I almost impress myself with my new stash-reducting skills.
I finished the Filtes King Kim cardi/vest/top/whatever... I had originally intended it for the Ruffled Top in the Spring/Summer 2005 Knit1 mag. Yeah, that didn't work out. I didn't like the neckline or the armholes or the gauge of the yarn... I kept the picot crochet around the bottom and the sleeves, but wrote my own pattern for everything else. I realized today that I've never followed a knitting pattern as written. I've always changed something, if not written it myself.

I also finished my first felted bag out of Lamb's Pride Worsted - in colors Onyx [black] and Lotus pink [hot pink] - it's cute, and the perfect size for carrying around my new Harry Potter book [which I'm now reading for the second time]

Pics coming soon. I don't have batteries for my camera, oops.

I leave for camp on August 1st. I'm already planning which knitting projects to take ;] Do you ever have an idea that pops into your head out of nowhere and won't go away? That happens to me with knitting projects *all - the - time*. The other day I was thinking about life and my impending vacation, and all of a sudden the idea pops into my head that I need to have a One Skein Wonder out of Calmer in powder pink. How RANDOM is that? It just took over me & I suddenly HAD to have it. So I'm considering buying the yarn now and taking it with me camping, or waiting until after camp and taking it with me in a couple of months to San Diego to see Jamie. LYS doesn't carry it so that makes things more complicated, but what can ya do?

As for real life... I went to the DMV on saturday, and *after* waiting for an hour for my number to be called, with 10 numbers left til mine... the power shut off. At the DMV. Blahh. It was out for about maybe 25 minutes, but it was probably good for a lot of people, because half the people left when the power went off. Although the startline to get your number was extremely long, the lines for everything else moved very quicky, and we were out within 15 minutes after that. Funny story though :]

On the Needles: Chinadoll Top out of Karabella Tropicana. *not* my own pattern :] heh.

I'm almost done with Filtes Kim Top. I started out working with the Ruffled Top pattern from Knit 1 - but I had to work it at a big gauge which didn't flatter the yarn as much as I'd liked, and I had to make a million alterations to the pattern, so yesterday I ripped it all out and started from scratch. And by scratch, I mean smaller gauge, different neckline, different straps, different armholes, much longer, and the only thing I'm keeping the same as the Ruffled Top pattern is the crochet around the edges, 'cause I like that.

I finished the back last night and I'm halfway done with the first front. It's going to be so pretty. If it weren't for the bright barbie pink color of the yarn, I'd of died from boredom from all the rows of stockinette. 12" of it.

I ordered the yarn for my Harry Potter Scarf yesterday. If only LYS carried yarn in those colors, I'd be on my way.
My plan is to practice my "knitting while reading skills" with the HP scarf while reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, and wear the finished product to the 4th movie when it comes out in the fall.

hmmmmmm...

It's taking over my room.


This is YESTERDAY's haul. One day.
35 skeins Rowan Cork, 3 different colors.
3 skeins Rowan Summer Tweed, to make Ginger from the Summer Tweed Collection [already had 1]
10 skeins Filatura di Crosa Orchidea

:X In all fairness, I got the Cork for an excellent price [about 50 cents each, mad discounts.] and I bought the Rowan Cork Collection book so I have projects for them. I'm making Maggie with the deep burgundy color ["Plush"] - it's gorgeous.



Also, in all fairness, I WILL use up all of this yarn. I have projects for 90% of it, unlike the last time I went on a yarn binge [I still don't quite know what I'm going to do with 550 yards of bulky black alpaca. I'm working on a lacy shoulderwrap, but that's only going to take 220 skeins at the MOST.] - but it sure does seem like a lot, with how much I've bought the past week.

I was going to list it all, but I can't bear it.
Thank goodness for discounts. Truly.

I love yarn.

I've been a bad blogger. I admit. But, but, but, I have some fun yarn news :]

Knitting projects these past few weeks have been few. A couple purses [one which will be felted] - but my big project purchases have been saved until this week. My LYS Summer Sale started Saturday! Wee.

I came home with:
. 10 skeins Noro Silk Garden #86 [had 1 had home, still deciding on pattern]
. 9 skeins King Kim in "barbie pink" [my terminology] for the 'ruffled top' in Knit1.
. 2 skeins Crystal Palace Splash [matching colorway to my Shimmer tank, i'm gonna make a shoulder wrap to wear over it in the winter.]
. 2 skeins Filatura Di Crosa Orchidea [bought as a gift for a friend. She'll love it. I taught her how to knit, and she's totally addicted, but can't afford to spend more than a few dollars here and there on yarn, so most of what she has is cheap acrylic. I'll be buying a few skeins more to give her during the sale.]

I went crazy, but there's still more I'd like to buy. I'm just deciding on what exactly I really want.

I started the Ruffled Top last night, and already have about 5" of the back done. It's easy peasy, stockinette. The challenging part will be the crochet picot edge, but I'll figure it out.

