Winter Break Knit-A-Thon

I have been a knitting machine. The break between semesters is such a genuine relief that I couldn't help but knit myself silly. I knit a scarf for my boyfriend for Christmas, but I didn't get it finished prior to exchanging, so I just showed him what I had finished. He said he liked it, and the yarn was soft but the real and true reaction was cemented when I gave it to him. I finished it on New Years Eve but due to being on vacation visiting my Dad in Florida, the boyfriend didn't get the scarf until Jan 10th, when I arrived home.

Meanwhile, I promised to show you a picture of my Class Sock which was knit from Sensational Knitted Socks.







While on vacation, I also knit my very own sock! Using the Opal that Sheila sent me(its so so so beautiful and a dream to work with) I knit anklet socks. Instead of knitting a long ribbed tube for tube-type socks, I worked about two inches of ribbing and then transitioned into the heel flap and other sock parts. There are obvious mistakes, but considering its my first, actually intended for wearing sock, I'm so pleased.












I'm not sure if the pictures are clear enough for you to see the mistakes, I suppose that is the upside of having a 4.1 megapixel camera :) It's been alittle slow on the second sock, but that's only because I've been home, running all kinds of errands and getting things ready for the begining of the lacrosse season, and the spring semester.


I also took some pictures of presents I got, for no good reason other than because my camera still had battery life and I have resolved this year to post more pictures on my blogs because I know I love seeing pictures on other people's blogs. Here is my attempt:)







I received a tea press and a small turkey ornament. I collect turkeys, and I've resolved that I want to drink whole leaf tea.



I love turkeys.





For my birthday wayyy back in November, I got a smaller, knitting sized version of my LL Bean boat & tote bag which I use to carry school books, beach accessories, overnight clothes, lunch.... you name it, I use the larger, dark green bag for it. Now I have a lime green, smaller, knitting bag, with matching long handles! I love green. It was a lovely present from my boyfriend for my 22nd birthday.




A shot at what I usually have inside:)






For Christmas my boyfriend got me a brand new case for my iPod. Both the screen and the wheel are covered, which is what I originally wanted, but couldn't find. I had a different case, but it wasn't what I wanted. My iPod turned 2 this past November. (I don't know why the one picture is tilted..)



My favorite baking type cookbook, my winter time reading and another great sock book posed with yarn I got from my boyfriend's mom for Christmas.





After I realized that they were going to be too bulky, I pulled the needles out. I'm going to rip this hat and reknit the fingerless gloves with this yarn. The only thing I can say about the yarn in the hat, is that it is wool and the purple yarn smelt like FruitLoops when I first bought it. The hat had both purple and grey yarns held together.


(I don't know why the picture is on its side.)

And finally:

It snowed today, so I took a few pictures of my backyard.











I wrote in the snow, but I don't know if you can tell.




I'm not sure why some of my pictures are tinier than others, so I hope this posts correctly.

My camera batteries have been completely recharged, so hopefully I'll get some nice modeling shots of the boyfriend in his Christmas scarf.


Thanks for checking in! This Friday is my 1 year anniversary of knitblogging, check back for a year in review!

Happy New Year!

Last night, I finally finished the super surprise knitted Christmas present for the boyfriend. Problem is, I am on vacation, and I haven't really figured out how to link up camera for pictures, as I've been wearing it despite the beautiful 80 degree Florida weather.

I'm visiting my Dad and I had the best Christmas since before my parents got divorced. It took them a year to get divorced, starting and ending a few weeks before Christmas during my junior-senior years in highschool (about 2002-2003). Since 2002, my Christmases have been crappy, running back and forth between parents, being overall sad and/or depressed and hating Christmas. This year was slightly different from years past, I flew down to Florida before Christmas (usually I wait and fly after) and the boyfriend and his family are practically my second family, and they love Christmas.

Perhaps it was spending all that time with the boyfriend and his family, or maybe it was spending Christmas Eve and Day with my Dad (we are really close, considering the 1300 miles) who I haven't seen since August, or maybe removing myself from the Christian faith enough for me to get through a Christmas without crying, pouting, being sad, depressed or overall miserable and actually enjoying the holiday, the way I used to.

