An award, a meme, and a meme...

An award:

Guess what? It turns out I'm a:



Woo, hoo! Awe, thanks, Mel (of Girl Eats Soup)! I love reading Mel's blog (which I happen to think has a fantastic name, by the way)... there is knitting commentary, of course, but she also gives you wonderful little windows into her life and thoughts.

There are so many really Rockin' Girl KnitBloggers out there whose blogs I love to visit -- there's literally no way I could list everybody, so I'll highlight a few of you here. I'm sending this hot-pink award to (in no particular order):

Anphoe
Brandy
Del
Rosina
So KnitPicky
Iris G
SJ
Monica PDX
Kasia
Laiane
Amy

Ok, I've broken 10, so I'd better stop.... but trust me when I say I could go on and on... and on.... I'm always learning new things from you, gaping in amazement at your latest exploits, and laughing (or occasionally, crying) as I read your blogs. You guys are all wonderful! Thanks!

Ok, as this is turning out to be a mostly pictureless post, here's a random yarn photo for your enjoyment:

(It's "Damasco" laceweight from Handpainted Yarn, if you're wondering.)


A meme:

A while back I was tagged by Brandy of The Purl Parables for the Wiki Birthday meme. The rules are… you go to www.wikipedia.org and type in your birthday (only the month and day). Then you write down 3 events, 2 births, and 1 holiday.

Events:
1. 1851 - Isaac Singer granted a patent for his sewing machine.
2. 1908 - First Model T Ford built.
3. 1981 - Release of the IBM PC or Personal Computer

Births:
1. 1887 - Erwin Schrödinger, Austrian physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1961)
2. 1973 - Richard Reid (shoe bomber) -- well, isn't that lovely.

Holiday:
Zaraday (Discordianism)


A meme:

More recently, Anphoe tagged me for the "knitting stuff you've done or plan to do" meme. You bold stuff you’ve done, italicize stuff you plan to do one day, and use normal font for stuff you’re not planning on doing. Here goes:

Afghan/Blanket (baby sized)
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn -- got some in my stash, now to decide what to do with it!
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with your own handspun yarn -- need to learn to spin first!
Slippers
Graffiti knitting
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dyeing with plant colors -- sound fun!
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with DPNs
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dyeing yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair -- I do this accidentally already...
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

If you would like to answer either of these memes, consider yourself tagged!

Have a great weekend! I'll be back soon with more Mystery Stole 3 progress...

Nothing sketchy about it...

PENCIL SKETCH CAMISOLE (Iris G)
Filatura Di Crosa Adhoc Pepe (viscose/linen), #11 (110 yards per ball) 3.5 balls
Debbie Bliss Cathay (cotton/viscose/silk), #12006 (109 yards per ball) 2/3 ball
Rowan Handknit Cotton (cotton), #309 (93 yards per ball) 1/4 ball
US 4, 24" and 16" bamboo circular needles

I really enjoyed making the Pencil Sketch Camisole -- thanks Iris! Overall, the pattern was very easy to follow, and it produced a wonderful end product. The fabric is drapey and slightly shiny, thanks to the lovely Pepe and Cathay yarns. I think it came out great!



There were a few instructions I found ambiguous or slightly confusing, but I think I figured everything out (I'll be sure to tell Iris where I was confused, so she can address this if need be). In one place, I got myself into trouble because I had added stitch markers on either side of the lace panel stitches in addition to the 2 markers (at left and right sides) Iris suggested in the pattern. The instructions told me to "knit to marker" and I accidentally stopped at the first marker I came to (which was one of mine) -- oops! I figured it out, though.



Modifications:
Although I initially thought I was getting stitch gauge with my swatch, I realized before casting on that I really wasn't, so I decided to cast on 150 stitches (instead of the 162 in the pattern). I also had to adjust for my row gauge, which was too tight, by knitting extra rows.



