Clement Dragon Gauntlets

I started the fingerless gloves that BakerX of Ravelry gave me the pattern for. It started out a little rocky, I couldn't figure it out! It is my first time doing a lace pattern and I was freaking out, I started it like 5 times! But once I PMed BakerX on Ravelry and asked her she helped me straighten it all out. Thanks BakerX! So now I am on a roll! I am on the 37th row, and though I have had to frog alot (because I keep losing count of what I am doing) it is going pretty well. The thumb gusset doesn't seem that bad and that is what I was afraid of.

This is probably the best picture I have ever taken on something I have made. I finally got the lighting right! There are a few mistakes, but I am too lazy to frog and besides, that gives it personality right? This is the Paton Grace yarn that she gave me in the swap, isn't it gorgeous??? I love how it shines a little and how smooth it is. A very good cotton yarn if you ask me. I actually went out a bought a few more colors so I could knit some more ( i am obsessive as always!) I will post my progress as go, I should get a bunch done tonight since I am not working to late. Didn't get out til 8:30 last night so couldn't work on it to much....ickkkk

Swap on a Budget

I know I have already posted today but I just had to show off what I got in my other swap on Ravelry!!! I can't believe how creative some people are and my secret swap partner is no exception I mean look at this stuff!!

She sent me- fingerless gloves she made with her own pattern (the color is to die for!!! and they fit perfectly), the pattern she wrote for them called Clement Dragon Gauntlets, little dragon finger puppets (eeeeeee!!!), a pattern for a pretty hat, a pattern for a dragon scale shawl (so pretty), 2 skeins of Paton Grace yarn in a light purple (same kind of yarn to make the gloves, I am totally gonna try the pattern this week!), 1 skein of Frog Tree alpaca wool yarn in great faun color, paper cranes, a knitters journal that I totally needed, a mini zen garden (I could use that at my stressful job!) , stickers and bag from the yarn store where she is from, and last but not least my favorite item----a hand made row counter in gorgeous purple amethyst beads and the instructions on how to make my own!! I can't believe how spoiled I was, what a great spoiler!! Thank you so much BakerX!!!! Everything is incredible! There just isn't anything like handmade items that someone puts alot of thought into. I leave you all now with the picture she drew for me on the note that came with the package ( so talented!)

X-Files and Treasure Swap

My favorite show of all time is The X-Files, I couldn't deny it if I tried. The mystery, the adventure, the constant frustration that Mulder is so close to the truth but cannot touch it when we the audience can see behind the scenes! Who could ask for a better plot or story line? Poking fun at common cliches about aliens, but adding little bits for probable truths is addicting to watch! I can't help but be enthralled by it all. I own the first 6 seasons and will hopefull be getting the rest for my birthday, but this blog entry is not about the series it is about the new movie.

I could not have been more disappointed if they had killed off one of the main characters. I walked out of that theater in utter shock and dismay! My poor boyfriend held my hand all the way to the parking lot and all I did was spout out obscenities! Of all the ways they could have ended one of the best cult classic series of all time, they had to choose what best could be described as a half way decent episode that was about an hour too long. I mean Chris Carter must have been out of his mind when he wrote the script for this!!! He is going to get some hate mail, I kid you not. I mean, ok maybe there is some underlying meaning to what was going on in terms of the characters feelings and getting on with their lives and such, but come on!!! Give me some aliens! Give me some conspiracy that Mulder is fighting tooth and nail to get to the bottom of!!! Utter disappointment, the producers should be ashamed of themselves.

In happier news I got my Treasure Swap package on friday! I was very spoiled indeed! I can't wait to start knitting with all the pretty yarn, I just wish it wasn't so hot and sticky out! I haven't been spinning much the last few days because the hot weather has made me not want to do anything.....ickkkk

Traffic and Setting my First Twist

There are not many things in life that bother me that much. I dont mind standing in lines, I don't care if someone breaks something that belongs to me (everything can be replaced and what can't I usually don't leave out for someone to break), and the only kind of bugs I wouldn't kill for my college roommates were bees ( they bite back if you don't get them!).....so let's just say it is hard for anything to get a rise out of me (unless it is Robert Gerard). But one of the few things that make me crazy is curiosity traffic! I mean come on, what do you think you are going to see a little blood and guts? How classy of you turning one persons misfortune into another person's freakshow. Not to mention the fact that I only get stuck in it when I have somewhere I really need to be, that makes me more nuts! Another thing is when traffic slows to a crawl because a cop pulled someone over and the other cars don't want to get pulled over to. I mean are you kidding me? Do you think the cop is going to see everyone whizzing by and all of a sudden stop writing out a ticket and jump back in his car to catch all of you? "Sorry m'am I have to go save the street from every other traffic violator, this ticket will have to wait til next time!" give me a break!!! I swear some people are stupid.

