Pics and News

So here are the pictures of the two FOs. My model has been with me a long time and is looking a bit tired. Might have to find a new model for next time. I think I have a moose around here somewhere. I got tired of waiting for the sun to come out, so I just took the pics with my flash. At this rate, NJ is going to float away.







News about work. I start on July 10th and I'm so excited!

And of course, yarn was waiting for me when I got home today. I ordered a few treats from Flying Fingers Yarn Shop . 3 different colours of Lamb's Pride that had been on sale. Not sure what it will be yet, but I use it so often (and love felting it) that I'm sure it will turn into something. I should have taken pictures, it came very nicely packaged with purple tissue paper. 12 skeins of yarn all snug in the box.

Still no socks

Well, two more FOs. A hat made of Lopi that I had sitting around and a sweater made of everything else. Can you still call it a sweater if there's over a pound of wool in it, and it's sized for a 2 year old? Pictures to come when the sun comes out (or when I finally get enough indoor lighting).

As for my poor socks, the one I had almost finished has been frogged. Guess I should have tried it on earlier but I didn't and it was too tight. The yarn is now sitting in two equal skeins waiting for me to learn how to do toe up socks, two at a time on magic loop.

As for Glenn's socks, well, I found a dropped stitch at the start of the gusset, and instead of picking it up and anchoring it with a piece of yarn, I frogged again. That sock just wasn't turning out right, so I'm happy it was frogged. Not like he'll wear them anytime soon.

More job info to come later today, probably with the pics.

I GOT A JOB!!!!

I did my four hour shadow (which I turned into three) today and when it was all said and done, they offered me a position! I'll be working nights at the Pediatric ER at Robert Wood Johnson. I'm so excited right now! Tomorrow I'll have to deal with human resources (the recruiter wasn't there today), but other than that, it's all done!

I got an ENVELOPE!!!

That's right.. My wonderful SP (Eskimo Pie) managed to fit all this into a flat rate envelope!!! I'm highly impressed!

A few yarn Pr0n pictures, first the knitpicks Gossamer in a pretty Caribbean colourway. Then SWTC Bamboo (I've never played with bamboo before) in Parrot. Anyone have any ideas for one skein with 250 yds of bamboo??













A WPI tool, which will be totally useful if I ever get around to learning to spin... of course, now I have to, since I have the WPI tool :)


A cool measuring tape. (Always need more of those) and a Burt's Bee's hand care kit. Which I desperately need after all the demolition I've been doing.

Now someone please tell me how she got ALL that into one flat rate envelope???

Week in review..

No pictures.. there's not much to photograph right now except the first 50 rows of my shawl (I've already found out why life lines are a wonderful thing).

But.. I interviewed for a job at Robert Wood on Wednesday and go back again next week to do a four hour "tag a long" with one of their nurses. From what I understood, I'll know by the end of Wednesday if they're going to offer me a job. The Peds ER there seems like it would be a fun place to work, guess I'll find out on Wednesday.

I actually got out of the house tonight and went out with someone I've known for probably the last twenty five years or so. Funny how those kids you were never friends with growing up can become friends as adults. I had a great time.

That's about it for the week unless I start ranting about my last employer, COBRA benefits and bad timing... but I think that would be TMI.

I got a BOX!!!!

My lovely CASP2 Cheepie has sent me a box full of wonderful goodies! Very good timing, as so far it's been an awful day. I got two skeins of Highland wool and a pattern for a felted bag.. though the navy may match the sweater I was making and may end up as a sleeve. Some handmade stitch markers, which are perfect since I'm about to start lacework. A HUGE box of nerds.. YUM! and some smarties to go with it (probably my two favorite candies that don't include chocolate). A fun little pocket fan that mists you which will be nice once it warms up again. And to top it all off, a CUTE card with a kittie and puppy on it.

Lots of Yarn!!!

I'm in LOVE... okay, maybe not in love.. but still. A bunch of knittyboarders met in NYC today to get Zephyr laceweight yarn... We all went in thinking we'd get a whole cone of this and half a cone of that till someone said (and I really can't remember who) "why don't we do thirds?" All of a sudden, my yarn budget went a lot further and got me so many more colours!!!

See what came home with me??? The white is a half a cone, everything else is a third.

It took us about an hour to pick everything out then a bit over three hours to wind it all! We had some issues with the yarn not wanting to stay on the winder. Wish I had remembered to take pictures. Sara was wonderful about letting us stay and untangle a few of our messes. Jena (whichendisup) remembered to bring her own winder and a digital scale which made life SO much easier! She also drove me in. Thanks Jena!!

Socks still not done... (yarn pr0n)

but most of a child's sweater is. Will post pics when I actually finish it, I still have both arms to knit. Now.. here's the REAL reason the socks will never get done.. (wow.. just discovered I can upload straight from the camera to blogger.. no iphoto needed inbetween.. cool!)



This all came in the mail on Wednesday. A skein of Helen's Lace to make the Shoalwater Shawl from fibertrends and four skeins of a 50 silk/50 cashmere laceweight that was on sale at Patternworks... Funny, I thought I was getting a solid color, Lesson one: never trust online photos. I'm trying to be a good girl and haven't even wound up the Helen's Lace yet.. must finish this sweater first.

