An Update... filled with new yarn!

I haven't updated in forever for a few reasons:

1. I've had exams in every class in the past two weeks. Plus, advising appointments involving my upcoming graduation (May 2008)....
2. I moved. I've been busy cleaning and packing and unpacking and... moving is a pain in the arse.
3. When we moved we didn't have cable. No tv, no internet for over a week. It was crazy!

Anyway I got my swap package about a week and a half ago, and I've now found my camera, and uploaded the photos. I just want to thank Cynthia so much. I love it. It was such an awesome package. I was so excited to open it and I loved EVERYTHING!

I've already eaten my chocolate bar... :/ It was delicious. Thank you so much. I absolutely loved everything. I got 2 skeins of Noro Silk Garden. Chocolates, Sumatra coffee, chocolate covered espresso beans, a book of hat patterns, a pattern for a hat made of noro, a little notepad, and a really cute little knitting pin, which I don't have a picture of because I pinned it to my jacket already.


Also in the mail (and the first thing to be delivered to my new house, no less) I got the third installment of my potter covers sock yarn. I really LOVE LOVE the pattern for this one, but that's probably just because I love Sirius so much. The yarn is incredibly soft. It's a bamboo blend, which I'm excited to get knitting with. I've never tried out any of the bamboo yarns before. I'm especially excited to get started on these socks! I really look forward to getting these in the mail each month. It'll be sad when it's over. There's only 7 books, and only 7 packages... that means only 4 left. I'm excited to see what comes in the next 4 months!

I've made some knitting progress!

I survived having 2 tests on Monday... And I did extremely well on one of them, the other isn't graded yet. Anyway I have some time to sit down and actually make a post with pictures showing my progress on a bunch of different things. I'm even going to go do some shopping today to get things for my knitters coffee swap 3 package so that I can send it off soon. I'm still not 100% what I'm going to do, so I'm hoping to get inspired at the store today. Now on to my current knitting projects.

First I've finished my caron blisss stitch scarf. I really didn't think that I would actually finish this, but I guess since it was an easy stress free knit that I could take places with me (and I could work on while I watched tv) it got done quicker than I thought that it would. I really love it. It's soft; it's long; it's wide; it's reversible; it's in my favorite color. It's perfect. Plus I finished a scarf, so I'm really excited about doing that! Normally it would take me FOREVER to finish a scarf. I think it being a bulky weight yarn on size 11 needles contributed to it being finished quicker as well.

The other project that I've made some progress on is my hatmione. I started this on a whim one day, even though I really shouldn't have since I have tons of other knitting projects to finish, and about a million other things to do with school and moving and finding a new job. But I started it anyway in spite all of this. Yesterday I finished all the ribbing for the brim and did the first few rows of the cabling pattern. I like the hat, and I like the pattern. Sometimes it doesn't look right to me though. I debated frogging this several times, but didn't really have a good reason to so I'm powering through it. I think it's partially because the brim seems SO LONG because it's going to get folded; it's just not folded now. Anyway that's that.

I've noticed I've been using a lot of reds and oranges. I think I want more colors. ;)

in my absence

I've been neglecting both blogging and knitting for a while because of a high amount of exams these past few weeks. I've also had to start packing everything up to move in the next couple of weeks. If I was any busier, I'd have to quit sleeping. The only thing I've been working on is my moss stitch scarf because it's so easy and so mindless. It's getting close to completion. It's very very soft and very very pretty. I'll post pictures and more updates later. I'm exhausted right now.

Quidditch Round 3

Trivia

1. What was the name of the book Dumbledore left for Hermione in his will?
a. The Tales of Beedle the Bard
b. The Tales of Bard and Beedle
c. The Stories of Beedle and Bard
d. The Adventures of Beedle and Bard

2. Whose sign was on Xenophilius Lovegood's chest?
a. The Dark Mark
b. Gregovitch
c. Rowena Ravenclaw
d. Grindewald

3. Was October 30, 1980 the night that Lilly and James Potter died?
a. Yes
b. No

4. What's another name for the Elder Wand?
a. Deathstick
b. Stick of Destiny
c. Deathwand
c. Wand of Death

5. Whose Potterwatch code name was 'Rodent'?
a. George
b. Lee
c. Arthur
d. Fred

6. What was so special about the peacocks at the Malfoy Manor?
a. They were all black
b. They weren't peacocks at all
c. They were twice as big as normal peacocks
d. They were all white