Anyways, enough venting because last night I had my first attempt at setting the twist in my newly plyed yarn. There really isn't much to it since all you do is soak it in warm water and hang to dry while a weight attached, but that's beside the point since it was my first time. Here are some pics to delight you!

This is the soaking stage, I was afraid some of the color would come out, but it didn't thank goodness.

Hehe, I did it at like 10 last night and it was still wet this morning so I am guessing it will need about a day to dry and then I am going to have to figure out what to make with it....hmmmmm

And here is the fruit of my lunch hour, I plyed half of the white roving I bought Saturday =)

It is a little hard to tell in this photo, but it is plyed! Damn it is hard to photograph yarn, I am going to need to figure it out =(

Spinning Improvement

I had my spinning class on Saturday with Lucy from Minds Eye Yarns and it was so great! She showed me exactly how to do it and it wasn't that hard at all. She even taught me how to ply with the first handspun I did at home (without instruction, it was pretty bad and I unfortunately forgot to take a picture of it before it was plyed so you could see just how bad) and she said that it was actually better then her first hand spun ( i find that hard to believe but I digress). Here is a picture of my very first plyed handspun in merino wool, colorway Tahiti from Spunky Eclectic

Not too bad I guess. There is only 30 yards lol so I am not sure what I am going to with it. Lucy suggested making a hat with similar colors and putting in a stripe or rim of handspun. Not a bad idea and I dont want it to go to waste =)

While I was there I bought some white wool roving and a better spindle. I like the one I bought on ebay but she said it might be a little light in weight for a beginner so I just bought a better one. It was only $16 =) and 4oz of roving was only $8 so it was a good deal.

Sorry about the blurry pic, I am a horrible photographer indoors, next time I will take everything in outside in the sunlight. The spindle is by Ashford and I hear that is a pretty good company for spinning equipment.

So all of Sat and Sun, as soon as I had a spare moment I was spinning on my new spindle. I even went to Borders to get a spinning magazine call Spin Off to get some tips and ideas. Here is a pic with the spindle I bought on Ebay. I am actually spinning a little on it now.

And here is what I have done so far with the white roving. My plan is to spin and ply all of it and then bring it back to Minds Eye Yarns in the winter because they have dying classes. I want to make my own colorway =)

I had to wrap it around a bottle from the spindle because I dont have a yarn winder and this is all I had at the time. Lucy said toilet paper rolls are the best, I will keep that in mind next time we run out ^_~

How impatience bites you in the ass.....

It has been 3 days since my last happy post and of course it was short lived. Turns out, Robs family isn't coming home the 23rd ( the day I thought they were), they are coming home the 25th which means if we go away on the 23rd there is no one at the house to take care of Rob's dog and there is no one to pick up his family at the airport. Which means we can't go anymore, not to mention we can't get a refund, so we have to go on a different date with a $350 fee and any difference in the package price. So lets just say I am never going to plan a trip again and I could care less if I ever go on one. Rob wants to plan it for my birthday in September which I am certainly not against, but I can't believe I was so stupid and now we have to pay more. It totally ruined my mood about everything. What a horrible day!!!

In spinning news, I scheduled my first spinning lesson for this Saturday, lets hope that goes well and brightens my mood

Las Vegas Baby!!!

Can I just say, I am officially walking on air this month. This has to have been one of the best summers I have had in a long time. My boyfriend and I have been getting along better then ever, I am taking up a new hobby I have a great feeling I am going to love ( the pink and orangey roving pictured below came in the mail today!!), and me and the Robert Gerard have just booked a 4 night 5 day vacation to Las Vegas!!!! I can not even describe how happy and excited I am!! This is going to be so much fun and the best part is, we aren't just talking about it! We actually booked the flights and the hotel!!! We are going to be staying the Luxor Hotel in the spa deluxe room hehe, it is 700 square feet and it has a hot tub in the bedroom!! (ooo lala ^_~). Not to mention the week before his entire family is going to be on vacation so we will have that whole week alone too!! I am officially on excitement overload!!!! I will post pics of the hotel and stuff to let you know what it looks like!! Everything all together was only $619 each on Orbitz.com, not a bad price at all if you ask me. I will surely get expensive when we get there, but oh well! You only live once! =)

A Little Upset.....

