A knitting blog by a girl who breaks things for a living.

Yarn on display at Yarn Museum!

2007-08-26T22:02:00.000-07:00

A proud announcement that a photograph of a yarn I've created and sold via Etsy.com is now on display at the Yarn Museum! When you get a chance, please take a look here - http://yarnmuseum.com/gallery_shows_changing/birdandbeast_gallery.html.

Spinners, I encourage you to take part in their wonderful menagerie of displays. It's a great site hosted by many talented spinners :)

ooh ooh ooh AHH AHH AHH

2007-04-27T20:37:00.001-07:00

more bento!

2007-04-19T20:04:00.000-07:00

Well, the weather wasn't too great so no sitting by the canal. But! I can say that the bento was extremely tasty and of perfect portions. It got a lot of comments from my coworkers too. I think that Craig and Eva are both getting bento boxes - I'll have bento buddies very soon!

Below is tomorrow's bento:

2007-04-18T22:31:00.000-07:00

So, I've been obsessing over BENTOOO for the past few days. I'm not sure what started it, but I've been looking at pics of bento, bento box auctions, and everything else bento. After buying a bento box online, I broke down today and went to Uwajimaya with Jer and Eva and got another box. And accessories. And as soon as we got home, put together my first box. First, the goods:

Overall, I think doing this is a great thing because I'll be eating healthier and in smaller portions, and I'll be saving money in not buying $10-$15 lunches every day. Tomorrow's lunch is nigiri sushi, salad, and some sweets (red bean cake and koala yummies). Lookie!

I can't wait to eat it tomorrow! Hopefully it'll be nice out and I can sit by the canal and watch the boats go by. Squee!

2007-04-06T19:01:00.000-07:00

Oh my GOODNESS it's a nice day outside today. Reached about 80 degrees, sun all day, little to no wind. I dressed for crap weather (jeans, t-shirt, jacket), so needless to say that when I got home, I stripped all that off and am now donning board shorts and a sleeveless mock Hawaiian tank top. I say to this weekend: Aloha! I hope it's as nice tomorrow and Sunday as it was today.

I've been working on a pair of socks recently - cast on at a bar during happy hour this past Monday, and it's been slowly coming along ever since. I'm done with the toes now, and working on the foot. The yarn I'm working with is extremely pretty, and works up really nicely! If you ever get the chance I definitely recommend getting sock yarn from cherryblossomfibers.etsy.com.

I have also been enjoying the bird and the bee recently. Was exposed to them at a recent Lily Allen show here in Seattle, and was turned on by their electronic backdrop against pretty soprano lyrics. They dropped some buttons during the show, and I snagged one up, which is now pinned to my ArrrrPirate bag. If you are interested in listening to their album, I have it streamed here.

Can you REALLY make something awesome with 100 yards of handspun yarn?

2007-04-01T17:34:00.001-07:00

This above question is something that I've always wondered about. Most of the patterns that you see out there call for much more yardage than 100 yards (dk, worsted weight). This has been, as someone who appreciates handspun yarns but is apprehensive in purchasing them because I don't think that I would have enough for a "real" project, a downer.

However, in delving into the world of handspinning my own yarns within the past 4-5 months or so, have created a couple skeins of ~100 yarns of yarn to see if one can really can make something out of this yardage (and, mind you, not mixed with any other yarn type to extend the total yardage). Can this be done?

The answer? Yes!

Example 1

Using a ~95 yard skein of worsted weight navajo plied yarn, I was able to make a 3" x 5' garter stitch scarf, like-a so:

Example 2

Using around 90 yards of this handspun yarn...

I did a "mock" Calorimetry FO...

In short: Don't fear the handspun! :)

Socks!

2007-04-01T16:39:00.000-07:00

This past week I've fallen in love with making socks all over again, mostly due to the neatly colored sock yarn purchases made over the past month comprised of Trekking XXL and handpainted sock yarns from Cherry Blossom Fibers. Another thing has rekindled the flames of love of sock-making too - knitting two socks at once!

Let's face it - after all the time and effort in making one sock, making the second sock (for me, at least) is a rushed chore more than it is a pleasure to do. I can't tell you how many socks I've made that are just one - lost somewhere in the apartment because I never bothered to make the second. By making two at once, there's no guesswork in making the socks consistent. And, once the first one is done, the second one is "magically" completed too. Huzzah!

The current socks are using Trekking XXL color 107 (reds and greens). Working with these colors has been a treat because the change in color is so gradual and magical. These socks aren't made from any pattern per se, but I am following these basic guidelines for my size 8 feets...

1. Take the skein of sock yarn and divide it into two center pull balls.

2. Cast on using figure 8 cast on method with US 1 40" circular needles, 13 stitches on each side of the sock (26 stitches total for each sock). Use one ball for one sock, and the other ball for the other sock. Work each round like you would for one sock using the magic loop method.

2. Once cast on is done, apply M1 at the beginning and the end of the "row" (or side of one sock) until the total stitches for the side of the sock reaches 30 stitches (60 stitches total for each sock).

3. Work rounds for both socks until the sock reaches 4" (or when the entire foot minus the heel is covered). Now it's ready to make the heel of the sock!

4. Using only one side of each sock, apply this nifty short row formula for heels without holes.

5. Continue to knit in the round until desired length. At this point, if wanted, apply K1P1 rows of ribbing for 1". Cast off using favorite method. Voila!

Carrot Caaaaake!

2007-03-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

I got a craving for carrot cake sometime yesterday, so I ventured out after seeing Children of Men (probably one of the most depressing movies I've ever seen) and got the ingredients! Finished it about 5 minutes ago. The first piece? GONE. Mmmmm, tasty!

Also, new yarn on my Etsy site! Huzzah!

Etsy Treasury!

2007-03-12T17:41:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to let you know that someone out there was kind enough to add one of my yarns to her Etsy Treasury list! The link for this list is: http://www.etsy.com/treasury.php?id=1173737710874U67093

Would it be incredibly silly....

2007-03-07T22:20:00.000-08:00

...to start a series of free workshops in Seattle for teaching people how to spin yarn? And eventually expand it into a community group by applying for a grant with the National Endowment for the Arts?

