FO: Trekkie cloth

I finished this in August but hadn't gotten around to taking a picture of it yet. It was knit with cotton on size 7 needles, and it took me about four hours total. It was a quick knit, and I had a lot of fun with it. As you can see I messed up on the symbol (it is supposed to be the Star Trek symbol) so next time when I knit this project I'll pay better attention to the pattern. I kind of spaced out on a few lines. lol So for now here is what I have. Oh, let me look up the link for the pattern. That's all for now!

http://milotis.wordpress.com/2006/05/08/baby-trekkie-washcloth/

Fabric

I bought new fabric to make curtains out of. I have never sewn with a sewing machine before so I'm really excited to learn how, and especially to make curtain for my new room!

I'm getting settled in just fine after the move. My mom and I have a craft room set up so she can do her quilting and I can do my scrapbooking. It is amazing. More news and pictures of that to come. Hopefully I'll get these curtains done soon to so I can share pics of those. :)

Simply Knitting

Mom went shopping today and when she came back she had presents for me!

A book: The Art of Drawing. (Yay!)

As well as a knitting  magazine from the UK called Simply Knitting.

Let me tell you, people I am IN LOVE with the magazine. I spent about an hour flipping through it and reading most of it. There mag has so much to offer including: letters from reading with pictures of knitting projects, ideas for charities to knit for, knitting around the world, knitting patterns, reviews of books, mags, and websites, products, yarn, etc, pictures of knitting techniques, and stories on a myriad of topics and events. The thing I liked the most was that it felt like it was a look at the knitting community in the UK, and around the world. There was a "home-y" feel to everything. There is a lot of reader participation and contests. I really like it. Oh and the greatest part is that you get a free gift with every issue AND the knitting penpal ads (did you hear people hear me, KNITTING penpals?!!). The gift that I got was a knitting calendar for 2010! How adorable is that? Every month has a different pattern.



Some of the websites that I discovered in October's Issue:

• A new (well new to me) knitting blog to read by knitting Designer Jared Flood. Link. 
• Sock Museum This is a website with the history of sock making, including sock patterns from all over the world that have been knit throughout history. Wicked cool!
• Craft Blips This is a site that searches all over the internet looking for "craft news and gossip". News about all different types of crafts including knitting, crochet, paper crafts, and quilting. Apparently there are several "Blips" sites gathering news on all sorts of topics. This site is the newest addtion to their collection. It's kind of, and I mean kind of, like the Digg of knitting.
  

Probably much more to come about this mag! Check it out if the get the chance. Mom found it at Barnes and Nobels and I looked online and you can order it directly from their website or from Amazon.

Massive Fail!

I have tons of other things going on in my life and I haven't had time to knit in a very long time. I am sad about this, but also glad that I do have time to spend on the other areas of my life that I need to focus on.

Things that are preventing me from knitting:
-I am getting ready to move so most of my knitting is boxed up already.
-I haven't picked up my needles since I've been home from my last tournament (which has been a little over a month), and the more time that passes the harder it is to find a project that inspires me enough to go yarn shopping.
-I am on a very strict budget. If I am not knitting then I am not tempted to look for yarn sales on the internet or to add anymore projects to my queue on Ravelry that will eventually cost me money to complete.

This is a period of great change in my life so I'm adjusting. Knitting would help sooth me but I just haven't picked up the needles in awhile. There is a lot of good stuff going on for me right now, a lot of change, and a lot of stuff that I'm proud of.

Hopefully when I get moved I will be able to put some more effort into this blog, and into my knitting in general. Knitting is one of my passions so I am sad when I am not doing it, but it is okay that I am not as obsessive with it right now as I usually am. There are other things in life that are also important!

The Big Move

So there obviously have not been a lot of updates on here lately. That would be due to the fact that I was working away in Mississippi and sadly I had little time for knitting. I'm back home now tho, but I still do not have much time for knitting. I am packing everything I own up in preparation for the big move to Oklahoma. My stuff is already packed from my last move, but not as well as I would like it to be...so I guess it would be more proper to say that I am "re-packing" everything I own. It shouldn't be that big of a deal but I don't know how much knitting I will be able to complete after I get everything packed up. That remains to be seen.

In the meantime, I broke out my Nintendo DS and have been playing that a ton. It is about time I got it back out since I spent so much money on it. I even bought myself a new game for it. So instead of knitting I'll be video gaming. Trust me though, I would much rather be knitting. Or at least gaming some of the time and knitting the rest of the time. I miss knitting.

Another part of the problem could be chalked up to the fact that I haven't found inspiration for a new project. I mean I have a pretty good sized queue on Ravelry, but that does not necessarily mean that I want to knit all of that stuff right away. I mean there are TONS of things that I could be doing...like Christmas presents, but like I said no inspiration right now. Hopefully I get motivated soon so I can start working on presents. You see, I'm a slow knitter, so starting now would mean that maybe four or five people would get handknit presents.

That's all I have for now. Wish me luck! I hope all the rest of you are knitting away, and loving every minute of it!

Progress

I decided to frog what I had of my socks so far, and I have good news! When I took the knitting off the needles it was actually round! There were not huge gaps like I thought there were be! I might be getting the hang of this knitting in the round thing with DPNs. I'm glad that I frogged cos I know that there will be plenty more mistakes and if I actually take my time and do it the right way then I might have a pair of socks eventually. It might take me a year to figure all of this stuff out, but I will get there some day.