7. Who does Harry say was "probably the bravest man I knew?"
a. Snape
b. Neville
c. Dumbledore
d. Lupin

8. What thing was Lockhart giving Hagrid advice about getting out of a well?
a. Hinkypunks
b. Kelpies
c. Grindylows
d. Flesh Eating Slugs

9. What was the occupation of Colin Creevey's father?
a. Mailman
b. Fireman
c. Bus Driver
d. Milkman

10. Which Professor of Hogwarts was a dueling champion when he was young?
a. Flitwick
b. Dumbledore
c. Snape
d. Lockhart

Picture Scavenger Hunt
You can either post these pictures on your blog or provide a link to where they can be found.

Bertie Botts Beans (or here)
Jelly Slugs
Chocolate Frogs
Blood Pops
Jenean's first HSKS kit
(Bonus Point: Who made the kit? Ansley)

Knitters Coffee Swap 3 Questionnaire

QUESTIONS
1. Whole bean or ground? ground... my bean grinder broke
2. Fully-loaded or decaf? fully-loaded (I call decaf "what's the point?")
3. Regular or flavored? regular, flavored never tastes good to me
4. How do you drink your coffee? usually with vanilla, sometimes just a little sugar.
5. Favorite coffee ever? Columbian, and I really Sumatra from starbucks... I also love arabic cuban coffee. I'm also a fan of Kona coffee blends... I really love coffee.
6. Are you fussy about your coffee or will any old bean do? I like bold, strong flavors
7. Favorite treats to have with your coffee? bagels, muffins or scones in the morning, biscotti, brownies or chocolates later in the day
8. Anything else about your coffee preferences? I really hate weak coffee, and I usually drink coffee in the morning or late at night
9. Yarn/fiber you love? I love malabrigo... It's absolutely my favorite yarn. I also have recently fallen in love with Noro.
10. Yarn/fiber you hate? I'm not fond of 100% acyrlic unless it's some type of a novelty yarn or certain brands that are softer. I don't mind when it's an acrylic blend though.
11. What's on your needles? 2 hats, scarves, socks... everything. I have a finishing issue with projects, except for hats. I usually finish my hats.
12. Favorite colors? burgandy, grey/silver, pink, blues, greens... practically everything but yellow actually
13. Allergies? grass, but I don't expect to have that in my knitting or in my coffee ;)
14. Anything you really love, really don't like, or just need to get off your chest? I absolutely hate coconut and bananas. I will literally take bites of desert and spit them out if they have either coconut or bananas in them. I can't stand either of those flavors. Even the smell of bananas makes me gag a lot of times. That being said, as much as I hate bananas I love raspberries, vanilla, and chocolate. :)

FO: Logan's Jayne hat

Cunning!

I finished Logan's hat. He's been wearing it nonstop since. I guess he lucked out that it got windy and cold for no reason the past couple of days. Otherwise he'd be waiting at least a month to wear his hat around without being the weird kid who wears a knitted hat when it's 90 degrees outside.

HSKS3 - Quidditch Round 2

Trivia

1. In Deathly Hallows what does Harry step on when exiting his room to wash his cut?
a. A small figurine
b. A saucer
c. A teacup
d. A coffee cup

2. Which two members of the Order of Phoenix came to escrot the Dursleys to a safe place?
a. Arthur Weasley and Kingsley Shacklebolt
b. Dedalus Diggle and Hestia Jones
c. Dedalus Diggle and Kingsley Shacklebolt
d. Arthur Weasley ad Hestia Jones

3. In order to throw off the Death Eaters, several of Harry's friends take Polyjuice Potion to resemble him and each Harry goes with a different member of the Order of the Phoenix to a different location. Where do Ron (disguised as Harry) and Tonks go?
a. Aunti Muriel's house
b. Tonks' parent's house
c. Kingsley's house
d. Mad-Eye Moody's house

4. At Bill and Fleur's wedding, Harry must disguise himself by taking Polyjuice Potion and takes on the appearnce of a redheaded Muggle boy from Ottery St. Catchpol. He was introduced to wedding guests as Cousin . . .
a. Jimmy
b. Davy
c. Barny
d. Willy

5. Kingsley sends a message via Patronus to warn the Weasleys and wedding guests of the coming Death Eaters. What form does his Patronus take?
a. A German shepherd
b. A lynx
c. A bobcat
d. A coyote