New yarn up at my Etsy shop, Huzzah!

2007-03-04T16:46:00.000-08:00

Finally had the chance to take (somewhat) decent photos since the sun peeked out for a little bit today. So many pictures, and didn't get to all of the new yarns before the sun disappeared again. I can't wait for it to be Spring, so the sun can come out all the time! *shakes fist at Seattle*

Below is a pic of one of the yarns up for sale. Look at the halo of this! Everytime I look at this yarn I start frothing at the mouth - it is so incredibly soft and yummy.

Finished by first custom order for a customer of about 300 yards of yarn. Sent along the pictures - I hope she likes it! It has been getting great comments within Flickr, and has already been favorited a few times.

Don't worry, I'm still here

2007-02-27T20:18:00.000-08:00

Been spinning lots lately. Will post photos the moment that the next sunny day comes along. (Man I want to get a better flash for my camera, but that's another story entirely. Anyone know how to build a decent lightbox? :) )

Until then, here's a photo of my new toy:

I've made a few skins for it. I'll post pics and info once I have them a little more polished. :)

New Yarns!

2007-02-07T23:48:00.000-08:00

I got some roving delivered from onmytiptoes two days ago, and made up some yarn last night. Tonight I got around to taking some (crappy) pics of both. So, here ya go:

And now, I think it's sleepy time. G'night!

...Almost Forgot!

2007-02-04T12:13:00.000-08:00

2 things I've almost forgot:

#1: I tried my hand at making fridge magnets yesterday using batman comics and these instructions. Lookie!

#2:

GO BEARS!

Pictures!

2007-02-04T10:38:00.000-08:00

Roving #1: The roving that I set out to make as a sunrise; turned out to be a drunken clown:

Roving #2: The roving that turned out how I planned! It reminds me of Nermal the cat from Garfield, for whatever reason:

Can't Wait to Spin...

2007-02-04T00:40:00.001-08:00

... the roving that I dyed today. I was amazed that Jer let me do it - he absolutely despises the smell of wet warm wool, so much so that he's pretty much begged me to not do it while he's at home. Today, however, when I asked *super nicely* he amazingly ok'ed it. Thanks honey - you are awesome!

So, the dyeing details... did two 4 ounce lots. The first was an attempt to make the colors of sunrise - lots of reds, pinks, blue, grey. I'm not sure how this happened, but while the wet version of this looked like what I wanted, the dry version is a little more vivid, and includes many more colors (bright greens, for example). I look at it and think, how in the world did THIS happen? It looks like a drunken circus clown. It's not bad (and I'm interested in spinning it!) but nonetheless, an unexpected result in dyeing.

The second lot turned out exactly how I planned - a mix of white, blue, green, purples, and browns. The main two colors are the white, blue, and brown, while the others are accent colors. Very wintery!

Tomorrow when both are completely dry I will try to post some pictures. That is, if it's not crappy, rainy, and severely overcast like it was today. Meh!

Two new yarns to take pictures of and toss up on my Etsy shop tomorrow as well! Both are made of roving sold at SakinaNeedles - this fabulous Etsyan who makes excellent colorways using Bluefaced Leicester. The end products are so soft that I am very tempted to keep them for myself!

Living Room Conversion

2007-01-28T16:25:00.000-08:00

So as you might know, Jer and I are in our first month at a new apartment. We've been slowly unpacking and putting things away, and there are quite a few loose ends left. Out of the blue, Jer got really excited about a vision of a SEXY LIVING ROOM. So, he put together some ideas and we made a trek to IKEA to get the first bits needed.

Below are pics of the stuff that Jer's put together so far:

Yes, Jer designed most of this. He has excellent taste, I think :)

Newly Spun Yarn is Drying!

2007-01-21T00:27:00.000-08:00

Last night I got some roving in the mail, which I ended up immediately converting into yarn.

IMG_2806.

This afternoon, I got around to washing it to set the twist. The picture here is of it drying right now.

The end product ended up being about 360 yards, and about DK / worsted weight. I am so happy with the softness, the halo, and the color of it that I'm seriously thinking about keeping it for myself and not selling it on Etsy.

More pics soon!

New brennx0r.etsy.com Ad

2007-01-20T18:07:00.000-08:00

Click image for shop info!

I have had this song in my head and I can't get it out. ahhhh.

2007-01-19T22:06:00.000-08:00

New brennx0ryarn ad!

2007-01-15T21:38:00.000-08:00

(click to view new store items!)

Google map of my daily commute

2007-01-11T00:03:00.000-08:00

I noticed this Google feature tonight. Apparently it plots a pedestrian route and also calculates calories burned, etc.

This is the route of my daily bike commute. Purty dern cool, huh?

This used to be my last bike route.

The New Spinning Wheel!

2007-01-10T18:50:00.001-08:00

Say hello to Lucy, my Ashford Traveler:

I got this on Monday, put it together Monday night, and have been futzing around with the tension and the feel of it ever since. I think I finally got the tension for singles down pat around this time last night. Ended up spinning two bobbins - one purple, and one green. I got a little adventurous and decided to try to ply them. I received mixed results, since the tension for this is going to be different in plying (at least, what I observed).

Because I was toying around with it while plying, the result is this:

Notice the ultra twisty portions vs. the not so twisty portions. While I think I got the tension for this towards the end, because I reset it for singles again tonight I'll have to change it and futz with it while I try to ply this yarn again. Bah!

Onwards with yarn results I *like*. I got a package from fiber purchased at Laughing Rat Studios and I was tickled pink. Not only was the fiber beautiful, but the shipping was lightning fast AND she sent a sweet compliment in a note to me. It made my day. Today I had to opportunity to spun up one of two lots. The fiber name of this is called House Finch:

I am very happy with the result. Mmm hmm! In fact, off to spin some more and avoid the snow outside! Cheers!