Sorry there aren't any pictures but my poor little camera is dead and I can't fix it because I left the power cord at home or lost it or who knows what.

Socks

I'm knitting socks. Well trying to teach myself how to knit them actually. Things are off to a pretty slow start. These teeny tiny baby needles, and this precious fingering yarn that is finer than hair! That pattern that I don't understand...I mean Old Norwegian cast on? I have never heard of that and I looked up the video on knitting help but there.was.no.sound! You have got to be kidding me. I read the directions from the pattern and watched the video but I am still lost! I need helllp! Because those totally are not my socks over there. :)


For now I'm just using the cast on method that I know. I'm sure it will make things weird or screw something up in the pattern. I'm just too tired to mess with something that I worked at for at least ten minutes and know the same about it as when I first started. If I was not so tired or anxious to get on with the sock knitting I would give it more time. I'm sure that tomorrow, well not tomorrow but the next time I pick up my needles I will put more effort into learning this new (to me) cast on method.


If only I owned that book over there to the right! Then maybe I would have more to go off of! LOL! Then again there are plenty of resources on the internet, and I know that I will figure all of this out. If anyone has any hints or tips for me please let me know. Any information ya'll have to share with me about sock knitting would be great.

Wish me luck!

Update: I have been knitting for at least an hour and a half. In this 90 minutes I managed to get the right amount of stitches cast on, divided them the way I was supposed. Then everything all went terribly wrong. I somehow managed to have my work on only two needles instead of three. I figured out how to remedy that pretty quickly. Then it became increasingly clear as I went along that I could not follow the simple *K2, P1, K2, P1, repeat from * pattern. I pressed on anyway hoping that I was wrong about the (several, I'm sure) mistakes I made in this simple repeat. Then when I went to the second round I got through about 10 stitches and suddenly realized that I was no longer going to be using those set of repeats (I should have switched to *K1, RT (see Stitch Guide), k1, p1, RT, p1; rep from *
to end), but I did not bother to double check the pattern. I just kept on with my knitting and purling and totally forgot that "rnd 2" was supposed to be using a different set of repeats.

So I can:
1-Rip out and start over
2-Keep knitting the cuff pattern (yes they are top down socks) until I get it and THEN frog
3-Knit the whole sock even though there are bound to be many, many more mistakes along with the laundry list I have provided thus far.

I am rooting for option 3 because:
1-I am not going to knit two socks when the first one is so jacked up so,
2-I can just knit this one "practice" sock and frame it
3-Learn all of the things I have no idea how to do at this point including: Learn how to keep stitches tight when I switch needles, turn the heel of a sock, and make a toe.

I'll keep everyone updated as I progress. It might take me FOREVER to knit this one very ugly sock, but I'm going to get this all figured out even if it hurts my tender little fingers and makes me cry! Trial and error, my friends, trial and error.

Insanity, people, insanity!

Oh my gosh! I am officially obsessed with knitting. I have always loved knitting, but things have reached a new level. I have so many projects in my ravelry queue that it is insane. I cannot even AFFORD to buy all of the yarn (along with the knitting needles in various sizes that I do not currently own) to make said projects. I am always either doing actual knitting, looking up new projects on ravelry and the many other sites I have found patterns on, reading knitting patterns in books or magazines, watching knitting how-to videos, or reading knitting blogs. And when I say that is all I have been doing, I mean it! For at least the past week I have been obsessively doing anything and everything knitting related.

Now all I have to do is get a job that pays well enough to pay for all of the necessary supplies to accomplish all of these projects I want to knit. And by "pays well enough" I mean something that is at least six figures. Ha!

I want to learn how to knit shawls, sweaters, socks. All of these projects will take yarn that currently does not reside in my stash, needles I do not own, and possibly knitting books that I cannot afford. Oh, how I love books. Knitting books? Perfection.

I do not know what I am going to do with my new knitting fetish. All I can do is keep on knitting. And purling. :)

Something that keeps me grounded is the fact that I know I am not the only one that is this possesed with the need to knit, and to be surrounded by all things knitting. Trust me, people, I know about you and your stashes and your enthusiasm. Yay for knitting! Yay for other knitters! Yay for other knitting blogs!

Aunt Purl

So I have mentioned this amazing knitting blog that I have found once before. It is some of the funniest material that I have ever read, and it is even funnier because it is real. Very real, fun, emotional, knitting-related, and just so nice to read. The author refers to herself as Crazy Aunt Purl, and is a very talented writer and pretty nifty with computers because she often includes tons of pictures with captions and all sorts of other fun stuff. Ya'll will just have to check it out.

It is more than knitting because she started it just a couple of months after her husband left her. So it is about learning how to knit, learning how to emotionally deal with divorce, and her four cats. She calls her house Chez Spinster, even though she totally socializes all the time! I have been reading the archives because this blog started in 2005 and it is definitely worth my time to read all of the old posts. I encourage all of you to do the same. Or to at least START reading it now!

The link to this hilarious blog is here.

Knitting videos

Lion Brand Yarn has a YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/lionbrandyarn) with about ten different knitting technique videos, and more to come. The videos are all less than a minute long, but very informative. I was excited to find this because other channels that have videos are sometimes hard to view. However, these videos are simple and easy to find.