6. In the Half-Blood Prince what drink does Romilda Vane try to give Harry?
a. Pumpkin Juice
b. Elf-Made Wine
c. Butterbeer
d. Gillywater

7. What is the name of the person that heads the Holyhead Harpies?
a. Gwenog Jones
b. Glen Jones
c. Gwenog Smith
d. Glen Smith

8. What tatoo is Harry reported to have on his chest?
a. Blast Ended Skrewt
b. Hippogriff
c. Unicorn
d. Mermaid

9. What color robes do the staff at Weasley's shop wear?
a. Buttercup
b. Magenta
c. Royal Blue
d. Aqua

10. Where do Nicolas Flamel and his wife Perenelle live?
a. Kent
b. Surrey
c. Manchester
d. Devon

Picture Scavenger Hunt

You can either post these pictures on your blog or provide a link to where the pictures are located.

A Gryffindor Quidditch Uniform

A Hufflepuff Quidditch Uniform

A Ravenclaw Quidditch Uniform

A Slytherin Quidditch Uniform

A Picture of the Room of Requirement

I got my Ravelry invite!

It's so exciting. I checked my email after school today and I had my ravelry invite! I'm thrilled. I've already been uploading things and playing around on the site. It's super awesome.

My username is "misslucy"

Ravelry and Logan's Jayne Hat

Found you!

• You signed up on August 1, 2007
• You are #22200 on the list.
• 133 people are ahead of you in line.
• 16515 people are behind you in line.
• 56% of the list has been invited so far

I'm surprised at this... Yesterday there were seriously 2000+ ahead of me. I'm excited. I want my invite yesterday. :) (Jk)

In other news I finished Logan's Jayne hat. It's perfect, and quite possibly the best one I've ever done. I'm waiting until he's home to post pictures. He likes modeling for me.

That's all. I'm running late today.

My first installment of the "potter covers" yarn, and what to do?

The first installment of my potters covers yarn came Wednesday... I've been swamped with school and swim team drama, so I've not had a chance to post. I love it. The colors match perfectly. She even wrapped it in coordinating tissue paper. The second thing I did after opening the package was take the first book off the shelf to compare the colors. (The first thing was to read the pattern. I was excited to see what was picked for inspiration. I thought 'Hedwig' was a good pick too.) It's so pretty. The pattern seems simple enough. I actually pulled my knitpicks dpns out so that I could immediately start knitting it, but then I remembered all of my upcoming exams and decided to study instead. I intend on starting the socks immediately after the last exam finishes. School can be such a killjoy.

I took a close up picture of the cover art next to the yarn, just to prove how well the colors match.

I am a little torn though. I was going to start knitting the pattern and the socks that came in my kit from HSKS3... but I got so excited with this new yarn that I sort of mentally put them on hold... I'll figure it out.

Logan's hat should be finished this weekend, and I'll have pictures and more on that later.

I've not had a good day at all....

However I finished my package for Cynthia, and should be able to send it off tomorrow afternoon, as long as nothing gets screwed up. I'm excited to send it off, and even more excited to see what she thinks of it. Here's the teaser picture... (also posted in the HSKS3 blog):
I made progress on Logan's Jayne hat, only to have to rip it out... I was making it to fit loose on my head, Logan's head is quite larger than mine, apparently. And since the hat itself is supposed to be a loose fit, I have to start over....

I'm going to go and get that re-started and go to bed early.

I got my swap package!

My package from my swap cam today! YAY! My favorite part of the whole thing was this line from her note "your yarn is from a German Co. that I can't say..." HAHAHA! I love it. (I'm not poking fun, though, because I can't say it either. :/) The box got a little banged up in the post, so the pattern, and the note were all crinkled, but everything was in one piece. I was very excited and happy to have this waiting for me when I got home... I spent all day running errands.

I love everything in the box. I can't wait to start knitting the socks!

There's the German yarn whose name is un-pronounceable, an incredibly soft knitted bag, which is perfect for carrying everything around. Crystal Palace bamboo needles size one, which I'm happy to try out. I've been wanting to try bamboo needles, but I was afraid I would break them. These seem really sturdy though. The pattern came from Mountain Colors where everything is inspired by the northwest... which is neat because I'm sick of southwest patterns. (just joking, although, I'm not a fan of most "southwestern" things). And some pretty awesome stitch markers. And there were so goodies in there as well.

Blech...