Lazy Saturday

2007-01-06T12:30:00.000-08:00

Man, last night it was miserable weather. Raining, very cold, very windy - so Jer and I opted to stay inside, and I got off my butt and finally dyed some of this alpaca I bought about 2 weeks ago. The end goal is to use it for sock yarn. Here's what it looked like before:

This morning, after dyeing / drying, it now looks like:

Late last night, I brought out a envelope of wooden beads that I had purchased from From Belgium With Love and made some stitch markers! I haven't decided if I'm going to sell them or keep them. Mainly because I used a very high-gauge wire (28g) and I'm afraid that it isn't going to be durable enough, even though I doubled it over itself twice. I think I'm going to test knit with it and see how it all turns out.

But aren't these beads awesome?

Over this past week I have two main FOs I've been working on: a pair of socks for Jer, and a sweater made of very soft Frog Tree Alpaca. First, I give you the socks:

This is the first time I've ever knit socks in a US 1 gauge, and it's a little taunting! Add the fancypants cabling to the mix and this is, I reckon, going to be one bitch of a project. I just hope I don't neglect it and never finish it.

The sweater I'm working on is just starting (my own pattern, knit from the bottom up) but I'm really liking the result so far. Mostly, working with the Frog Tree is AMAZING. This yarn is so soft and has such a halo to it that every time I work with it I feel like I've died and gone to heaven.

I mean really, look at that! SO FUZZY!

Bad News and Good News about Spinning

2007-01-02T22:35:00.000-08:00

Bad News: Last night while spinning I broke my spindle.
Good News: I got online and purchased one of these:

I am SO excited for this to arrive! I've been so excited, in fact, that I keep looking at the picture of this and find myself drooling. I've also been looking at tags on flickr for this Ashford wheel and have been really impressed by the results. Such pretty, even singles. MmmmmM! I'm sure that I will probably be horrible at creating yarn with this at first (my first actual spinning wheel!) but it will be fun to master techniques.

Some interesting links that I should come back to once the wheel arrives:

http://www.joyofhandspinning.com/begin2spin.html

http://extremeknitting.com/article_how_to.asp?article=/review/profile/060223_a.asp

Happy 2007, and the Hero result:

2007-01-01T16:41:00.000-08:00

Your results:
You are Hulk

Hulk	You are a wanderer with amazing strength.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

More FOs!

2006-12-31T12:33:00.001-08:00

More knitting FOs!

I present to you: The socks OF DOOM!

A scarf version of crapotis!

Sweater FO!

2006-12-31T12:33:00.000-08:00

Since the move, I've done a couple of knitting projects. The first I want to show is this sweater, that I started on Friday and finished last night. The was no pattern that I followed, per say, but I did this in the style of Tivoli (from MagKnits).

Finally all moved in to the new place, and a quiz:

2006-12-31T11:45:00.000-08:00

Your results:
You are Mystique

Sometimes motherly, sometimes a beautiful companion, but most of the time a deceiving vixen.

Click here to take the Supervillain Personality Quiz

Upcoming Goals

2006-12-13T11:23:00.000-08:00

Once moved in, I plan to follow in the footsteps of a friend (hi butterbee!) and attempt to read the top 100 books of all time (as noted by the BBC. Below is the list (strikethrough is what I have already read):

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
~~6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee~~
~~7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne~~
~~8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell~~
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis (read a long time ago, but wouldn't mind re-reading)
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
~~11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller~~
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
~~15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger~~
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
~~17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens~~
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
~~21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell~~ (Gad what a terrible book. I'm sure I'm the only person who thinks so though. Freeking Scarlet.)
~~22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling~~
~~23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling~~
~~24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling~~
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
~~30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll~~
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
~~41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery~~
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
~~47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens~~
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
~~52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck~~
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
~~60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky~~
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
~~63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens~~
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
~~70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding~~
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
~~87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley~~
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

Yarn to Arrive in the Next Few Days

2006-12-11T18:03:00.000-08:00

*squeee*

I think some socks are in order after the December move is complete.

Yes! Jer and I are moving! To somewhere else in Seattle. The move is happening all this month, so if I'm not posting, this is probably why.

Hope everyone is having a good holiday season so far. Tell me about it in the comments! :)

2006-12-03T15:30:00.000-08:00

If you've been wanting to try some of the yarn up at my shop (brennx0r.etsy.com), but just want a tiny taste / lower price, come on by and check out my first MiniSkeins up for sale:

Mardi Gras

Rio

Happy Holidays and Happy Knitting!
-brennx0r @ brennx0ryarn.

New Yarn Up on brennx0r.etsy.com!

2006-12-02T14:29:00.000-08:00

New to brennx0r.etsy.com!

Raspberry Fields

Also on SALE:

SuperMan!

Come on by today, before it's gone!
Happy Holidays, and Happy Knitting!

- brennx0r

I remember when it used to be sunny

2006-11-27T20:21:00.000-08:00

IMG_0065
Originally uploaded by eskarina8.

.. but now it's all but snow. Bah!!!!
Predicted by NOAA to have about 3 inches tonight. Double Bahh!!!

24/7 Martial Law in 2007?

2006-11-09T20:09:00.000-08:00

A couple minutes ago I was browsing through digg.com and came across a link entitled Bush's Plans for Concentration Camps and Martial Law. Now I'm thinking to myself, oooh there's a little bit of embellishment - perfect example of crazy liberals giving level-headed liberals a bad name.

The linked article talks about the John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007, which has a harmless enough name. According to a blogger, this act

...allows the president to declare a 'public emergency' and station troops anywhere in America and take control of state-based National Guard units without the consent of the governor or local authorities, in order to 'suppress public disorder.'

I thought to myself, This can't be.

So I looked it up. Here.

Sure enough, it seems to be completely true. Below are my favorite sections:

Section 1042 -
Revises federal provisions allowing the President to utilize the Armed Forces in connection with interference with federal and state law to allow the President to employ the Armed Forces and National Guard in federal service to restore public order in cases of natural disaster, epidemic or other public health emergency, terrorist attack or incident, or domestic violence. Requires the President to notify Congress within 14 days of the exercise of such authority. Authorizes the President, when exercising such authority, to direct the Secretary to provide supplies, services, and equipment to persons affected by the situation.

Although I'm a little relieved that the President must give 14 days notice, the language is such that the Congress cannot block the desired action of the President to summon these forces. It's a courtesy, not any coordination with Congress.