Or maybe I'm just older and its easier to move on as I get older and the painful memories aren't as close as they used to be.

Anyway, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and have a very happy New Year. Don't drink and drive, and don't let your friends, family or strangers do it either. Stay safe and keep knitting:) I hope to have the Boyfriend Scarf up on Ravelry and here on KnitBlog, but we'll see how soon that is.

Next project: Knucks! from Knitty:)

Happy New Year!
Jersey

Ravelry & Flickr

I'm on Ravelry and Flickr.

Find me as Jerseyknits!

November Knits, Foliage and Pictures

The month of November was a very hectic, with school, lacrosse and even with knitting. Despite my lack of blogging, I have, literally, a month of pictures.

The first day of November was really bright, and this is what was outside my bedroom window:

I decided to Kool-Aid dye some mystery yarn that I inherited when my grandmother passed away. I have no idea what its made out of, but after dying I have a better idea.

I used a portable tray (we use for eating in front of the TV with), turned it upside down and made a silly, but functional skein. (I don't have a swift... or ball winder....)

It looks like spagetti.

I wish I was joking when I tell you that I thought this KoolAid would be blue. It wasn't. It was red.

If the yarn was 100% animal fiber (more likely 100% wool), the yarn would have been much darker red. Since the yarn is so light, it made me conclude that the yarn is probably acrylic. This bums me out considerably because I am never going to get rid of all the acrylic yarn I seem to have.

Moving on.

Here are two pictures of the tree in my front yard on Thanksgiving Day. It was nearly 60 degrees on Thanksgiving.

I turned 22 on the 26th (Monday after Thanksgiving). I didn't do much because usually I celebrate all weekend. My sister was up from Florida and we went bowling with my boyfriend.

And I finally(!!!) got my photoshoot. My boyfriend took the pictures, which means they aren't exactly how I want them, as I would prefer to photograph someone else so I get the shots I want. But considering, he did a good job. He also modeled some mittens for me, too. If you see tufts of dark hair.. well.. its mine. It was 30 degrees when we had this photoshoot.

Manos Del Uruguay in the "My So Called Scarf" pattern. Knit in Feb or March of this year. Also included are mittens, knit from Knitting Pretty.(page 59, Warmest Mittens) Yarn is from Green Mountain Spinnery in Champlain Blue and Forget Me Not (greyish). It was purchased in Jim Thorpe, PA where the yarn owner literally sniffed the skiens of the yarn I was about to purchase. This freaked my boyfriend out, but it still has a beautiful sheepy smell. I have aloooot left over which I started to make a scarf out of and decided that's a horrible idea for such lovely wool. Infact, its 100% New England Wool. I may make fingerless mittens with the left over instead. I haven't made a decision yet. I LOVE this wool. It's alittle rough but I L-O-V-E it.

Same as above.

Ugly Scarf, which is a k2p2 pattern, very unoriginal, on size 15 needles. It is mystery yarn. I purchased it very early in my knitting career from Ebay and it came to me on a cone, from which I simply knit from. I was young.. and silly. Turns out to be my most used scarf, and the ugliest:)
Also shown is a slightly not finished Ear Flap Hat. Pattern can be found here: Ski Hat with Ear Flaps and the yarn is the beautiful Baby Alpaca Grande by Plymouth Yarn in the Color 100 and unidentified. Although it seems to be pink and white. It is slightly too long, and I haven't done anything as far as keeping the ear flaps down. I'm not a good finisher. I purchased the yarn last Christmas in Florida.

Ugly scarf and Alpaca Ear Flap Hat

These are the mittens I was telling you about. If you look closely at the mitten with the thumb pointing the in downward direction, you can see the hole at the base of the thumb. No one has let me live that hole down. Also pictured, ugly scarf and ear flap hat.

Ugly scarf is nearly 6 feet in length. I absolutely love wrapping it around 800 times. Despite its sheer ugliness, its my favorite scarf.

NJ at sunset (430pm).