I've not been having the best of days. And for the the second time I have to restart my knitted bag for the swap. (Sorry, Cynthia)... The first time, was my own fault... The second time is a disaster. Oh well. I'll get it done while I watch Grey's Anatomy season 3 tonight. YAY! for getting that in the mail. I can't help loving that show. It's a guilty pleasure, I know it's dumb, but it makes me happy... Anyway back to knitting... I'm excited that Jennifer D. has already sent my package out, and even more excited to receive it. (But that also makes me feel even worse that I have to restart the bag for my swap.) The only other knitted thing I've done anything with is casting on for Logan's Jayne hat. I was going to get that done pretty quick, but then disaster struck with the bag for my swap... When it's finished, I'm positive that he'll model for pictures... And my younger brother Logan is very fun for picture taking.

I'm off to watch Grey's and get some progress on the knitted bag.

HSKS3 - Quidditch Round 1

1. Who is the Hogwarts teacher that Voldermort performed the Avada Kedavra curse on in Deathly Hallows?
a. Mad Eye Moody
b. Charity Burbage
c. Irma Pince
d. Quirenius Quirrell

2. Who replaces the Muggles studies teacher in Deathly Hallows?
a. Charity Burbage
b. Irma Pince
c. Alecto Carrow
d. Dilys Dirwent

3. When Harry meets Mr. Olivander for the first time, which wand law is introduced?
a. Wands cannot be shared.
b. Spells can be worked with any want.
c. The wand chooses the wizard.
d. Only one wand will work properly for a wizard.

4. According to Mr. Ollivander, what is not necessary to take true possession of another wizard's wand?
a. to kill the owner
b. one cannot take possession of another wizard's wand
c. to force the wand away from it's owner
d. to ask the owner politely

5. If you know anything about Harry Potter, you will know that Harry's Patronus is a stag. But what is his best friend Ron Weasley's Patronus?
a. Otter
b. Owl
c. Weasel
d. Jack Russell Terrier

6. Now for the third member of the trio. What form does Hermione Granger's Patronus take?
a. Otter
b. Kneazle
c. Tabby Cat
d. Beaver

7. What did Mrs. Weasley make to eat the first night that Harry arrived at Grimmauld Place?
a. Stew
b. Goulash
c. Roast beef
d. Ham and chicken pie

8. In book 5, at the start of term feast, what is Ron eating when trying to talk to Nearly Headless Nick?
a. Treacle tart
b. Pork chop
c. Roast potato
d. Cottage pie

9. A half-giant called Rubeus Hagrid takes you to Diagon Alley for the first time. To get there, you go into the courtyard of a pub called the Leaky Cauldron. There, Hagrid taps a certain brick on the courtyard wall three times with his pink umbrella, revealing the entrance to Diagon Alley. As he decides which brick to tap, he mutters instructions to himself. What instructions does he mutter?
a. Third brick from the left above the dustbin
b. ‘Three up... two across
c. Three down ... four across
d. Four up ... three across

10. The first place you go in Diagon Alley is Gringotts bank, where you can withdraw money from your vault and Hagrid can withdraw a top-secret package from Vault No. 713 on Dumbledore’s orders. On the second set of doors leading into the bank you notice a poem written. These are the first two lines:
Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
What is the next line?
a. For you’ll pay dearly in your turn
b. So if you seek beneath our floors
c. Thief, you are being warned, bewared.
d. ‘For those who take, but do not earn

Picture Scavenger Hunt

Rolanda Hooch
Firenze
Argus Filch
Moaning Myrtle
Colin Creavey

Almost finished!

I've gotten pretty much everything together for my swap. I just made the stitch markers. I think that they turned out very well. I just need to finish knitting the bag and then I'm all set. Which is good, because school is about to get insanely busy and hard.

The good, the bad and the unfinished

The good: My HSKS3 kit
I started the bag for my kit today. I'm really excited about it. I had the yarn for it already... Some of it was just scraps, so it took awhile for me to scrap a pattern together. I've ordered yarn and needles, and picked out a pattern for the socks. I've even gotten a couple of extra goodies. I just need to make some stitch markers and I'll have everything. I'd like to post some pictures, but the bag is barely started, and I don't want to ruin the element of surprise.
Both my downstream and upstream partner are excellent. (I even got a sneak peak!)


