Belated Birthday

Most years, Evad and I spend our "Annibervisday" doing fun things just for us.

"Your what?"

Sorry. Our 'Annibervisday' - the combo of his birthday, my birthday, and our Anniversary into one event. His b-day is the 15th, mine the 16th, and our Anniversary is the 17th. It's terribly convenient. Anyway... We usually go out of town, or go somewhere special to splurge. This year was kind of different. We couldn't leave town because I had Midsummer Nights Dream strike on my Birthday. Poop. We did, however, find time to make a birthday trip to WEBS. oh yeah....

Denise came along, and Evad took pictures. My birthday just happened to coincide with the tent sale (WOO!) so you know we had a good time!

We shopped for yarn.

and shopped for yarn.

and shopped for yarn.

then waited in line.

I didn't go with a plan, really. I went with an idea of some things I might like, and the knowledge that it was my birthday, and I was buying me a present!

I tore myself away before I did too much damage, but not before two lace projects, two sock projects, three sweaters projects, a baby project, a Della Q bag, and a bunch more Noro for my blanket jumped in my basket. We followed WEBS up with a stop at Fitzwilly's, and a very stuffed trio drove back to New Haven, high on yarn fumes, blueberry beer, and beer can chicken.

It was a super birthday. Only made better by the super Anniversary the next day. 12 years!

WIP wednesday

I NEVER actually do a WIP update on Wednesday. I'm excited to use the alliteration! I am also a dork.

As promised, I am going to catch ya'll up on the goings on in the knitting world of Costumechick. It may not be as exciting as an update on my secret plot to take over the world using my mind control powers and a roll of duct tape, but this isn't my blog about trying to take over the world... or is it?

First up is my Aeolian Shawl:

I'm using Schaefer Andrea in Ash. Oh My God. It's like knitting with angel farts. Love love love it. I do need to get more beads though. I am almost out, and only through the second pattern. I still have the edging, which I understand to have the most beads in the shawl.

The pattern calls for beads throughout. I didn't start them until the last repeat of the first lace pattern - "Agave". I knew this would be a heavy shawl with all those beads, and wanted to cut a few out in a logical way. I think it works ok.

This shawl also has nupps. I don't mind nupps, but others seam to think they are of the devil. Just a fair warning to those wishing to knit it. It is really pretty though, and easy to follow, chart wise, so it's really not as adventurous as it looks. The adventure comes in trying to finish it to wear for a June 6th wedding. I wanted to get it done for a May 30th wedding, but that ain't lookin' likely.

The other project:

Niobe from French Girl Knits. I'm calling it my Wiccan sweater. I knit one sleeve last Friday night, and tried it on when it was about elbow length. The sleeves bell at the cuffs, and Evad said "it looks like those things Wiccans wear."

I said, "what?"

"You know. Wiccans."

"You mean arm warmers? They are a 'wiccan' thing?"

"It's the hangy downy part. They wear them a lot."

"uh huh......"

Then Denise and Beth laughed at us. Anywho, it is now my Wiccan sweater. The yarn is Gedifra Fashion Trend Color, and I only have 300 grams. In theory, this is enough. If not, I'll find some coordinating something for the yoke. This yarn has been in my stash since AC Moore used to sell "good" yarn - like 5 years ago. It was on clearance for super cheap, all tangled in a wad. I unwadded and wound it... and it has sat ever since.

Why did I cast on for a heavy sweater in May? umm... good question. Really, it was because I needed an easy project to knit. I was going to hang out with Beth and Denise on Friday, riding on the train to NYC on Saturday, and going to Massachusetts on Sunday - I needed take along, easy, and not socks. I flipped though French Girl Knits, saw the amount of yarn I needed, thought of the lonely blue Gedifra yarn and cast on. Ta da!

Anyway, three days of occasional knitting and I have two sleeves and most of a body. Woo! I could have busted the rest out last night, or on Monday, but I wanted to work on the shawl, and I need a project for tomorrow at my hair appointment. Beads and nupps do not equal "under the smock" knitting.

Well peeps, that's it. You are WIP caught up. Next installment is all about my Birthday, my presents, and some S.E.X.

Ahh. Spring...