Section 1044 -
Authorizes the governor of a state, with the approval of the Secretary, to order units or personnel of the National Guard of such state to training duty to carry out in any state along the southern land border of the United States specified surveillance, support, and other border security activities. Prohibits such duty from exceeding 21 days in any year. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to coordinate the performance of such activities. Prohibits such activities from including direct participation in a search, seizure, or similar law enforcement activity. Terminates such authority on January 1, 2009.

So not only does the State Governor now have to ASK PERMISSION to use the National Guard, but *if* approved, will have to undergo the unnecessary bureaucratic process of coordinating efforts with the Secretary of Homeland Security. Doesn't this seem like this will, I dunno, SLOW efforts to react to any incident or natural disaster. Imagine how slow the reaction to Katrina was WITHOUT this Act in place. Now, imagine what the consequences will be with this in place.

This is an unnecessary law that gives the President too much authority. Why doesn't he trust States to handle their own incidents before calling upon federal aid for help? Why is this law coming around now? Has there been a domestic terrorist attack on American soil within in the past year to justify the timing of this? And why is it that this slipped by without media coverage?

I plan on contacting my State officials mentioning all of these concerns and questions, and I urge you to do the same.

Things learned about my blog today

2006-10-31T19:37:00.000-08:00

Apparently some girl in Canada remarked in her blog that she thinks that my profile is "strange". (Note that I am the first on the list... HUZZAH!)

This amuses me to no end.
I suppose it's a sign that I knit too much? ;)

2006-10-28T22:24:00.000-07:00

WIth Elections Just Around the Corner...

... please remember to vote.

Also, this video is of Keith Olbermann of Countdown talking about 9/11. While I think that most pieces about it are tripe, this shows some opinions not really talked about by news shows (and in my opinion, should be talked about more often).

Inferno

2006-10-22T14:15:00.000-07:00

IMG_2452
Originally uploaded by brennx0r.

Now up for sale at my Etsy shop! (http://www.etsy.com/view_item.php?listing_id=572000)

Rods and Cones

2006-10-22T14:14:00.000-07:00

IMG_2455
Originally uploaded by brennx0r.

Now up for sale at my Etsy shop! (http://www.etsy.com/view_item.php?listing_id=572034)

Berry Taffy!

2006-10-22T14:13:00.000-07:00

IMG_2461
Originally uploaded by brennx0r.

Now on sale at my Etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/view_item.php?listing_id=572062)

Filling out 2006 Ballot

2006-10-21T16:16:00.000-07:00

IMG_2449
Originally uploaded by brennx0r.

So I get to a section of the ballot where the only choice I have to make is for a Republican. I stare at it for a second, and then the perfect write-in candidate came to mind.

I urge you to do the same! Mike is the right choice!

Added Goods to my Etsy shop!

2006-10-20T00:03:00.000-07:00

I have added some stitch markers that I made tonight to my Etsy shop (brennx0r.etsy.com).

2006-10-19T18:59:00.000-07:00

how well do you know me?

Mai Tai on the plane home

2006-10-18T23:20:00.000-07:00

DSC00265
Originally uploaded by brennx0r.

After all the the earthquake shenanigans, we took first class on the way home. Here is a pic of the drinkie that was waiting me when we got on the plane.

It was damned tasty, strong, and had TWO huge chunks of pineapple in.

Back from Hawaii with the following news...

2006-10-18T22:18:00.000-07:00

IMG_2411
Originally uploaded by brennx0r.

Monkey lining!

2006-10-07T14:37:00.000-07:00

IMG_2916.JPG
Originally uploaded by lady3jane.

Last night I went over Keely and Mike's house and helped line this bag. Isn't it just adorable? Keely's knitting talent is awesomesauce, and the felting of the case is perfect.

Caution is now available on Etsy!

2006-10-07T12:26:00.000-07:00

Ain't it pretty? If you are interested in looking at the shop item, it's listed HERE! :)

You spin me right round baby right round...

2006-10-05T19:44:00.000-07:00

Just some quick pics of what I've been spinning over the past few days...

And currently on the spindle...

A mix of yellow, lime green, and orange. I feel like calling it "Acid" or "Caustic" or "Caution" when this is done. I am also thinking about perhaps putting this on Etsy. What do y'all think?

Eventful Past Few Days!

2006-10-04T22:25:00.000-07:00

This week has been exciting so far. Lots of stuff accomplished at work, and many things going on outside of work (perish the thought). The top three things that have happened:

1. The beta release of DRMfree.org. I have minimally worked on this project at a volunteer with my good friend Mike McCracken. Jer has also worked on this (quite a bit actually) within development. My hope is that this weekend I can start to be heads-down in the great project. The goal: To make DRM-free music more readily searchable and accessible by those who love music but hate corporate bullshit. Rock On!

2. In an experiment, I listed a couple of things that I have made on Etsy.com (link to my shop). Tonight I found that I have actually SOLD one of my items! This makes me giddy and happy beyond belief. I guess it's time to make more stitch marker sets. ;)

3. For the fiber that I got last night, I have spun up some of it and am loving it. Right now the first of it has been washed and is now drying. Pics to come soon!

ooooh pretty

2006-10-03T20:25:00.000-07:00

ooooh pretty
Originally uploaded by brennx0r.

This came in the mail today. I can't wait to start spinning it (which will be in T minus five minutes, no doubt).

Squeeeeeeeeeee!

A more in-depth view of making Tivoli sleeves

2006-10-01T19:03:00.001-07:00

So basically after you go back to the sleeve stitches on the holder (after finishing the body), you'll notice that there's a gap between where the raglan edging is and where the armpit stitches are. The goals of knitting "flat" and picking up stitches at the beginning of every row for a couple rows are to 1) close this gap, 2) not make the armpit/body join so floppy, and to 3) continue the raglan edging:

As you can see in the above picture, it looks like the raglan just stops. By knitting flat and picking up the stitches at the beginning of a few rows, you enable the raglan edging to continue.

The following rows have to be done to close the gap:

Row 1 (RS): Pick up stitch, K across the row.
Row 2 (WS): Pick up stitch, P across the row.