And being that I haven't yet made plans for Independence Day [which is TOMORROW], unless one of my friends calls last minute [which happens much too often], I'll have plenty of time to knit tomorrow as well :]

Have a safe holiday!

Finally, week late pics of my Shimmer tank :]
Self designed pattern. First one ever. I'm proud :]

Next up: Felted bag [hot pink and black, using Lamb's Pride] - my first ever felting project, unless you count a few swatches I did a couple days ago.
& probably Ginger from Rowan's Summer Tweed. I bought and wound a skein of it in the color Vanity that I fell in love with a few weeks ago, to see if I liked working with the yarn - I've heard not so fabulous things about it, but me - I LOVE it, I had no problems knitting with it at all, and I like the unique texture. I like it a lot. Infact, even though the tank top only calls for 4 skeins in it in my size, I'm tempted to buy a full bag of 10, or maybe even more. I love having full bags of yarn. It's part of what inspired me to buy 9 skeins of Shimmer even though I was almost positive I'd only need 6 at the most. 9 was all LYS had and I liked buying them all.

In my head I'm justifying it as, "Well, I can have a Summer Tweed OUTFIT. A tank and a jacket to match!" - but I don't know if I would want to do two projects in the same yarn. We'll see. I just want the bag.

I want to make another post for this, but I got a package from my WONDERFUl secret pal! I should really take pictures, but I'm without batteries. She [or is it he?] sent me a wonderful package with some great smelling candles, candle holder, body scrub [I used it this morning, and my skin feels great] - annnnd some awesome Bone Knitting Needles, which are totally fun, and.....the best of all of all of all of all.....Sweater Design in Plain English by Maggie Righetti. I adore it. Adore it. It's going to be so useful. I had listed it somewhere on the Secret Pal quiz thing, in the part where it asks what books I've been wanting or something like that, but I didn't expect to get it at all. I also got a cute postcard included in the package, and a nice book mark :]

As for the person I'm secret pal to...I'm having fun spoiling her secretly :] Can't leave any big hints, but I'm on the hunt for another interesting package to send. My secret pal has inspired me :]

Hope life is well.

I finished my Shimmer tank on errrrr...Thursday? I'll have pics ASAP. I wore it out last night but I didn't get home until 1am and I was too tired to take any. But, all I have to say, is that it's freakin gorgeous and I adore it...and if someday I have a hot date who wants to take me to a fancy resturaunt, I will so wear it with high heels and a black skirt. I have the pattern for it as well - I designed it myself so the pattern is completely original, the only real inspiration I had from another pattern was for the straps. They cross in the front or in the back, it's reversible - so an x-back or x-...front? tank.

I love the feeling of accomplishment I recieve after finishing a project. I want to make a little shoulder mini-poncho, capelet thing to match my tank, because Crystal Palace's Splash has a matching colorway to the Shimmer, and that way I could wear it even in the winter, or on chilly nights ;]

I didn't take home the Rowan Summer Tweed, because the LYS only has one copy of the pattern book and it's being reserved for someone else. I could just order the darn thing but it's less convenient. Plus, I have enough yarn at home to keep me occupied for the rest of the weekend, and then some - and I have a big paycheck coming my way, and credit for more yarn. And a million ideas for things I want to make.

Aside from yarn, I'm looking to buy a keyboard set. I crave music, and I want to broaden my horizons beyond singing. I know I can pick it up quickly once I have keyboards available. I hear music in my head all the time, it's my drive.

We'll see, we'll see :]

I'm in total lust over Rowan's Summer Tweed in Vanity. I have an inkling it will mysteriously hop into a shopping bag for me on Friday ;] Well, atleast it's payday - and I only need 4 skeins for a tank top! [regardless that I have to buy the book with the pattern to the tank as well... which is $2 more than another skein, shh]

I'm about 3/4 done with the back for my Shimmer tank. I need to name it something. My immediate instinct is Goddess tank, but Vogue Knitting already has a tank called that, and their pattern was partially my inspiration for how I'm doing the straps.

I can't wait to finish it. I hope it turns out alright. If it doesn't, I'll rip back and start over, but I'm hoping I don't have to, it's going to be so CUTE the way I'm picturing it.

I have some cotton yarn in my stash that I want to use to make Phoebe from the Spring Interweave Knits. I saw the knit-a-long online and got inspired.

I really have plenty of yarn in my stash that I should be using up [it's not THAT much, but for me? it's a lot. I try to stick to 1 or 2 projects that i'm working on at a time.] but it's mostly a skein or two, not enough for a garment. I'm proud though. I've got a shrug in the making out of some KnitPicks Crayon, and Cascade 220 Superwash, both stash yarns I had no other use for. I'm making the second sleeve.

Ooh I could talk about yarn for ages and ages. But alas, I've got to get back to the real world now ;]