The techniques that they currently showcase are all simple stitches, increases, and decreases. Hopefully as they add more videos there will be more complicated stitches, etc.

Here are a couple of examples:







Enjoy!

Knit Princess

There is a webcomic about knitting! I know, I couldn't believe it either. I almost squealed when I happened upon it. I found it through another webcomic that I read, and I literally could not believe what I found. I am working my way through the archives as we speak.

I am now an even happier nerdy-spinster than I was before. :)

It is called Knit Princess and can be found at www.knitprincess.com

I am a...

Nerd, yes.

Spinster, yes.

Nerdy-spinster, priceless.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I have been OBSESSED with Harry Potter for a very long time.

I long ago accepted the fact that someone involved in the process of turning the books into movies is obsessed with changing as much as they think they can get away with. Meaning I try my best to think of the books and the movies as separate worlds, because that is in fact the case.

With that being said this movie is brilliant. Until the end.

I am angry and sad about the ending to this movie. I (stupidly) still hold some hold some hope that the seventh movie (which will come out in two installments) will not be completely ruined by what was done at the end of this movie.

There are some people that hold the opinion that this movie is going to make the seventh better. I disagree with that opinion. However, it all remains to be seen.

FO: Thingy

I have given up trying to find a name for this thing. I gave it to my mom and she is going to use it on the dining room table underneath the center piece. So it really is just a knitted thingy. One would think that I would come up with a grander name for my first FO (finished object) post ever/in history/finally, but that is not the case, clearly. Anyway on with the awesome pictures of my knitted awesomeness!




Pattern: I found the pattern for this free online at Knitting Knonsense. Click here to see it.

Yarn: Red Heart Ltd. Super Saver Multis/Ombres in the Ocean colorway.

Needles: US7

Modifications: None

Who it is for: Mom

What I learned while knitting this project: I learned some basic lace pattern knitting stitches.

What I was doing/Where I was while knitting this project: I began this project at home, took it to Tunica, MS with me. So I worked on it at home, at the airport, on the plane, in the hotel at Gold Strike (the casino I was working at), and then on the trip home, and finished it right here.

How long: Almost three months. This sounds absurd. However, I am terrible at just knitting one project at a time. If I were to just sit down and knit I could totally do this in a day.

I liked this pattern a lot. So much in fact that I have cast on a second one and it will probably take me just as long to complete as the first one since it won't be the primary project I'm working on. I have memorized the pattern and the project itself is portable so maybe it will not take as long. That remains to be seen.

Frogging

I just learned something new from one of my podcasts Brown-Eyed Mom and from one of my blogs CrazyAuntPurl. Frogging is another term for ripping out. I have never heard anyone say this before and then all in one day two people have used the term.

I like learning new stuff about knitting! Well about anything really, but since I am so obsessed with knitting these days, learning new knitting stuff is a bonus.

Gryffindor Socks

Today I finished the round project, and picked back up the Harry Potter scarf.

The newest project I have decided to cast on is a pair of Harry Potter themed socks. This is going to be a big project for me. Firstly, I have not knit socks before. I have knit in the round before since that is the technique that I am using for the Harry Potter scarf. However, it is not with double pointed needles, it is with a circular needle. I have been doing some research online for what all knitting with double pointed needles entails.

Secondly, I have never done intarsia before and from what I hear from other knitters it is a complicated and frustrating process. But from the videos I see online it does not seem like it is going to be that big of a deal. It just seems like something else to pay attention to while working on a project. The part that is going to be most difficult for me is trying to figure out where in the project to insert the picture. The pattern calls for the designs to be embriodiered rather than to use intarsia. I'll figure it out when I get there.

Thirdly, I do not know any other knitters that I can meet with in person so, just as with all of my other projects, I am on my own. I feel very brave and excited about the start of this project. I think I will cast on tomorrow when I find my DPN's. I know they are somewhere but did not have much success because my mom is sleeping and I do not want to wake her up.

So if everything goes well during my haitus from dealing poker I will finish the scarf and be done with at least a good part of one of the socks. I always set these timelines for my knitting and never seem to accomplish them, but I will continue to do it because I have to at least pretend that I am not the slowest knitter in the world or the worst procrastinator when it comes to darning and blocking projects.

Still waiting...

Well I did not get around to anything knitting related today. However, it was a productive day since I got laundry and done and booked my plane ticket to Mississippi. I feel like tomorrow is going to be a good day for knitting. I have got a few small things to get done and then I can move on to a new project. My mom is wanting me to knit something for her dog so I think that I will try something from a pattern book she bought me that uses a technique I have not tried before. There are tons of projects that I want to get started with but I do not have the yarn to start those projects. So why not work on something that I can gift to my favorite dog?!

Be on the lookout for the FO post. I am so excited about it so hopefully I get some time tomorrow to get it taken care of.

Coming soon!

So today I finished knitting a project! So that means that very soon (hopefully sometime tomorrow) there will finally (finally!) going to be an FO post of this blog. Isn't that going to be crazy?! All I have to do is is sew the project together and block it and take pictures and you all will be able to see what I have finished. I am so excited to have finished a project for once. Well I "finished" the baby booties but they still have been put together yet. However, I have every intention of taking care of the loose ends of a couple of projects tomorrow and getting some work done on the Harry Potter scarf that has been on the needles for months now. I promised myself that I wouldn't start something new until I finish everything that is on the needles right now. And since I have a lot of great stuff that I would really, really like to start I have all the motivation I need to get those projects finished once and for all.