Ok so I am a little upset with myself today. I know that I tend to get impatient and I jump the gun on things before I actually get the chance to research them properly, but I am a little bummed out. You know that drop spindle kit I bought yesturday? Well it is called a bottom whorl drop spindle because the whorl (the disk part) is at the end of the spindle. Well I was looking on you tube last night for demonstrations so that I am not completely in the dark about how to do it and the top whorl spindle ( when the disk is at the top) is way easier to use! I looks way less complicated them the bottom whorl ::sigh:: I should have researched it before I bought anything. Oh well, now I will have a pretty bottom whorl spindle and I am just going to have my Robert Gerard make me the top whorl. They are wicked easy to make......so I think I am just going to do that. I am sure he will do an awesome job and I will make it pretty =)

I have actually been very bad about spending money =(. I bought 8oz of roving online today and it cost $22 plus shipping. I hope this doesnt turn into a raving obession because it will become increasingly difficult to save money if it does....especially if I end up wanting a spinning wheel =O.

I have never bought a yarn in such a bright color, but I am getting tired of the same old blues and purples I knit with. I wanted something funky to spin =)

In knitting news, after finally beginning to listen to Pixie Purls podcasts that are found on her blog I have started to read some of the other blogs that she has spotlighted. One of them I absolutely fell in love with!! It is by a male knitter who makes little knitting cartoons, he even has a cartoon book coming out in Octobter 2008 with his character which is a sheep names Delores and her knitting adventures. It looks so cute and this is a great blog to read. I havent read all the posts yet, but I am in the process and I love it so far. It is called ThePanopticon ,very good read, I completely recommend it =).

Another blog and my favorite one that Pixie mentions is Two Left Needles. I am telling you the things this woman can do is awesome!! She spins and dyes her own yarn and makes so many pretty things! I am talking hundreds of pretty things, she must knit pretty fast! I love reading her blog to see what kinds of projects she has and new colorways she is making. Not to mention the way she "talks" in her blog is so fun! It is like she is actually talking to you in a quirky way, haha I love it! She reminds me of my friends from highshool =)

In more personal news, my wonderful boyfriend said he would take me to Vermont in September so I can go to the Sheep and Wool Festival they are having!! Isn't he the greatest? He also was thinking of planning a trip to Vegas in August which would be awesome!!!! haha, can't stand how excited I am about everything in life right now =)

Spinning

Ok so I am taking my knitting obsession to the next level.......by spinning my own yarn!! I just bought a pretty cheap drop spindle and some pretty seafoam colored wool roving on ebay for 21 dollars, which I am willing to spend since I wont really know what I am doing at first. When I get more into it I will buy some fancier stuff. I love the color and the spindle is even hand painted =)

It also comes with a book that teaches you how to start. I think I am going to go on you tube and find some tutorials though since I am a visual learner. I have been reading alot of blogs and alot of people absolutely LOVE to spin and say it is very relaxing and theraputic. I think it would be a great hobby to have along with my knitting because I can make my own yarn and then knit with it!!! haha how great would that be?

I also found a spinning class in Cambridge which is about 20 min away from my house if there is no traffic. They have one on one lessons for about $12 for 45 min or I can join the spinning group for $30 for 6 months. I have to think about it though, I dont know if I will have the time to stop in for the weekly sessions very often, but I would love to do a one on one so that they can show me haw to do it properly.

Alot of people on the blog own spinning wheels which I am guessing gives you more control of what you are doing, but that simply is not in my budget at the moment (they run for a $500 if you want a decent one) not to mention I dont have the space. So a $20 spindle is a more realistic tool even if it is a little more primative. I will let you know when it gets here, I am so excited!!!!

My Sweater

I started my first sweater!!!! yay!! It is coming out so good, I can't wait to try it on! I am doing it with Cascade 220 Heathers yarn in a pretty teal color and I couldn't be happier! I am using the pattern I mentioned in an earlier blog and it is wicked easy to follow. It is knit in the round and I am almost done with the body part, then I can start the arms hehe......this is sooooo exciting!!!! Here is a picture of what I have done so far.....but the color isn't very good because of my camera, but just think teal =)

Isn't it pretty? I am so proud of it. Not bad for my first sweater. When it is done I will post a pic of me wearing it =), I hope it fits!!!!!!