The bad and the unfinished: My Stupid Socks
In other knitting news: I will most likely frog and never finish my chesire cat socks. I hate striping. If I finish the sock I'm currently working on, I'll never make another. Basically I cannot see the point of finishing. Plus it's rarely very cold in Vegas. I have heavy socks for my coaching when I am outside the whole 2-5 weeks of really miserable weather that we have. And I already have slippers for the house. I rarely wear socks around the house to keep my feet warm, I wear my slippers... All of this babbling = me not ever finish the socks, and I will most likely be frogging them and starting a new pair that I can get really excited about.

Not knitting related....

I just spent an 8 hour day coaching in 116 degree heat with humidity. I think I sweat off like 8 pounds. I'm having a hard time thinking about knitting too much with my mind on the awful heat. I think I'm going to go try and crawl into the refrigerator...

HSKS3

I've talked to both of my partners already.

I'm really excited to get this project underway. I've got most of my package mentally prepared for sending. I've just got to get a hold of a few things...

HSKS3 Questionairre

1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into?
Ravenclaw

2. List your favorite double-point needle brands, including size and length. Or would you prefer circulars?
Susan Bates Silvalume (7") (I have 2 sets in order to have 5+ needles) & Knitpicks (6") - size 2

3. Would you like to try a new brand needle? If so, which brand? Size? Length?
Sure, I would love to. I've never used bamboo needles (except in larger sizes) or and wood ones. I'm afraid that they would break though, I knit very tightly

4. If you are a RAVENCLAW, do you prefer the colors in the film or the book? Do you have a strong preference?
I prefer book colors, but it's not a strong preference. I think both are lovely.

5. Do you have any allergies?
Not to anything concerning knitting...

6. If you are swapping scarves - what is your desired length for the pattern? This will help your partner find the pattern that is just right for you and buy yarn accordingly.
N/A

My Newest Yarns!

Here are my newest yarns... I didn't need more, but I bought some anyways. I got a hold of some Noro, because it seems everyone raves about so I thought I'd try it out. I like the coloring, but I'll have to see how it knits up. There's also tons of sock yarn (mostly knitpicks, but I ordered a skein of the ravenclaw colors from dharmafey's cosmic fibers), some lion brand novelty yarns (fun fur for my furry slippers and some more ribbon yarn), malarbrigo merino chunky, and cascade 220 (in hufflepuff colors).

I also signed up for the potter covers sock yarn club, and the Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap 3.

I am positive that I now have enough yarn and projects to keep me very very busy. No more yarn shopping until my current stash is at least dented.

I'm planning on using the rest of this evening to work on my socks. I'm hoping to get the at least the heel done by the end of the week. I did a swatch to kind of get a gauge for my wrist warmers, but I'm wondering if I should knit them kind of like I would knit socks and use smaller needles. I'm not sure. They are definitely still in the "draft phase" of project making. (Meaning they'll stay on my brain at all times, until I figure out what to do.)

Perhaps some matching wrist warmers/fingeless gloves to match my hat?

So I've been turning over this idea in my head, and I'm not quite sure whether or not it is a go or not. I thought it would help the idea process to type it up, and I'm curious to what everyone else thinks....

I'm considering making a pair of fingerless gloves/wrist warmers to match my recently finished Ginny Weasley inspired hat.... I have Malabrigo Merino worsted in the same color (tiger lily) that I used on the hat and thought that they would make a good project. I'm thinking that I can even have a couple of purl rows surrounding an eyelet round so that I can have little bows on the top of my hands. In my head and in my sketches this all sounds like a great idea, but in practice it may just look dumb and tacky. I'm thinking that I can keep the underside all in ribbing to keep them nice and snug.... I'm also thinking a picot bind off edge at the top would look nice, but that's partially because I haven't done one yet and would like to incorporate one somehow. That may be scratched in the long run.... I'm think size 8 dpns will do the trick. I've got to make a swatch and determine my gauge and maybe just get to it. I've also got to finish my other WIPs......

Just wanted to post a little about my ideas.... I'm in need to have quick and easy finish projects. School starts Monday. I'm in for a hell of a semester and very little free time. (I also intend to spend nearly all of my free time knitting... lol)

Ginny GoF inspired hat COMPLETED

I finished my Ginny inspired GoF hat. (As previously mentioned) I love it. I know that it isn't an exact replica of the movie hat but I absolutely adore it. It fits me perfect and looks just the way I wanted it too. I used Malabrigo Merino chunky in "tiger lily" for the hat and used a strand of Lion Brand Landscapes in "pastel meadow" and Malabrigo Merino worsted in "cactus flower" (my personal favorite yarn) to thread through the eyelet rounds. It's not absolutely perfect, but it was what I wanted. The variegations and chunky weight add to the "Weasley-ness" of the hat, I think. I really am very proud of how this hat turned out. Here are some more pictures, and then after the pictures I'll post my pattern. When it came to the decreases, I just did what looked right and what seem to fit my numbers. So my pattern may not be axact when it gets to that point.