I really do have a bad habit of having multiple projects going at once. I'm like that with all of my hobbies. I have multiple scrapbook pages that are only part of the way done, short stories that need more attention, drawings that are only partly completed and have been that way for years, as well as the three or four knitting projects that I've been neglecting. So I guess what I am going to do for now is is working on not letting this habit take over my knitting like it has with everything else. There really is nothing I can do about the drawings and the writing because I only like working on that stuff when I feel like it. With knitting I always feel like doing that and it is much easier since I am following a pattern of someone else and not working from my own inspirations. Someday I will be able to say that I'm making my own patterns for knitting but that is a long way down the road. I want to tackle yarn dying and spinning and other stuff like that before I start designing patterns.

Something else I would like to tackle is uploading pictures of some of my finished projects from my scrapbook. Once I get my desktop computer hooked back up I will have access to my scanner and be able to do that. So when I have nothing else to share on here about knitting I can just share something about a favorite page or two from my scrapbook.

Another idea that I have been toying with is starting a podcast. It seems like it would be so awesome. That dream is nothing something that can come to fruition anytime soon but it is nice to think about. In the meantime I just take note of ideas for a show and daydream about what it will be like when I get there.

That's all for now! Look out for that FO post coming soon!

Tunica, Mississippi

Tunica, Mississippi is one of the more interesting stops around the country for me. This is the first time that I have been here, and I have found some really neat things here as well as some really weird things here. Let's start with the humidity and the mosquitoes. They are the two most unpleasant things to deal with here or anywhere really. Anybody that has heard anything about the South before already knows about the humidity. It takes your breath away when you walk outside and you get all sticky. In fact it is such a noticable change that it makes my eyeglasses fog up when I go outside after being inside for a while.

Besides the different weather than I am used to the only bad thing I would have to say about this area is how out of the way everything is. I mean I come from a small town, but this place is different because the casinos are out in the middle of nowhere. So I have to DRIVE to a small town from here to get to anywhere, including the laundrymat. Which is fine for the most part because my roommate has a car. It is just a pain to take time from my sleep schedule to get up before work and go out and run errands.

So enough complaining and on to the wonderful things about this area. I love how nice and friendly almost everyone is. The people are not quite as nice as everyone in Biloxi but still noticeable nicer than other places I have been.

The casinos here are pretty cool. They are fairly generous with their food comps which makes me happy because it helps me minimize my expenses. There is also plenty of poker action at the casion I am at plus the one next door so when I get off work there are games that I want to play. I can play here where I work (which I prefer not to do) where the touranment is going on (so of course there is going to be action) or I can go right next door and still find plenty of my type of action.

I can not put into words how different the South is, all I can do is tell everyone how much I love. The food here is the best part. Lots of yummy yummy dishes, comfort type foods as well as things I have never tried before, with good sized portions and lots of side dishes. I have not found a place to eat around here that I have not liked yet. There isn't anything amamzing that I have found yet, even though I know it is here since I am so close to Memphis, but everything is at least solid.

Okay that is enough about non-knitting related conversation.

Until next time!

...

I'm making progress on the lacey round knitted thing I've been working on. Even though it is a fairly simple pattern that I'm working on I have had to rip out three times. I think that is silly but at least I have enough patience to go back to correct my mistakes and do things the right way. This patter is a lot of fun and I like it because it is fairly simple but there is still enough going on to keep my interest. However, since there is almost always something new going on with each row (the pattern repeats a lot but there is stuff changing all the time) I need to pay a lot of attention to my knitting. That is obviously something I have not been doing, but will work on it next time I pick up my needles for this pattern.

I will be working for the next three weeks so don't know how much time I will have to update the old blogy-blog or even to knit so I have will have things to report. As always I will at least make an effort to put something new up here every once in a while, even if it isn't strickly crafting related.

Happy Knitting!

ZENcast

I finally got serious about buying an mp3 player this past Christmas, after years and years of not having one. It took me so long because I am insanely indecisive especially when it comes to electronic purchases. So I did (literally!) hours of research online trying to figure out which brand, and then which model, of player I wanted. I had done research before but never decided on what to buy. Anyway, as I said, I finally got serious about this purchase and decided on the Creative Zen. I am very, very happy with my choice. It is super easy to use and it was a great choice for me to start out with. I won't bore you with all of the details on why it is so great, but if you really want to know why I'll tell you!

Originally I bought an mp3 player just to have music with me all of the time. Now I am ready to try podcasts, videos, and all the other cool stuff that I was too overwhelmed with at first. I had no idea how any of this worked and I basically just assumed that since I didn't have an iPod I wouldn't be able to listen to "podcasts". Well this is not true. I searched google and found that there is this HUGE site out there called ZENcast. There are millions of songs, videos, and even TV channels at ZENcast.com

When I found this amazing site I was totally thrilled. I am having so much fun trying to figure all of this out. There is tons of help for me on the site too so I don't feel like such a dummy. Creative has a lifetime customer in me between their stellar devices and super awesome websites.