For the example I just made up, these two rows were repeated, for a total of 4 rows. From here:

Row 5 (RS): Pick up stitch, K across the row, continue by picking up the remaining underarm stitches. PM to mark beginning of the round. Continue knitting in the round.

What these rows end up looking like:

The gap is now gone. Hooray!

Tivoli's Done!

2006-10-01T16:25:00.000-07:00

Hooray! It's done! I cast off last night and blocked it this morning.

For posterity:

Pattern: Tivoli, MagKnits (http://www.magknits.com/Aug05/picovoli.htm)

Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas, AlpacaSilk, 7 skeins; Some leftover DK weight black yarn, manufacturer unknown.

Modificatons:

- Nixed the body shaping for the bust and the torso.
- Added increase rows at the bottom of the garmet to make it flare.
- Stabilized the sockinette by adding 3 crochet rows to the collar, the bottom hem, and the sleeve openings.
- Added sleeves! (Rough instructions on how the sleeves were done can be found here.)

Things I would do differently next time:

- Use a yarn with more halo. This alpaca is awesome, but creates very defined stitches. I think that this yarn is much more subtable for lace than for sweaters - but I was happy to use it anyhow, as it was a birthday giftie from my mom. :)
- Modify this pattern for aran weight yarn. I am just dying to see what this would look like in a bulkier weight. Tres Sexy for winter!
- More patience with finishing This is just a general note to myself, and nothing specifically having to deal with this pattern. I really hate finishing and weaving in ends, but the more time spent doing this right makes all the difference in the world. I hope I'm getting better at this.
- STEAM BLOCKING ROCKS! This is the first time I've used this method (I usually do the wet and pin blocking instead). This was really quick and produced great results.

Okay okay. Enough babbling. On to the pics!

Pre blocking!

Post blocking! (20 minutes later!)

Close-up of where the crochet meets the main piece at the collar.

tree sweater

2006-09-30T15:40:00.000-07:00

tree sweater
Originally uploaded by Dabbler.

This never ceases to amaze me.

I wonder if the people from http://www.knittaplease.com are responsible.

Also this weekend:

2006-09-30T13:05:00.000-07:00

IMG_2205
Originally uploaded by brennx0r.

Fun fabrics! I think I am going to make a needle case with the two on the bottom. Not sure what to do about the Hawaiian fabric, but am open to suggestions!

A rough sketch of how to make Tivoli long sleeved

2006-09-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

IMG_2204
Originally uploaded by brennx0r.

This is still a work in progress, but I'm very happy with the progress - now I'm in the home stretch! One more arm to do, and the crocheted edging, (and blocking) and voila! Stick a fork in it.

I decided, in the end, not to go with the K2P2 rib at the bottom. Turns out that the alpaca yarn is a little but too unstretchy for me to be able to pull it off without looking like a large blue sausage. So, I decided instead that for the last 20 rows that I would have it be knit, with every fifth row having M1 at the beginning and middle of the row such that there's a little flaring out. I then did a crocheted edging (3 rows) along the bottom. To make the sleeves, I just did this:

Take the live stitches off the stitch holders, using a US4 circular needle. Though I'm using a circular needle, the first couple rows are going to be knit flat. I then did:

Row 1: Pick up one stitch of raglan edging (main body), K till end of row.
Row 2: Pick up one stitch of raglan edging, P till end of row.

Repeat these two rows until the raglan edging is all done, and the only other stitches to pick up are the stitches for the underarms. The picking up stitches part should end on a knit row; instead of making a P row, pick up the underarm stitches (pick up one for every underarm stitch there is - this way there isn't bunching or pulling in this area). Once all the stitches are picked up, PM and continue knitting in the round (using the magic loop method, but you could also do DPNs).

For my case, there wasn't a need to add increase rows, but I ended up starting decrease rows after knitting about 6-8 inches of length:

Row 1: Once at beginning of row (slip marker to other needle), K1, K2Tog, K till last three sts, SSK, K1.
Rows 2 - 11: K one round.

You might want to adjust this depending on how slim or burly your arms are. Throughout this whole process I was trying on the sleeve in order to make sure the fit was right.

I ended this at 1/2 sleeves, and CO. At this point, I crocheted 3 rows of edging to stabilize the sockinette, but you could adjust this to your fancy - LACE! Ribbing! The possibilities are endless :)

Ahh well. Off to finish the other sleeve! Happy knitting!

Second Attempt

2006-09-27T22:53:00.000-07:00

IMG_2198
Originally uploaded by brennx0r.

I tried my hand at spinning again tonight, and I really like the result. Much more even this time. I really think I'm getting the hang of this!

Drop Spindle Fun

2006-09-26T21:53:00.000-07:00

IMG_2193
Originally uploaded by brennx0r.

So the trip to the UPS station south of downtown was a success - I now have the English goodies, the drop spindle, and the roving. The first thing I did when Jer and I got home was pry open the roving / spindle box and start futzing around.

I haven't spun anything in a looooong time, and the couple times I did do it was when I was a lil one. So picking up the roving (merino) and spindle and making yarn was a little bit weird and nostalgic.

I consider this to be my first real ball of yarn. I'd say it's about 30-40 feet or so, and between DK and bulky weight (though most of it is worsted). Not too shabby!

I hate UPS (and other ramblings)

2006-09-25T21:50:00.000-07:00

I don't think that UPS has successfully delivered a package to my building since Jer an d I moved in. Each time I find out that a website uses UPS, I have learned to cry and cry and cry. I wish more websites out there told users that they use the wretched service. They probably fail to disclose that because they will no doubt lose all their customers. Hell, I even had an experience lately where, when ordering the English viddles, they claimed they used USPS. LIES! A couple days later I get a Quantum View email, exclaiming that the 5 pounder is, in fact, being shipped through UPS. A typo perhaps. But a harshly saddening one.

Every time it's the same. I click "Track my package" and I have a glimmer of hope. I think, Perhaps they will get it right this time. How could they fail so many times? Only TO BE CRUSHED to see the same message, over and over.

