Tuesday This ‘n That

Labor Day was fairly uneventful around here, since it’s honestly too hot to do anything. If you read any blogs from others Californians, then you already know that we’re having an extreme heat wave. For example, last night at 7pm it was 90 degree INSIDE my home and I’d had the air conditioner on since 8am that morning. In addition to the hot weather though, my health has taken a turn for the worse and in addition to my normal Fibromyalgia symptoms, I’m battling the return of all my Epstein-Barr Virus symptoms. Supposedly it has returned because my immune system sucks, so I’m attempting to remedy that with a 30-day trial for what I hope to be “miracle” vitamins.

Laura recently asked me about the sock I was designing to see if it were complete. I’m on the verge of posting about it, but not today, so here’s a sneak-preview photo.

Wendy wrote a post last month regarding this light tent. I’m feeling tempted into purchasing it. Although my photos are alright, I would love for them to better. Also, with this tent, maybe my photo assistants wouldn’t steal my props. Currently I photograph everything outside by placing a few sheets of white tissue paper on my backyard patio or walkway, and I keep it from blowing away with a few rocks stolen from the base of my water fountain. Unfortunately, my golden retrievers think they are my photo assistants and just for giggles they like to steal the rocks off the tissue paper when I setup between photos.

All setup and ready for it’s picture

Kya nonchalantly standing near the photo setup acting all innocent

The little thief stealing the rock from the bottom left corner

The yarn in the photos was recently acquired from Jenny of the Stash & Burn podcast. She was doing a de-stash and I decided to pick up these two skeins of Lamb’s Pride Worsted in the Prairie Fire colorway. I’m considering using this yarn to make a scarf for the Red Scarf Project. They’ve changed the guidelines this year to sending in a maximum of five scarves and they need to be received by October 15th, but they are also recommending no mohair scarves. There is 15% mohair in this yarn, so do you think it would be alright to use this, or should I find something else?

Read Full Post »

Scarves, Scarves

First of all, let me say that I should’ve posted about this FO the first week of January when I could have had it finished. And in all truth it was finished except for the blocking. So when I removed the last few stitches from the needles & bound off, I stuffed it into a ziploc bag where it spent over two weeks suffocating & gasping for air!

And why?

… because I was dreading the blocking. Sad, pathetic, and all true!

Thankfully I came to my senses & spent some time huddled over a bed layered with two beach towels, a tape measure, a container of pins, and the scarf which was painstakingly pulled & poked at until it submitted.

Pattern: Argosy by Vyvyan NeelPattern Source: Knitty.com Winter 2006 issue

Yarn: Rowan Tapestry (70% wool, 30% soybean); colorway Pot Pourri

Needles: KnitPicks Options size 6 US

Notes: Since I couldn’t get the Noro Silk Garden at my LYS in any decent colorways, I opted to use the Rowan Tapestry. It was wonderful to work although I would have preferred if it had striped in the same way that the Noro does with larger color blocks & more color changes. The only part I disliked about this was blocking. I’m sure the lace blocking wires would’ve helped me keep the points straighter, but I just couldn’t justify the expense right now so I sufferred through with the tape measure & the pins… UGGH!

Today you can find me at the post office to finally mail the scarf I knit for the Red Scarf Project 2007. I posted about it originally here when my fat self modeled it, but because it couldn’t be mailed until January, (and I had to wait for payday) it’s getting one last mention on my blog before it’s on it’s way!

Goodbye red scarf. May you keep a college student warm enough to get through the rest of the school year.

Read Full Post »