Boyfriend modeled mittens:

I knit mittens in January when my Granny was having triple bypass surgery. They were the ugliest mittens and when my sister finally annouced she would be visiting from Florida, I ripped the mittens out, and reknit them using the Warmest Mittens pattern in Knitting Pretty. The only thing about these mittens(as well as the other pair) is that the tip of the mitten looks more like a nipple than the top of a mitten. I ....am learning from my mistakes. I knit them a bit bigger because my sister has larger hands than I do. This is also why my boyfriend is modeling them, and why they don't fit him.

He had to reclaim his masculinity.

The stripes don't match because I kept getting entranced by using DPNs. I forgot to change colors...

These are two scarves I have knit previously, and I really just wanted to show off. My plan for the light green one was to try and give it away to anyone who said they liked it. Nobody said anything, so I still have it.

I designed this scarf. I can't remember what yarn is it, and I call it Exercise In Cables scarf. It's skinny, great to wear under a regular scarf & jacket, although I know if you look closely enough, I messed up on the cables. I think the cable I zoomed in on is a good example of a good cable, but who knows. Its k4p4 c3f p4k4. Make sense?

The light green scarf is a wavey scarf. I think I got the pattern from a book from the library. Its pretty simple, CO 20, knit two rows, decrease until you have 10 stitches, knit 2 rows, increase until you have 20 stitches again. Keep all increased and decreased at the begining and ends of each row. Very easy and it was a good way for me to grasp the concept of increasing & decreasing. I also really like this scarf, too. Acrylic, but soft, regardless.

As if that wasn't enough to tell you about, I have some new LYS stories. I found a "yarn" store on slightly local main road. I drive to it while looking for a different store (which I don't think exists because I have yet to find a sign or the building) and it's a big waste of time, it looks like its more involved with needlepoint than with yarn and knitting/crocheting. At least, that's what I took from looking in the window (it wasn't open). Meanwhile, I was contacted by the owner of ANOTHER LYS (although not so local) who found my blog. The owner of this LYS (try and follow this) was college roommates with my ex boyfriend's brother's girlfriend, but I think they broke up, so my ex boyfriend's brother's ex girlfriend. Small world, huh? Well I found her on Myspace as well and I have to drive up and see the store and meet the owner as well.

In the very latest of news, I have finals this week as well as next week, and I completed the class sock from Sensational Knitted Socks. I also aquired over my awesome birthday weekend (aka thanksgiving weekend) Knitting Socks from the Getting Started Series. I've been reading and dreaming and thinking all about socks lately. I usually visit my dad (in Florida) over winter break, so the problem always arises with what projects to bring with me. I have decided to bring the Opal that Sheila sent me. I brought sweater last year, and to be honest, I put the shoulders on their own circular needles(as called for) and I really don't think I got gauge. I haven't tried it on, although I really want to.

I'll have pictures in the next post.
That's it for now! Sorry about the lack in updates!
Jersey

Finals Week

College is great for cramming a ton of work into the week or two before finals. Finals in and of themselves are a pain in the ass to prepare for, and that is why I have not yet updated. Good news is that I have PLENTY of pictures (I finally got my photoshoot) and stories and more pictures.

I just have to sift through all my homework for my camera and my USB cable. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

More later
- Jersey

Quick Mitten Story

My cousin made his confirmation today. He is officially a confirmed Roman Catholic. Afterwards, the family gathered at a restaurant and had dinner. It was very lengthy and I am the oldest of my cousins. Of the 7 of us (one of which is my sister who is 20) one is a boy, and we range in ages from myself (almost 22), my sister is 20, boy cousin is almost 14, his sister recently turned 10, girl cousin almost 8, girl cousin, almost 5, girl cousin 4.

I say almost __ years old because our birthdays (the exception is my sister) are between Oct 27 and Dec 3rd. Six of us are born within six weeks of each other. Boy cousin and I are one day and 8 years apart. Fun facts ;)

So, this is where I'm going with this story, outside of cousins, our parents are present at dinner, as well as our grandmother and her sister (our great aunt). Girl Cousin, who is almost 8 years old, somehow notices that my freshly finished mittens fell out of my peacoat pockets, and onto the restaurant floor. Of course, almost-8-year-olds are very in tune to what is on he floor of a somewhat crowed restaurant.