And here is my pattern:

needles: size 10.5 16" circular needles, and size 10.5 double points during decreases
yarn: Malabrigo Merino Chunky in tiger Lily (MC), Lion Brand Landscapes in pastel meadow (cc1), and Malabrigo Merino worsted in cactus flower (cc2)
any chunky weight will work for the hat (MC) and any scrap yarn can be used for the bows and accents

Cast on 72 (I used the cable cast on)
K1P1 rib for 6 rounds
eyelet round #1(*k3 k2tog yo* repeat between the *s)
knit 6 rounds
purl 2 rounds
knit 6 rounds
eyelet round #2 (*k2tog yo k3* between the *s)
knit 6 rounds
purl 2 rounds
knit 6 rounds
eyelet round #1 (*k3 k2tog yo* repeat between the *s)
start decreases:
*k10 k2tog* repeat between the *s
*k9 k2tog* repeat between the *s
*k8 k2tog* repeat between the *s
knit 1 round
purl 2 rounds
*k6 k2tog* (repeat between the *s) k2tog the last 2 stitches
*k2tog k2* (repeat between the *s) k2tog k2tog the last 4 stitches
eyelet round #3 (*K2tog k2tog yo* repeat between the *s)
k2tog until only 6 sts remain, break yarn and thread through the top
thread yarn through the eyelets, add a bow at the bottom tier

Chesire Cat coloured - "slipper" socks

These are my first ever sock project... I took directions off of a livejournal tutorial, and combined them with my new sock knitting book (Sensational Knitted Socks). I'm excited to get them finished, and I'm about to start the heel and what not.... Which is actually the tricky part from what I've read/heard/inferred. More to come on this project, but heres some pictures!

After I was working on these for quite awhile, I realized the colors that I picked really reminded me of the chesire cat. I like them. My little brother Logan, who has an irrational fear of the chesire cat, does not appreciate that I've decided to call my socks the "chesire cat" socks.

Cross-Over scarf gets the axe

The only new knitting development that I've had: I frogged the "cross-over" scarf. It wasn't the time for it. I'll attempt it again some other day.

I also accidentally pulled it off the needles and made a mess of yarn. OOPS! My immediate thought after that happened was: "oh well, I was thinking of frogging it anyway."

My ever-growing yarn stash and knitting bag

I just bought 7 more skeins of cascade 220 (in maize and black, I needed some hufflepuff yarn) and 1 skein of Malabrigo Chunky, but this is what my stash currently looks like. Just wanted to add that more was coming...

First I have the Plymouth Encore in 2 colors (dark forest green and dark grey) that I'm using for Luke's slytherin scarf, I bought more than the pattern called for in order to make a matching hat and other things. I also have some cascade cloud 9 in color 112 (one of the discontinued colors) that I bought at the same time from yarn.com. Both were on sale. I am actually going to buy more of the cloud 9 and then knit 2 colors at the same time into a mock-cable scarf. When I get around to it.

Then I have the yarn that I bought at last weekends trip to the LYS, Gail Knits. Where I bought 4 skeins of Adrienne Vittadini Emma. It's a cotton/viscose/silk blend yarn. I bought three in a turquoise color (color #94) and one in a purple color (color #91). I loved the purple, but there was only one left. I snatched it up. I might try and find more of it. I also got one skein of GGH Vamos. It, like the purple, only had one left so I snatched it. I have no clue what I will do with either of these yarns.

I also picked up quite the collection of acrylic yarn also during my weekend shopping trip. (Fiber snobbery aside, I really like some of the nicer acrylics, and they're machine washable which is always a bonus.) There's also some ribbon yarn, I think I may try to make a drop stitch scarf with. They look easy enough to do and are very pretty.

I've also got a shoe box full of yarns that are left over from other projects. Not enough for a project themselves, but too much yarn to just throw out. This collection of yarns has actually come in handy quite a few times.

Then I have a box with 4 skeins of Bernat Masala, 2 of each color: tidal tones and hyacinth hues. There's also 3 skeins of a black 100% cotton yarn, a small skien of black free trade yarn that Aynsley bought in New York. 3 skeins of wool-ease: one in oxford grey, 2 in peacock. Also there's some pink eyelash yarn that Aynsley won on ebay. I've not clue what to do with the eyelash yarn.