My trim yarn (Rowan Handknit Cotton) was thicker and stiffer than might be desirable, but I had it in my stash, so I went ahead and used it. If you make this top, I would definitely suggest using something more delicate, like the silk tape Iris used to trim her original Pencil Sketch. I would have used the leftover Pepe or Cathay, except I really liked the idea of a paler trim.



I only used the trim color on the neck and sleeve openings (Iris also uses it along the bottom of the camisole). Because my trim yarn was a little more robust, after picking up stitches for the sleeve trim, I knit only 2 rounds in stockinette stitch, then did one round of k1p1 rib before binding off in k1p1 rib. Likewise, after picking up stitches for the neck trim, I worked only one round in stockinette stitch before binding off in picot trim. Iris used a random combination of 2, 3, or 4 stitches between picots, but I ended up using 3 stitches between each of my picots.



I did start working on Mystery Stole 3 last week. (Woo, hoo!) I'm actually farther along than the picture shows (I'm halfway through Clue 2 now), however, reading "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" this weekend took a large chunk out of my knitting time (but I'm OK with that -- I really enjoyed the book!) : )

Amazon had given me a UPS tracking number (that appeared to work!), but my book ended up coming via the US Postal Service at my regular mail time (around 5 pm, grrrrrrr....) on Saturday, so I didn't get to start reading until late in the day. My husband and I switched off reading the book Saturday evening and Sunday morning, but I was a total hog on Sunday afternoon, so I had finished the book by dinner time.

Moana doesn't really get lace...


and she's totally not into wearing a babushka.

Where does all the (knitting) time go?

Thanks for all your comments! I enjoy reading them (and checking out your blogs)!

I had a great visit with two old friends over the weekend! We meant to knit a bit, but, alas, we kind of forgot to amidst all of our yacking, eating, yacking, walking, yacking, siteseeing, and yacking -- besides, it wasn't the greatest knitting weather (humid, in the 90's, no air conditioner...).

The past few weeks I have not been knitting as much as I hoped to.
Case in point: I signed up for Mystery Stole 3 quite a while ago, but, um, this is what my stole looks like right now:


You might say I'm a little behind. Two clues have already been released, and another is coming in a few days. Hopefully I'll be able to get started soon...



I'm finished with the back of Iris G's Pencil Sketch Camisole, and I'm working on the fronts.



I ended up using Debbie Bliss Cathay in an olive-y color for the contrasting band. The cotton/viscose/silk Cathay knits up more smoothly than the viscose/linen Pepe, and I really like the visual and textural interplay of the two yarns.




This photo is for Mel, who left a comment in my last post asking: "So how long before one of the cats is sporting the camisole?"

(I know it's kind of cheating, because Bug isn't actually inside the camisole, but I was a little worried about him wigging out and ripping it apart if I tried to stuff him in it ...)

Frankly, I wanted to see Helen or Slinkers in your now defunct sock, Mel.... maybe next time?!

For some reason, I have been quite lucky lately when it comes to blog contests. I won my very first Socks that Rock (and a pattern) from Brandy of The Purl Parables in her blogiversary contest. I think it's just lovely!


I also won a prize for contributing to Rachel's kitty Digit's recovery fund. Erika of Redshirt Knitting had a "thank you" drawing, and I won 10 (!) balls of Uruguay DK (merino/alpaca/silk) in a sagey green color that were donated by her reader, Katharine (who is apparently blogless, but exceedingly generous)! The color is off in this picture, but you get the idea... it's lovely stuff!


Lastly, I won yarn(!) from Rosina of Noteworthy Knits. I don't know what it is yet -- but I'm excited!

Thanks, guys!


Bug: Yawn... are you almost finished with the photoshoot? I can barely keep my eyes open here -- being a model is exhausting!


This level of cuteness doesn't grow on trees, you know. It's hard to be "on" all the time... Trust me, you don't want to know what will happen if I get behind on my beauty sleep.

P.S. I just learned that Crazy Aunt Purl's kitty, Roy, passed away. We'll miss you, too, Roy.