Naturally, she thrusts the mitten into my face, it is not shiny nor does it have buttons, so it is not interesting. I should mention, I all but kept my cellphone in my bra to keep it away from my dear, adorable cousins. As the mitten is thrust into my face, my grandmother yells across the table about how she wants to look at my mittens. I hand her the mitten and my grandma, her sister and my aunt start talking about the mittens. Granny tries them on, yells at her sister (she is nearly deaf) about how proud she is of me and my mittens and I knit them and the whole nine yards.....

When she hands them back to me, she points out that I have a hole in each mitten. (I had issues with the thumb, I'll point it out in other pictures) I reply that I never said they were perfect mittens.

She is not a knitter, although I asked if she wanted to learn. She said people who are 79 don't want to learn new things. I don't mind her criticism of my knits. Granny will say what everyone else is thinking, and I appreciate that. If she thinks my mittens are ugly, she'll tell me they are ugly.

That's all I had to say. The story didn't quite come out the way I wanted it to, but you get the idea. It made me laugh when she handed them back to me. I may or may not have my strongly desired photo shoot this weekend, because I have to write a paper for American Literature. I would also like to mention that I am a science major, and although English and other classes make me a better, more rounded out person, I would much prefer to take an additional physics class, than American Lit.

There. I said it.
knit on! - jersey

Ah yes, FO's.

* Originally I had posted this blog on Nov. 12th, but my awesome picture shrinking skills were less than stellar. I took the blog down, recropped the pictures so that they would be smaller, and better viewed on the blog and I will eventually repost this blog. Thanks! Jersey

Yes, it is November of 2007 and I can actually say I suddenly have quite a few FO's (finished objects) and let me tell you, saying that out loud, IS WONDERFUL! A far cry from my mittens in January, [and getting the jist of how to post pictures....] I have since completed a pair of mittens, an earflap hat and from Knitty, Calorimetry which I just tell my non-knitting friends it's some type of a large headband that I've been wearing to lacrosse.

I should also mention that I've gotten a TON of compliments on my version of Calorimetry. Seriously, a ton. Including lacrosse teammates, my aunt, boyfriend, boyfriend's mom and a stranger or two.

I feel proud. I don't have finished pictures yet, but I will soon. I have to somehow sell taking pictures of me bundled up in mittens/hat and random scarf is fun to my boyfriend. I know. Goodluck.

I used the yarn from my Jim Thorpe, PA trip for the mittens.

Until I have the perfect photoshoot, here are some pictures to hold you over. I included my awesome pumpkin carving skills and a series of half finished mitten pictures.



The cutest dog ever.



My awesomely carved pumpkin.



Pumpkins are healthy.



Non-lit shot of everyones carved pumpkins. (L to R: Boyfriend's sister's pumpkin, mine, boyfriend's)



Lit shot of pumpkins. Same order as earlier.




Painted pumpkins watching the Giant's win. (L to R: Boyfriend's, Boyfriend's mom's, Boyfriend's sister)


The following are mitten shots:










* I originally had a few more mitten shots, but I got so frustrated with Photobucket that I only uploaded a few. I'll have more later.


I have soo much more to share, and with a WONDERFUL four day weekend that is my favorite holiday coming up soon (cough-thanksgiving-cough) I promise to have another update. I do, I promise. I've been a bad knitter/blogger.

Finally, also in italics, I have to also mention I've decided to make up a "What to Buy a Knitter for her Birthday" blog, which should be posted soon, as well as a photoshoot with (hopefully) bunches of pictures of past and present knits. I feel like I woke up to quite a few winter hand knits. Some of them are ugly, some of them are wonderful, but I feel like I am slowly developing quite a collection. Perhaps I'll even have a model .... I'd love to take the pictures myself, but there is only so much a mirror can do. We'll see. Thanks for checking in with me, I'm sorry I haven't been blogging more often. I hope you are all doing well & enjoying the colder weather. I know it took forever for New Jersey to finally get colder. Even today, it was almost 60 degrees at 2pm!

Thanks for checking in! I have plenty of upkeep to do, I joined two different New Jersey related blog rings and I have some general cleaning up of links and dates, etc.

Ok, bed time and I'm really done with my wacky updates. * All updates in italics were done Nov 13th, in case you were wondering... :)

Happy Knitting! - Jersey