Tuesday I had an interview at St. Barnabas for their PICU. About the same size as the hospital I worked at in Alaska, but serves a MUCH different patient population. There would be plenty of new information for me to learn there. Seems I also had an interview scheduled with Robert Wood for Thursday... funny, I didn't remember that one and found a message from them on my phone when I got home last night. I'll have to call back again on Monday and talk to the recruiter.

My socks are never getting done...

Neither are Glenn's.. but... I made another hat. I've decided to call these "grow with me" hats, since they start at about 16 inches in diameter, but stretch enough to fit my big head and with the garter stitch flap up, are nice and short, but it can be pulled down as the child gets bigger and they still have a nice warm ear band. I learned tonight that if I want to make the garter stitch part around 3 inches I can only get a 60 stitch hat and better have another color to do some stripes with. Once again, made out of Galway with Patons for the grey stripes.

I have the oddest cats...

I've been sitting here, right by a window for the past 2 hours watching a bunny rabbit working on it's hidey hole in the yard next door. The sun is out, the birds are flying around and making noise, and my two cats are SLEEPING!!! I can't even get them interested enough to look outside! I realize they probably never saw a rabbit before (not many in Anchorage), but they know what birds are! Here's a picture of the cute bunny.

Knitting Distractions..

Last night on knitty board someone mentioned the Dulaan project. I hadn't heard of this before, but thought to myself, what a great way to use up all those half skeins and such I have laying around. Of course, I dropped the sock I was working on (that doesn't take a lot of prodding) and grabbed up some leftover Galway I had from a sweater. I've never doubled up the Galway before, and having no idea how many stitches to an inch I'd get, I decided to cast on 54 stitches. My thought was that at 3 stitches to the inch it would be 18 inches, so if I was a little off on either side of 3/inch then I'd still have a wearable hat. Well wouldn't you know, I ended up with 3.5/inch (a lot off!) so the hat is only 16 inches around... BUT, I was able to get it on my big head.. so I guess it will grow with whoever gets it.. I made it with a huge garter stitch brim so there would be plenty of yarn around the ears..


As you can see here.. I finally got a jogless join (after the first color change).. or at least some version of it.. so this hat was doubly worth my time and effort..

Mini-Yarn Pr0n..

Well, it's been raining now off and on for the past few days, and I'm not getting very far in any of my current knitting projects. So.. I decided to see how my father's frontloading machine felts. As you can see, the Noro didn't felt nearly as well as the Woolpak (which felts wonderfully!). The nalgene cozy has the weird line going up the side of it that just didn't felt well.. I'm guessing that's where the machine kept folding the piece when it tumbled.. The basket was inspired by Mason Dixon Knitting, I was flipping through the book at the bookstore and liked the baskets. The Nalgene cover is entirely my own brain, after seeing how well the Woolpak felted, and having a desire to not leave water rings on the wood floor.. so if anyone would like their own:

Nalgene Cover:

Made with NZ Woolpak (bulky version), size 15 16inch needles, and size 15 DPs.. or 2 circulars, or a circ long enough to magic loop.. your choice.

Used: No clue how much, but I started with two small centerpull balls. I figure no more than 200 yards. (I figure almost any bulky yarn doubled up will work, though I wouldn't try the Big Kureyon, unless someone can tell me how to get it to felt better)

This is made with two strands of yarn held together throughout..

CO 32 stitches Join and knit in garter stitch till your cozy is about the same height as your bottle (remember, knit one round, purl one round) If you want a shorter cozy, feel free to change the height.
K2 tog all around on the next knit round (should be at 16 stitches).
Purl a round, knit a round, purl a round.
K2 tog all around. (8 stitches) Purl a round.
Cut working yarn leaving a 16 inch tail. Thread tail through remaining stitches and pull tight. Secure well. Weave in ends and toss in washing machine to felt. Mine went through two cycles on a front loader.
Block with Nalgene bottle.



Now.. I promised some yarn pr0n.. so... here it is.. I went to A Yarn for All Seasons in Martinsville today. She was having an indoor tent sale (it was a bit too wet for an outdoor one). Mostly cottons (bleh), but I found two skeins of Cash Iroha (mmmmmmm), all her Opal was on sale (this one kinda jumped into my bag), and she had backissues for $4.. though I couldn't find the spring '04 one, I got Summer and Fall '04. Sorry about the picture.. I haven't found where I packed my background sheets yet...

Passed a book sale on the way home, got a bunch of paperbacks at 25 cents each, but no knitting books :(

Things I forgot while living in Alaska:

1. How to use backroads to avoid traffic... Not really many "backroads" in Alaska.. Did a whole drive today without ever once touching the evil highway of central jersey (for those of you who don't know.. it's Rte 206.. NEVER take it during rush hour if you can avoid it)
2. Thunder Storms. We're having a great one right now, I love to watch the lightning.

Well, when I started this, I thought the list would be longer; but Anchorage isn't really an Alaskan experience so I guess I didn't forget too much.

I'm having so much fun with the Knitty SP rounds, though I've got to say, it's hard to keep the two of them separated. So much fun shopping...