Then I have my collection of Malabrigo Merino Worsted. This is absolutely my favorite yarn. It's the yarn that made me see how much better nice yarns are than the cheaper acrylics. I have several different colors. I'm planning on doing my ravenclaw scarf when I get around to it in this yarn (roanoke for the bronze, and azul profundo for the blue). I also might use the tiger lily color for my Ginny Weasley inspired hat.

I have 2 balls that I just wound up yesterday of Cascade 220 in color 9404 (ruby) which was bought because I planned to do the hatmione and matching mittens out of it. (Because that's the recommended color that matches the movie.) I'm think I might do it out of the Jewel Blue Malabrigo that I have instead now. I'm not sure though.I have 10 skeins of chenille that I've bought and yet to use. I have several ideas for it, but haven't put any to the test. This yarn is a bit difficult to knit because of shredding.Lastly I have my collection of Brown Sheep Lambs Pride bulky in several colors. (Including colors to create a couple more Jayne hats.) I also in this picture have several balls of navy wool. I use that wool for simple/test projects.


I also took pictures of my new knitting bag because I was feeling camera crazed and I love this new tote bag!

and now... my current WIPs

These are the new WIPs that I've started since finding my camera. Both of them are scarves. (=bad news since I never seem to actually FINISH a scarf)

First I have the cross-over scarf, pattern taken from the DIY network. I tweaked it a bit to get the size I wanted and the amount of "X's" that I wanted. I'm not sure that I like it though. I'm thinking of just frogging the whole thing and maybe attempting it again later. I really get bored easily with scarves. I don't even think I have enough of the color of yarn to even finish the whole thing, so I'd probably have to do stripes with it.... The whole thing seems to just not want to work out this time around. I think I messed up my Xs as well. They don't seem to actually make an X shape.






The second WIP that I've got is much less frustrating. I've started a simple moss stitch scarf in Caron Bliss yarn (The color is called 'merlot'). It is so soft, and the moss stitch is so easy to knit. It is almost mesmerizing to just sit and knit this. It'll be so nice to have this great big soft scarf. It's also in one of my favorite colors. I can't wait to finish it. I've got 3 balls/skeins of the yarn, I'm just going to knit all 3 of them into the scarf. I really can't think of much else to do with the yarn. I wouldn't like it as a hat.

The first picture doesn't really show the color very well. And none of the pictures can possibly give you any idea of how soft this yarn is. I love it. I'm thinking of getting more to make a throw with, but I really should finish the scarf first!

Finally found my camera! Now for some FOs...

I've got 2 FOs, that I have semi-discussed in my camera-less posts.

My skinny version of a Hogwarts "house unity" scarf
This was supposed to be my skinny scarf that was knit fast and kind of sloppy in worsted weight yarn and size 11 needles that I could wear to the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows release. BUT when it got to be 10:30 and I had 20 rows left, I gave up and went to the party without it. I figure it'll still serve a purpose and it doesn't look too awful considering that most of the color stripes were from scrap yarn (red and yellow both came from leftovers of Stitch's gryffindor scarf, navy came from my monstrosity ravenclaw scarf, and green I cut some off of Luke's slytherin scarf.) I have no clue what type of yarn the black was. It was sitting label-less in my stash forever so I put it to use. The green and navy are both a little dark and hard to see in the black, but I was working with what I had available and on a very short deadline. I believe I started the scarf the Tuesday before the release. And Tuesday was really the only day I had off that week. I only put about 15 hours total into the scarf. I had a very busy work week and just barely didn't finish in in time.

I'm really fond of the fringe. I added flecks of the color stripes so it wouldn't be all black. It's my favorite part of the whole scarf.

It's finished dimensions are:
only 1 3/4" wide and 60" long before fringe, 68" long with the fringe


My Lion Brand Thick and Quick hat
I'm actually not very pleased with this hat. I finished it fairly quickly, but I'm not at all happy with the decreases. The hat also feels stiff because the yarn was too thick to be used on size 10.5 needles. (Reasons for this needle selection were discussed in this post.)

I have enough yarn left, and I just got new addi turbo 16" circulars in both size 11 and 13 so I think that I'll try again. I do love this color and I think that is worked up nice and quick (hence, the yarn name.)