself to knit last October - I can't remember why but there was a big 'reason'. I used to crochet but that's history, let me tell you. I got tired of squares and rectangles pretty quickly but couldn't master things like picked up stitches and such on my own. I realized I had to do it.

I had to...

Find a LYS that didn't scare me and find a class. EGAD.

Chicagoland actually has a wealth of stores and I'm blessed in that. Visiting them and finding a comfort zone with the staff took a little more for me. Finally, Loopy Yarns seemed to fit the bill after a visit and I emailed the owner explaining exactly what I'd taught myself. She recommended a sock class which I LOVED!!

Himself

I am primarily a knitter but I fell for this sock monkey kit several months ago. It said ages 7 and up you see, and my niece was coming for the weekend.

Pfffffttttt#@x!*%!!!!!

The first thing it required listed INSIDE the package was a sewing machine which I didn't have. This produced a very disappointed niece (Madison) and girlfriend (Jack) who has this wierd obsessive love of sock monkeys.

One hand-me-down sewing machine later he lives (sort of). I give you the Lazy Sock Monkey.