Alright well that is enough for now. I am going to play around with my new discovery for a while. I will keep everyone updated on the awesome things that I find.

As for any knitting or scrapbook news I have none because I have been soooooo busy with so many other things. I am actuallly getting ready to go back to work for another month so I doubt there will be any posts about knitting (or anything of the kind) anytime soon but as soon as there is something to report y'all will be the first to know! Hopefully soon I will have more free time to work on my crafty-type stuff. Or maybe I'll just learn how to manage my time more successfully....

Yarn dyeing.

I am totally ready to dye my own yarn and I just found the coolest page that will help me when I get enough time to try it out. Knitpicks is apparently one of the greatest knitting sites ever! Along with Ravelry.com and the other links on my page.

Anyway I am so excited to check this out. It looks fun and fairly easy to accomplish. Yay! for fun new things to try. :)

Las Vegas.

I hardly have anything knitting related to report. For the past couple of weeks I have been focused on working and getting everything taken care of that goes with that like: meetings, orientation, buying uniform pants and shirts, and just attempting to get back in the swing of things. Anyway besides working I have been spending some time sightseeing all there is to check out here in fabulous Las Vegas and catching up with friends and co-workers. There certainly is plenty to do in this town. Probably this weekend or the next I will be finishing up the projects that I need to get done, and then starting a new one. The things that I am most excited about is yarn shopping! I have decided that the next thing that I attempt is going to be something I have never done before so we'll see how that goes. In the meantime, here are some pictures of some animals.

This is the Lion that can be found at MGM Grand. It was super cool to check him out.

Here are some flamingos that are part of the bird exhibit at the Flamingo casino. Also cool to check out.

Casting on again!

So I've started yet another new project.

I still haven't finished the Harry Potter scarf.

Still haven't done the finishing for the baby winter booties.

I am most of the way done knitting the baby blanket. However, I still need to do more knitting for the main part of the blanket. Then I need to knit the hood, which is ten inches of knitting. Then I need to block and finish.

The new project that I have started seems simple but fun. I picked it because it is something that I hopefully get done quickly, and use up some yarn that I have lying around. I have a ton of yarn hanging out that I bought just because I liked it or it was on sale so there aren't any projects in mind for the yarns. I think I do better when I find a pattern first and then buy the yarn.

My knitting goals for today and tomorrow:

1. Finish baby booties.
2. Complete the main part of the baby blanket.
3. Get the HP scarf out and start working on it again.

My knitting goals before I start yet another new project:

1. Finish booties, blanket, scarf, and this project.
2. Pick something I haven't tried before like socks or a sweater.
3. Buy supplies necessary for new project.

Links:
This pattern
My ravelry post for this project

Hooded Baby Blanket.

I still have not done the finishing on the baby booties but I'm trying to get around to it. Like I said it isn't one of my favorite parts of the knitting process.

However, I am making some good progress with my other baby knitting project.


The link to that free pattern is here. The baby blanket that I started the other day is about 1/5th of the way done. The entire project is going to take about 50 inches of knitting and I just finished a little over 10 inches. Of course when I get done with all of that then I will have some sewing and (yay!) finishing. More updates and pictures of my actual work to come later. :)

Pictures at last!

I am almost done with the winter booties! I have finished knitting both booties. I just have to do all of the finishing and weaving. This is my least favorite part of knitting, well after casting on, so I think that I'm going to wait until tomorrow to finish up this project.

I am too excited to start a new project! I have cast on a hooded baby blanket. I am knitting this for one of my co-workers that is having twins. I don't know if I am going to make two of the same blankets or find another pattern. I will decide when I finish this one. If I really love the pattern I will knit the same one. However, if I find something else cool along the way I will try that. Twins ALWAYS get the same so I think it would be cool to knit them unique pieces so they can have something that is their own.

It is always so amazing to me to see how yarn can transform into useful objects!

This is what things looked like after I shaped the inseam for the first boot.

I was so excited to finish the first bootie!

Here they both are! Like I said I just have some last minute stuff to finish up and then I will post the FO write-up and pictures! Y'all can probably expect that sometime tomorrow.

Haha!

There is nothing wrong with my knitting skills after all. I wasn't doubting that too much, but still after two failed attempts I was certainly losing my patience. Pictures to come after dinner! I am making some great progress that I can't wait to share with everyone. :)

After dinner update: I finished one bootie! So I am about 45% done with the entire project. I took a few pictures along the way but I haven't gotten them up on the computer yet. When I do load them I will share them. I am so excited that I actually made progress. I love knitting booties because there are so many different ways to make them and each time I make a pair I learn a new technique.

Arrrgggghhhhhaaaa!

There is either something really wrong with my knitting skills or I am just having a really off day. I am hoping that it is the latter but that is yet to be determined. I have cast on the winter booties TWICE and had to unravel things TWICE. The first time I got about 20 rows done before I made a mistake. I tried to fix my mistake but got frustrated and just took it apart. The second time I had 8 rows done and realized that I had screwed something else up. I don't know if I copied the pattern down wrong or if I cast on too many stitches (I copied it down so I didn't have to knit in front of the computer) but there was something terribly wrong going on with the stitch count. I didn't even bother trying to fix it again...I just took it apart. I am going to assume that since tomorrow is a new day I might be able to actually get some work done on this project. I have given up today (for the second time!) so I don't go completely insane.