SEATTLE,
WA, US Today DIAD MISSORT

Blasted wretched MISSORT. You did not missort! You saw the "Main Office" address on the door (in neat small Times New Roman) and in your cromagnon stupor decided that I was wrong when I typed my address. "We are doing you a service by delivering to this address instead, DUR." The only problem with this arrangement is that by scrawling the office address on the package, and putting it on a different truck, your simian associate will FAIL TO READ YOUR WRITING. Enter the MISSORT loop. Where's my break when I need it? (And for the record, fuck Times New Roman. Shittiest of the fonts in the world.)

Anyhow, let me set you straight right now, once and for all. And I will use small words so that you will not misunderstand me:

YOU ARE NOT DOING ME ANY FAVORS. STOP "TRYING TO LOOK OUT FOR MY BEST INTEREST". JUST LEAVE THE PACKAGE AT THE DOOR AND FUCKING WALK AWAY.

Time to call them, ask them to leave the packages at their base, and take the car out to their shipping center tomorrow night.

I suppose it will be worth the headache (just this once) though. My motivation to remain cheery in spite of this are visions of Ribena and yearnings for my new drop spindle and roving. Hmmm merino top. *drool*

Knitting Progress

2006-09-23T18:42:00.000-07:00

Hey all! This week has been really productive on the knitting front. I am virtually finished making the Ribwarmer featured in Vogue Knitting Fall 2006 issue. The only thing to do left before I wear this is to add a few rows to the collar and armbands.

I have seen progress of this from a couple blogs, and mostly all of them say that when it came to the sewing of the pieces, that it was a bitch to do. I didn't run into this at all, but I think part of my ease in this was straying from the pattern a little bit.

1. Around the point where the double cable meets the "bottom" of the work (when you add the stitch markers) I picked up a stitch from the "bottom" and knit that and the first stitch of the RS row together. I did this right before casting off too - I picked up a stitch from the area of double cable between the stitch markers, then knit that together with the stitch on the needle. I repeated this, and then cast off (this was done on the WS of the work).

2. Before the sewing began, I steam blocked the crap out of the pieces, trying to avoid the cabling and focusing on the edging that was going to be sewn together.

There was quite a bit of sewing to be had, but it was very easy to do.

Now that this is almost done, I've been turning my attention to my Tivoli #2, using this awesome alpaca/silk DK yarn that my mom got me for my birthday. I am in the home stretch for the main piece:

As you can see, I have nixed out the body shaping. I have just been using straight rows, with no increases or decreases. I hope that this works out well for me (who is curvy enough as is thankyouverymuch). I am going to stray even more before I cast off the bottom by adding about 1" of K2P2 ribbing. I am also going to make this a little bit longer than I made the last one.

After that's done I am going to work out sleeves for this (and post what I did for my size) :) Keep your eyes peeled for this!

Finally, today is the day that I got my mission for Sock Wars. I hope to be the winner! Muhahaha.

Fall is here...

2006-09-16T13:59:00.000-07:00

... and with that in mind, I decided to go bonkers getting "British Comfort Food" online. We have a lot of tea, but were lacking in biscuits and things. I was also craving some Ribena something fierce. This was the end of the shopping list:

1 1026 McVities Chocolate Digestives 200g
1 1067 McVities Fruit Shortcake 250g
1 1513 Aero Peppermint Chocolate Bar - 46g
1 1499 Smarties New Hexa Tube
1 1223 Maltesers Bag 37g
1 1217 Cadbury Crunchie 40g
1 1058 Mars Bar 62.5g
1 1031 Ribena Original Blackcurrant Juice Drink - 1 Litre bottle
1 1295 OXO Cubes for Beef
1 1082 OXO Cubes Chicken

I was drunk when I took this!

2006-09-15T20:53:00.000-07:00

If only I was this smart when sober :P

7/9 Intellect

You are 56% knowledgable and 88% intellectual.

Excellent! You have a powerful mind backed by a good amount of knowledge. Keep cracking books and nothing can stop you.

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 99% on knowledge
You scored higher than 99% on intellect

-----------------------------------------

Sober Edit: Dude, how is it that I scored a 7/9, but did 99% better than other gals my age? Are we all that lame and uneducated? It makes me fear the future.

Believe it or not...

2006-09-13T19:45:00.000-07:00

IMG_2173
Originally uploaded by brennx0r.

...this is going to be a bolero when it's done! I'm about halfway done.

Man, today was really rough. And the only takeaways I have, currently, are a huge headache and an empty chocolate bar wrapper.

Crash!

2006-09-13T19:42:00.000-07:00

IMG_2170
Originally uploaded by brennx0r.

Today when I got home, I discovered that there was an accident just outside my building. Apparently, this truck jumped onto the sidewalk and knocked an entire tree (think at least 15 years old, including the rootball) down. It ended up causing a nightmare of traffic that affected the whole neighborhood.

Knitty Calendar Contest

2006-09-12T19:04:00.000-07:00

IMG_1952
Originally uploaded by brennx0r.

In early August, I submitted a couple photos to the annual KnittyCalendar Contest. Within the issue where they posted the contest, they cliamed that the winners would be posted when the Fall issue of Knitty came up. Well, it's up now, but the winners haven't been announced. Apparently they will be within the Fall "Surprise", whenever that is. I also was the photographer for my friend's 3 submissions, which are more geared towards Spring/Summer and are much brighter.

I'm so anxious! I would really love to be a part in winning the grand prize (AN ASSLOAD of yarn!) Above is one of the three pics that I submitted.

CRAP O TEE

2006-09-11T22:21:00.000-07:00

IMG_2166
Originally uploaded by brennx0r.

I started this a couple days ago. I'd say I'm about halfway through. I spent most of Sunday working on this while watching many Star Wars movies (with a hangover the size of Texas).

The fiber is this recycled silk that I bought while at Bumbershoot with my brother. I like the colors, but it is a little too fuzzy for my taste. I'm hoping that the fuzz will grow more on me as the project goes on.

Mosaic at Seattle Center

2006-08-27T18:30:00.000-07:00

IMG_1983
Originally uploaded by brennx0r.

I really liked this mosaic.

Lazy Jer Eye

2006-08-27T18:27:00.000-07:00

IMG_1982,
originally uploaded by brennx0r.