Holy Crap! It's been a million years since I had the time to blog, not that I would have had much to blog about - knitting wise - anyway. The shows all opened, and all but one already closed, and I survived! I managed to do a little knitting, mostly to keep my sanity, but it was slow going. So much has happened in the past few months of near blog silence, I almost don't know where to start! I think I'll try to do a few days of highlights for ya'll...

Today, we'll look at the blanket I finished on friday.

Name: Hydrangea

Pattern: Lace Luncheon Mats by Coats

Yarn: Cotton Acrylic blend, recycled

Needles: US 10.5, knit picks options

Notes: First off, let me tell you how much I still love this circular blanket thing. Loooooooooove. Self contained, next to no purling, and always looks harder than it was. All good things in my book! Granted, the rows get a bit tiresome towards the end, and the cast off always takes a lot more yarn than you think it will, but it is sooooo worth it. (Yes, that it "so: with 4 extra "o's". That's how good it is.)

My friend YankeeL named the blanket at SnB last Thursday. She said it looked like Hydrangeas. I agreed. I liked the name much better than my original "purple blankee"or, for that matter, the pattern name "lace luncheon mat". Oh, and as I predicted, at least three people asked me what kind of yarn I was using at SnB. I kept saying "cotton acrylic blend". Well, it is! The problem is that I recycled it from a sweater I bought at Macy's, so I have no idea about the yarn at all! Macy's had a big sale three (cough) years ago and I bought four new sweaters for a total of about 15 bucks. None of them was the right size, or a pattern I wanted to wear, but the yarn was awesome! So, I frogged the sweaters, and finally decided to cast something on from some of the yarn!

This wasn't th e most complicated blanket I've ever made, but it was a great mindless project, which, frankly, was all I could handle the last couple weeks. I would be a good first circular blanket, should anyone want to try one for themselves.
Tomorrow, a wip update!

Up for Air

Life has been hectic around Chez' Costumechick, but never fear! I am still alive! (and knitting. Albeit slowly...)

I managed to finish 2 projects, one which I didn't take pictures of. (dumb) The baby sweater turned out so cute, I could smack myself for not snapping a few pics before I gave it to Christina. Oh well. I guess I have to wait to see it on the little one...

I DID, however, take pictures of my latest Socktopia Socks!

Name: Fantastical

Yarn: Conjoined Creations, Flat Feet

Pattern: Inspired by Rib Fantastic Socks form "Knitting Socks with Hand painted Yarn"

Needles: Knit picks Classic Circulars, size 1 & 0

Notes: First off, let me tell you how much I love this book. Really. It's awesome. Even if I only use it for inspiration, the information and ideas are great. I was flipping through it, looking for an easy "I don't have to think too much, and can do it in the dark" pattern, when Rib Fantastic Socks caught my eye.

I had wanted to use my 'Flat Feet" for a while, and thought the pattern and yarn paired up nicely. When I read though the pattern it became obvious to me that the pattern was a little to difficult to be an "I don't have to think too much, and can do it in the dark" pattern. The knitting itself wasn't hard, just an all over lace pattern, but it was going to be hard keeping track of the uneven repeats in the foot. So, my options were to just knit the leg in pattern, and do a solid stockinette foot, or be a little more creative.

I chose "be a little more creative". I did one pattern repeat down he middle front of the leg and foot, with stockinette base for the foot. Once I reached the leg I did a k2p2k2p3 rib base. Other than that, I used my basic toe up formula and short row toe and heel. Just enough interesting stuff to keep me going, and not enough to keep me from knitting through movies and tech. Nice.

The yarn was weird to knit with at first. It's preknitted and hand painted, then you unravel it as you knit. It's super easy to take along, and really doesn't frog when you don't want it too. The act of pulling out another length of yarn is very cathartic. I had a good time going "RIIIIIIIIIIIP" knit knit knit "RIIIIIIIIIIP" knit knit knit. The weird part it the preknit bumps. Y'all have knit with yarn you have frogged, and it's weird because the bumps when you reknit never match the bumps from the first knit. It made my knitting look all weird and uneven.

Never fear! Blocking's here! A little soak and some time blocking fixed the problem (mostly). I wasn't worried, really, but I do like that I knit fairly evenly, and the weird bumps were driving me a little crazy.

Over all a very enjoyable take along project, perfect for Socktopia, and they fit great!

I must go. Two more weeks of insanity, then I will have more blogging, knitting, and (hopefully) resting time!