The thing that I am most frustrated with is how simple and straightforward the beginning of this pattern is and I still can't seem to get it right. Holy cow...I really need to get some sleep and give this a try tomorrow with some fresh hands and a fresh attitude. Good night for now! Good luck with all of your projects and other adventures.

Whew! I feel better already after that little rant!

Baby Winter Booties

I have FINALLY cast on a new project! I just started some little baby booties that look like Ugg's. They are the cutest things I have ever seen! The pattern is from here, and you can check out my ravelry page here for more details for now. When I put up the FO I will include all of the details about yarn, needle size, etc on this blog. I am very excited about this project for a few reasons. First of all it is the first time that I will have actually finished booties. Also, they are going to be for someone else (well duh! since I don't have any kids myself), and because it has been a while since I have had some free time to knit.

Busy!

So I have nothing even closely related to knitting to report. I have been so busy for the past month. I went to Tahoe to deal there, then back to Pendleton to deal there, then drove down to Vegas to do paperwork for the Series, and then flew home. When I got home I took about ten minutes off and then moved all of my worldly belongings to my mom's house. Then mom had surgery today so I spent the day at the hospital and thankfully everything is fine. We are back at home now. In anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks mom will be fully recovered. When she is feeling better I need to organize my stuff and get everything packed for the Series. I'll have some pictures and some knitting to share soon (I promise)! I hope that all of your projects are going well!

Yummy, yummy food

I don't really have a lot of knitting news to share right now since I'm busy working in Lake Tahoe. I have tons of pictures to share with everyone but I won't be able to do that until I get back home. I have so much great stuff to share but it will have to wait until I get done with this tourney and the next one. However, I decided that I would share something with y'all. Inspired by one of my best friends ever, Val, I have compiled a list of my favorite places to eat around the country. I guess since I travel so much and I'm on the road right now I want to offer something that is relevant to my travels.

I will start in Las Vegas since that is where I started my journey as a professional traveling poker dealer. Now it is important to keep in mind that I have very few high-end restaurants and eateries on this list since those are not the type of places that I normally eat at. A few times I have been treated to some very special places but that only happens every once in a while. So here we go.

Las Vegas:
Roberto's- This is a great chain/fast food type place. There are mostly Mexican dishes but as per usual with Mexican and Italian and Chinese places they offer some "American" dishes like hamburgers and such. One of the reasons that this is on my list is that the food is very simple but well prepared. I am a huge fan of this process.

Sammy's Woodfired Pizza- Sammy's is a bar and restaurants. It is great because they have unique and fun food along with tradition items. It is also a chain but a semi-local chain. They have branches in Nevada, California, and maybe a couple of other states. Probably the best part is the "Tapas" because after I get off of work it is after 2am and during that time at Sammy's the tapas/appetizers are half priced. The bartends are always really cool here and the pizza is phenomenal. They have found all sorts of neat things to do with pizza and they are personal sized pizzas but are enough for two people if you both aren't super hungry.

P.F. Chang's- Or B.F. Wangs as my friends and I sometimes call it is one of my fave places to eat period. Another chain...I seem to be obsessed with this type of dining facilities. It is family style dining with an excellent menu. All of the dishes are very well prepared and super delicious. I always look forward to a meal at P.F. Chang's. When you go you absolutely have to eat the chicken lettuce wraps and try the mini desserts that come in shot glasses.

Edit: Mushasi's- This has to be one of the best restaraunts in the universe. Seriously any of you that EVER go to Vegas must try this place out. It is on Paradise and Corporate. It is a Japanese grill so the food is prepared right in front of you. There is even some entertainment and fire used in the preparing of the food. Between midnight at 3am there is a half-priced menu for food. Ridiculous! The food is some of the yummiest that I have ever had. The owner/head chef is named Tiger and he is hilarious. He makes everyone feel welcome and laugh the whole time. Some of the greatest food ever...seriously. Please go and tell Tiger I said hello and I miss his cooking and him. :)

Seattle, Washington:
Buca di Beppo's- The first time I went to Seattle with two of my greatest friends we ate here because one of said friends used to work at a Bucas. He is a chef and an amazing one at that. Anyhow this is another chain, and another family style dining place. This place barely makes the list because I am so damn picky about Italian food. There is a simple explanation for this...nobody makes it like Grandma used to.
There is another place that I really like to eat at in Seattle but I have no idea what it is called. I will do a little research and get back to you.

Oregon Coast:
Mo's- A semi-local chain with literally the best clam chowder and chili bowls on the planet. I actually did not start eating clam chower until I had it here a couple of year's ago. It is also a fun place to eat because it is usually right on the water and they have a neat gift shop area.

The Seaside Candyman- This isn't exactly a restaurant but they have really awesome Salt Water Taffy. And if you got to the Oregon coast you absolutely cannot leave without trying some. It is one of the greatest candies on the planet. It is also just a fun store to go in and look around in. There is a lot of specialty candies and things that one might remember from childhood but can't find anywhere else.