Jeramey acting crazy before having a Mexican lunch. He'll no doubt have the bad FARTS before bed tonight. :(((

Seattle Center Fountain

2006-08-27T18:21:00.000-07:00

IMG_1984,
originally uploaded by brennx0r.

Oh, how I wish I had taken a dip in this before leaving the Center today. I headed out here to help Jer and the other OneReel IT staff drop cables into various locations. I'm not sure what happened, but about half a block from Mercer and 5th, I got SO HOT. I had to stop by 7-11 to get a Slurpee (which made me sick) and lots of cold water (which made me feel okay for the bike ride after I got sick from the Slurpie).

Nice Seattle Day

2006-08-26T15:37:00.000-07:00

IMG_1971,
originally uploaded by brennx0r.

Hope all of you have having a good un today. It's super nice out. I think it'll be a lazy relaxing day for me.

Cheers!

Bike!

2006-08-26T15:36:00.000-07:00

IMG_1974,
originally uploaded by brennx0r.

Here's a snap of my hunny bunny bike that I use on my commute to and from work. She's a heavy beasty, and is a mountain bike, but I love her anyhow. Note the stickers "Baby Jesus", the Threadless hearts, and the Open BSD fishies.

<3

To the LJ readers

2006-08-26T15:24:00.000-07:00

Dude, I have no idea why LJ is borking the feed to y'all. There's not much I can do from my end. I thought it would be good to state a general "Yo I'm sorry" though.

Hope they fix the shit soon! :)

And yes, I'm still knitting

2006-08-23T19:23:00.000-07:00

Uploaded by brennx0r.

I know I haven't posted any knitting things lately. It's been really hard to get into the mood with summer here and all. But now that it's starting to get a little cooler, I'm excited about picking it up again. This is eventually going to be a pair of legwarmers. The pattern comes from this book:

Linky!

yarn pr0n!

2006-08-23T19:21:00.000-07:00

Uploaded by brennx0r.

I got this today from elann.com. It is so soft! I can't wait to make a bolero with it. It was super cheap too! Will definitely buy this again :)

Linky

SO MANY COLORS!

Another Painting

2006-08-23T19:18:00.000-07:00

Uploaded by brennx0r.

I did this on Sunday. I like the roughness of it, and might just show it at a show I'm doing this January. Should be a lot of fun! :)

bikey!

2006-08-17T21:05:00.000-07:00

Uploaded by brennx0r.

I am coming up on my 3 month anniversary in starting to ride my bike to and from work. I know, I know... 3 months isn't a long time. But heck, it's a great start. Especially for someone as ADD as I am. :)

Mariners!

2006-08-05T17:58:00.000-07:00

Uploaded by brennx0r.

Today my corworkers, Jer, and me went to a Mariners game. It was awesome, sunny, perfect weather, but the Mariners lost. It, nonetheless was an awesome time had by all.

Heath == Joker?

2006-08-01T23:34:00.000-07:00

Uploaded by brennx0r.

Dude, I so can't imagine this. So much so that I wasted 20 minutes in Gimp to bring you this.

Nope, don't see it at all.

I really hope Nolan proves me wrong.

Goodbye Ephraim

2006-07-22T23:18:00.000-07:00

Uploaded by atonal.

We'll miss you man.

painting!

2006-07-10T22:43:00.000-07:00

Uploaded by brennx0r.

I haven't painted anything in about 2 years so I thought I would head over to the store and try my hand at it again.

I'm not 100% happy with the result, and it's a drippy mess. But it's MY drippy mess, I've learned a lot from it, and I'm really excited about doing this more in the future. :)

Better Color Representation

2006-06-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

Uploaded by brennx0r.

There - that's a better view of the color.

Knitting Swatch

2006-06-13T23:50:00.000-07:00

Uploaded by brennx0r.

Swatch for the yarn that I posted earlier is done! I used 20 st X 22st @ US 2. This pic doesn't give a good idea of the colors used (more pics tomorrow) but it does a good job at showing the pooling and transitions in color.

I am definitely excited about making this into a nice pair of socks. It's going to be hard to focus on my current projects...

Shells from the NC trip

2006-06-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

Uploaded by brennx0r.

This was the haul from beachcombing while visiting relatives in NC. Very pretty and BIG! I couldn't believe how many I was able to walk away with - I think I only spent about 30 minutes (very leisurely) walking the beach for these. They were EVERYWHERE.

The vase now sits on the counter in our apartment's "Hawaiian" bathroom. I can't wait to go back to both places.

handpainted yarn!

2006-06-13T20:58:00.000-07:00

Uploaded by brennx0r.

This is a fingering weight wool that I dyed this weekend. I can't wait to knit a swatch to see what the colorway will look like!

sonyw810i

2006-06-11T14:37:00.000-07:00

Uploaded by brennx0r.

In about T minus 4 days I will be the happy owner of one of these.

mmmmmmmmm Yummy.

What sold me on this:

Duo memory
Bluetooth
2 MP camera that has many features like sexy panorama (for examples of what it's capable of, go here!)
and a Walkman.

Hat

2006-06-11T13:54:00.000-07:00

Uploaded by brennx0r.

A quick pic of a hat that I'm working on. It's a basic 4K2P of my own design, using a 100% wool by LionBrand.

Soleil - altered!

2006-06-11T13:53:00.000-07:00

Uploaded by brennx0r.

So as you might know, I finished this Soleil about a month ago. I haven't posted any pictures of me wearing it because... this turned out MUCH larger than I thought it would post-blocking. Before the trip to NC I decided to "steek" it to make the sizing smaller. I also sewed the arms to be a little thinner. Once I'm done with the crocheting and the weaving of ends I'll be sure to post a pic of me in this!

Start of a sock

2006-06-11T13:51:00.000-07:00

Uploaded by brennx0r.

Hooray for this! Finally putting the Koigu I bought to good use. I figure that I would make one sock per skein.

The pattern is from a book called Knit Socks!

Progress on Knitty XBack

2006-06-11T13:49:00.000-07:00

Uploaded by brennx0r.

I spent a little bit of time on this while in on the plane to and from NC, but the progress isn't as much as I would have liked.