Reno, Nevada:
Claim Jumpers- Basically everything here is home-cooked type stuff but it is very well prepared and there is a little mix of fine-dining thrown in there. They try some really fun stuff with the sauces and flavoring in the most traditional American family meals. Things like baked potatoes, turkey dinner, meatloaf, various roasted chicken dinners, and mac and cheese. There is also a good selection of fabulous desserts.

Chicago, Illinois:
Blackbird- This is my first experience at very fancy fine-dining establishment. The service was unique to only these type of restaurant and the experience itself was something new and different. The food is French-inspired but it is also fairly progressive and unique...it was the first time that I have eaten French food and it was great. I think my fave part of this experience was the wrap that they gave me when I went outside to smoke. It was so fabulous I considered stealing it, but of course I don't do that. It was a cashmere D&G wrap that was so soft and comfortable that I kind of felt like I was on a cloud in heaven.

Biloxi, Mississippi:
Waffle House- I had only heard stories of Waffle House and when I finally got the opportunity to go down South for the first time I had to try it for myself. It is amazing. One of my favorite places to eat on the planet. All of the food is very simple and traditional but is exceptionally prepared. Most of the stuff is breakfast stuff but they also have steak and things like that for lunch/dinner. I ate here almost everyday when I was in Biloxi.

Cracker Barrel- Very similar to Claim Jumpers only they aren't as creative with the dishes and they also have a neat gift shop area to check out after eating with all sorts of fun and unique gifts.

Lake Tahoe, Nevada/California:
Rigoerto's- Pretty much just like Roberto's only there is only one and it is right here in Lake Tahoe.

Wolfgang Puck Express- I did not know such a place existed. This is what I had for lunch today and it was great. Again it was everything I want out of a restaurant. It is kind of a fast food place because it isn't a sit-down restaurant. You order at the register and get your food yourself when it is ready. All the dishes are traditional Italian and American dishes with Wolfgang's fine dining flair. I had a penne pasta with ham and goat cheese that was super awesome.

As you can plainly see I love food and love to try new things. There are a lot of places out there to eat that I may or may not have heard of that I have always wanted to try. Traveling as much as I do and to as many places as I go to affords me the chance to do just this. I didn't used to think I was such a small-town, country girl until I started discovering all of this great food that is out there that most other people already know about.

Portland Zoo.

As far as knitting goes I'm still working on the Hogwarts and suprise scarves. The surprise scarf is not going well. I am having a very difficult time with the mesh stitch. I'm going to practice it more with some scarp yarn before I do any more damage to the actual scarf.

As far as everything else goes...my family and I went to the Portland Zoo today. It was awesome. We were there literally all day. We got there at 9.30am and didn't leave until almost 3pm. Tons of pictures were taken and everyone had a good time.



This first picture that I am sharing with y'all is a picture from the hotel room. Make note of the name that was chosen for the shampoo and conditioner. I do not understand why the word 'tame' has been brought in to play, but there it is.

Mom and I at the beginning of the day.

This happens to be one of the cutest animals at the Zoo. Also one of the cutest Otters I have seen in a while.

This picture would be perfect if there wasn't a rain spot right on my neck. It is neat to have a picture of the three of us togehter. Thanks to a passerby this was possible.

This is my favorite picture of the day. The Walrus back there is totally checking me out...

There was an incident with a Tiger later that day, but I didn't have the camera with me at the time. Said Tiger watched me for at least five minutes and smiled (meaning roared) at me three times. It was great.

Ravelry

I finally got my invitation to join this site. It is a beta site for a knitting community. There are already a TON of people on there and there is so much information. I'm very excited about this knitting community and all of the information, ideas, and everything else that is here for me to discover. There is a notebook section where I can share what projects I'm currently working on, how much progress I have made on those projects, create a database that includes what yarn and other knitting supplies that I have on hand. Also I can see what everyone else is working on and what they have completed. The other features that I have not checked out yet are the forums and the shop. It seems to be a fantastic website and I love everything about it.

In other events: I'm in Portland on my family trip. We are having a great time. The three of us spent 3+ hours in the store looking around. My mom got plenty of new quilting supplies. I bought some yarn for a super cute baby bootie pattern I want to try out (more info on this later), an amazing thing known as a "Yarn-tainer", a row counter, and some folding scissors. We did not take any pictures in the store although we had every intention of doing so. The good news is that there should be plenty of pictures from the zoo tomorrow.

That's all for now! More later when I'm back home and on my own computer/not super tired. Happy knitting! And those of you that are on Ravelry already look me up and add me as a friend. My user name is shopgirlkc

Ta-ta:)

Today's mail!

Today in the mail I finally got my book of Harry Potter inspired knit projects. This wonderful book is called Charmed Knits and is by Alison Hansel. There is all sorts of neat stuff on her blog too. There is also this blog that goes with the book.

I was so excited that if finally got there. There are TONS (28) of patterns in this book and I literally want to knit them all RIGHT NOW. I'm not sure what I am going to start with. I don't know if I'm ready to try a sweater yet or not. Anyway stay tuned! LOL. I am just going to have to pace myself. There are tons of other things that I have to get done like presents for other people and stuff.

Two Scrapbook Pages

New Year's Eve 2008

I have finally started putting together some pages from my 21st birthday...which was over a year ago. Here is the first page I have made. To celebrate the occasion I went to Las Vegas with my mom and one of my best friends. It was on New Years Eve and we had a great time. I want to remember that vacation forever.




Supplies:

• 2 sheets of 12'x12' paper. One regular, one card stock.
• One sheet of smaller, colored card stock
  
• Glitter cardboard alphabet letters
• Alphabet and travel theme stickers
• Travel stamp
  

These page took me about an hour each to make, but I'm sure it doesn't take that long if you know what you are doing beforehand. My personal method is to get out all of my pages, pick out a color theme, and go for it. I do not plan out a whole lot; I just go with the flow. I am not totally in love with the page, but I do like certain aspects of it. I'm sure it will grow on me. I'm such a perfectionist that I rarely like anything I make right away.

Poker Tournament

This picture is from a Stud Tournament that I played in last Fall. Again, I finally got around to scrapping it.

Supplies:

• One page 12'x12' colored card stock
• One page smaller theme card stock
• Poker stickers
• Rub-on vellum boarder designs
• For the "STUD/8" letters I used a Cricket but anything would do. Magazine letters, handwritten, etc.
  

Needle Holder

I use all sorts of things to carry my knitting supplies in. My favorite things to use are lunchboxes. Plastic or tin both work fine. I like that each one is unique and fun. You can find them all over. They seem to be making somewhat of a come back. Although I'm sure not many of them are being used to carry around lunches anymore.

Another thing that I am using to carry my knitting supplies around in is this needle holder that mom made for me. She used two pieces of spare fabric, some ribbon, and a sewing machine. It took her about an hour and she didn't even need a pattern. She just started sewing away and came up with this.

There are two levels for storage of needles. I don't have that many needles right now but I'm sure that someday I will. Especially since I have been trying so many different types of patterns lately that require very different sized needles.
Thanks mom!

Hogwarts Scarf

I am what you might call a Harry Potter fanatic. I am obsessed with the books and movies and have been for over eight years. So when I found this free pattern for making a Hogwarts House scarf I had to immediately start it.
I had to go out and buy a 16" size US9 circular needle and the appropriate colors for this pattern. The pattern recommends a size 6 or 8 needle but I prefer to work with larger needles. I'm sure some day I will try the pattern with even smaller needles but not this time. It is the first time that I have knit in the round and it is going well so far. I like it quite a lot. There is not as much to keep track off when I'm taking a break.
This is the progress that I have made so far. The colors of the yarn do not show up quite so well in the pictures. I will have to experiment with light and such a bit when I post updates. The scarlet yarn is Red Heart (worsted/4) #0376 Burgundy. The gold/yellow color is TLC Essentials which is a Red Heart brand (worsted/4) #2327 Sandstone. These colors would not be my first choice but after working with them a little I do like how well they go together. The colors fit my purpose and since they were the only colors I could find in a store I'm happy. I did not want to have to wait for something I ordered online to show up. Maybe next time I will try some of the suggestions that are found on the website but for now I'm glad I got to start the project right away.

Mary Jane Baby Booties

For the first time ever I have tried to make some baby booties. One of my best friends ever is having a baby girl soon. I have only made one bootie so far but it seems to be going well. I found this free pattern on the How Stuff Works website.

I used some scrap yarn that was probably a little too heavy of a weight for baby booties, but this was more of a test run. I have never made booties before and there were also some techniques in the pattern that I have never tried before. The size 3 needles recommended in the pattern work quite well. I'm sure if you tried a larger needle you could make booties that fit older than newborn children.

Some of my fav knitting sites

Knitting Help

This site is an amazing resource for all knitters but specifically for beginners/intermediate. It includes tons of how-to videos for nearly every technique. They are all very simple and straightforward. I use this site often especially when I'm trying a new pattern. If I come across something I have never done before I go to this site immediately and have my questions answered.

Lion Brand Yarn
This is the official website for Lion Brand Yarn. They have over 2,000 free patterns for all skill levels.

Free Patterns and Helpful Info
This is the "How Stuff Works" site and it has all sorts of hobby related (and other) information on it. The knitting section has plenty of useful information on it. I have found a couple of great patterns on here and some good tips as well.

Harry Potter Crafts
The-Leaky-Cauldron is a great website for Harry Potter fans. I have checked it out several times in the past and recently I found the section of the site that has HP projects that I can make myself.

Harry Potter Knitting Projects
This website is run by a true Harry Potter fan and a talented knitter. There are free patterns on this site for House scarves, hats, gloves, etc. I am currently working on a Hogwarts scarf with the pattern from this site.

I finally started a blog! Welcome. This is going to be the place where I share my knitting and other creative projects with the world. My wonderful Grandmother taught me how to knit when I was fairly young. I learned the very basics then: how to cast on, knit stitch, purl stitch, and how to cast off. I played around with yarn and knitting needles as I watched her turn a pile of yarn into a pair of socks or a sweater in mere hours. She was amazing to watch and very talented. I never saw her with a pattern and I am quite sure that she didn't even know how to read them. All she needed was a set of needles, plenty of yarn, and a little time and she was capable of making just about anything. I personally did not start knitting seriously until a couple of years ago. I was using simple patterns to make things like scarves and pot-holders. However, in the last couple of months I have really gotten back into knitting and I have learned some new techniques by expanding on what Grandma had already taught me. I have also learned how to read patterns. Online I have found many resources and free patterns to help me along the way. The internet really is an amazing and helpful place.