On the trip from Seattle to NC - a woman who demanded full use of the arm rest AND part of my seat (negative elbow room == no knitting).

On the way home - a guy from the armed forces sat next to me, and kept asking me a bunch of questions, and so I played "asleep" so that he would stop bothering me.

Did I ever mention that I don't like flying alone?

Sorry I Haven't Been Updating

2006-06-11T13:45:00.000-07:00

Uploaded by brennx0r.

I was in NC for about a week, and have been trying to sort out things once I got back.

The trip was lovely! I plan to go there again with Jer sometime this Fall/Winter.

This is a pic I took while my family and I were at a lake just north of Raleigh called Falls Lake.

2006-05-21T21:16:00.000-07:00

PS- We now own GUITAR HERO. NEENER!

2006-05-21T21:10:00.000-07:00

Sooo... for a couple reasons, we never made it out to Snoqualmie today (possible coolant trouble plus thunderstorm). So, instead, we went to Fry's (logical choice!) and I got a new desk. Man, this thing is sweet AND functional! I think this is the first desk where I can manage to type AND sew and it doesn't feel squished or crappy.

ANNND! Through a lot of fist shaking, fits, and talking, Jer and I have come to an agreement about how the office should be organized. In the end, it is going to be AWESOME. More pics to come :)

Starting the Knitty Ribbon X-Back

2006-05-21T11:57:00.000-07:00

Now that Picovoli is done, I now turn my attention towards making the Knitty Ribbon X-Back. It should be a fast knit, since it uses US11 needles. Just started yesterday...

Yep, going to do this with LionBrand yarn. This is partly because the recommended yarn has been discontinued, but also because Fred Meyer had a "buy 2, get one free" sale on this.

One inch done, wooHoo!

====================================

In other news, the first of the poppies in my container garden bloomed today. I thought that they were going to be white, but I was pleasantly surprised (I prefer red anyhow). :)

Happy Sunday! Jer and I are going to Snoqualmie Falls after a late breakfast. Hope your day is going fabulously too :)

2006-05-20T23:09:00.000-07:00

A week ago, roughly, I got some RYC Cashsoft DK from the LYS, and got down with a great summer pattern called Picovoli. As of last night, I cast off and blocked this, and wore it with pride today.

The color used is called Poison. I think it's the prettiest color purple I've ever seen.

Just starting in this pic. The YO rows shown form the picot edges, which are worked on once the main garment is knitted.

This shows off the top yoke as the raglan sleeves are formed. I really love, overall, how stitch definition with this yarn looks. I think I will definitely invest in this yarn again in the future.

Almost done!

This picture better shows what's going on in making the picot edging. Basically, theres a row near the ends of the neckline, arms, and hem which is made up of (YO, K2Tog). To make the picots, this is then folded over and sewn. The pic was shot when I was working on the sewing part, which was quite easy to do, but very time consuming.

Dada! Done!

Wore it all day today, and am quite happy with the result. I think though, when I make this next time, that I will nix the picot edging, lessen the cast on stitches for the underarms (it's a little loose), and work about 2 more inches in length before the increase rows in the torso area.

Overall, I love the idea of top-down shirts. You are able to more easily customize it as you go, and are less prone to having big problems realized (and frogged) after knitting for hours. Through top-down work, if there are any issues with gauge, etc. you notice them almost immediately.

The maker of this pattern, Grumperina, has mentioned that she will probably never get around to making a pattern that includes long sleeves. I think I just might want to tackle this (for my size at least) before autumn is in full swing. If I do this, I'll be sure to keep y'all posted.

flora - in progress

2006-05-15T08:54:00.000-07:00

Uploaded by brennx0r.

Over the weekend, I started making Knitty's Flora with the Noro. Overall, I like the transitions in the yarn, but, when I got to the point of making the flower, it was apparent that the colorway was working against me. I'll post more pics of this later in the day. For now, enjoy a pic of the awesome yummy texture of this WIP!

knithaul

2006-05-11T19:52:00.000-07:00

Uploaded by brennx0r.

Eva, Craig, and I went to Knitting Gallery here in Seattle (a LYS), and I got, well, a lot of stuff: some cashmerino for Picovoli, some Koigu to make socks, some Noro Transitions (project undecided, but it sure is purty), and a Sears Boye needle set (used, $30). I have been googling the set (sorry about the organization of the kit in the picture - the stuff doesn't like to stay in the plastic, which is probably part of the reason why it's $30) and have found that a similar Boye set goes for around $90!!! I am very pleased with the purchase, and already have something on the needles.

Done with Soleil #2!

2006-05-10T20:39:00.000-07:00

Hooray! When the blocking dries, I'm going to be finished with my second Soleil. Here's a pic of it before blocking and crocheted edges:

And here's a pic of it, pinned five minutes ago:

Can't wait till it's completely dry!

Skull selections!

2006-05-09T17:51:00.000-07:00

Uploaded by brennx0r.

I recently got an item in the mail which includes all the trimmings for the pink felted bag that I've been working on:

.

Now that the bag is done, I am now going to sew together an assortment of sample white silks together, and paint the silks with a pink fabric pen (all for the lining of the bag). The drawings are going to be of skulls, so I've d=been doodling a couple concept ideas. I think I am going to go with #2, but I thought that I would post for your input on this too! So, which one do you like the best? :)

Progress on Soleil #2

2006-05-08T19:10:00.000-07:00

Hey all - just thought I would post pics of my progress on the second Soleil that I'm making.

(click to see huge size)

(click to see huge size)

I am using Lion Cotton for this. What a nice yarn! I have worked with other cottons before and didn't like them at all because they didn't have much give. Working with this is *almost* like working with merino. Almost. And $4 a skein (spent $12 total on this project) makes my pocketbook happy too. Can't wait till it's done!

More sock progress!

2006-05-07T23:59:00.000-07:00

The first one is done - now for the second one. :)

Ready for the 3-needle bindoff!

Sideways shot

Top-down!

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

2006-05-07T04:26:00.000-07:00

I am in the process of changing the layout of the blog. While most things work, note that some larger images will break the formatting - I'm in the slow process of sizing everything down right now.

In the meantime, pardon the mess :)