Blaze-ing forward

Yesterday I decided I wanted to make this so I joined the KAL (see the button) Now all I have to decide is what yarn. I am leaning towards Schoeller Esslinger Geisha from elann.com in this color: Merlot. It is an aran weight so I would have to swatch to see if I can get gauge.

I also joined Rowan International, I've been wanting to for a while but kept putting it off because I didn't want to spend the money, but when I saw that this was the gift for joining I just had to do it!

Last night I got a few more pattern repeats done on the Lacy Poncho - I want to have it done so I can wear it to the Knit Out this Sunday.

PS Thanks to Renee and Anna for the blog help!

No time to knit

Sorry I haven't posted in a while - my mother has to move out of her apt. and I have been busy packing and cleaning and getting things done, so no time to knit!

I wore the posh poncho to my nephew's birthday on Saturday - I really like the way it came out (will post pix soon) but it was a little too warm to keep it on all afternoon. I took my mags bag to work on during the drive there - finished the bottom and am now knitting up the sides in the round - I hope I like it as much as the pattern pic.

The Thursday form Hell

I walked out my front door yesterday to get my car and head out to work, only one problem though - yup - my car was gone. Ok don't panic - walk up and down the block, maybe I didn't park it across the street. No - it is gone. Ok sinking feeling in stomach remembering unpaid parking tkt. Run inside call 311 - yes a car with your plate # was towed by the city marshall. You need to pay your life savings to get it back. Get David to drive me over to the marshal's office - WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T TAKE CREDIT CARDS!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!
Go home cursing and complaining - listening to David say I told you so.

Get up early this morning - go to bank - empty out account - pay marshal and get car back.

Did finish the posh poncho inbetween though - will wear it on Saturday and post pics soon.

Under the weather and behind on the knitting

I am feeling really awful, lousy head cold - didn't do any knitting or crocheting last night. My sinuses were so swollen my teeth hurt. I plan to work on my poncho tonight - the crochet one - because I don't think I can handle 2 needles right now.

Bad Knitting Night

Arrrggghhhhh! Last night I had to rip out over 3 inches of my poncho - I realized I had a glaring mistake- one that had to be corrected - so rip rip rip. Of course I couldn't get my rhythm back and got nothing accomplished, I still have more than half to do. I don't think it will be finished by Saturday. Maybe I can crochet a loose lacy one like the Posh Poncho on crochet pattern central - large hook and bulky yarn and I could finish it in time. We shall see.

I crocheted one hat for Gilda's club - I want to finish at least one more to send off.

I wish there was a training class for bloggers - I see so many cool things on other blogs that I wish I could do and don't know how, like how to create a link in the text to pictures or web sites or a works in progress page, or how to create a button. Someday - it only took me months to figure out how to post pictures soooo........

What a perfect day to stay in and knit! It has been raining steadily all morning and is supposed to continue all day. I want to work on my felt bag and get as much done on the poncho as possible. I may not even get dressed today! Of course the kids are restless - I will have to figure out something to keep them occupied, but otherwise this should be a really good day.

Had a great time at the meetup last night! It was fun to actually have people to talk to about knitting. I usually get the "yeah whatever" looks from friends and family when I start waxing poetic about the joys of yarn. I will definitely go to the next one.

There were 2 other knitters there that lived in Queens, so we walked to the Lex Ave E train together, as we were standing on the platform, a woman walked over and asked if we had been at the meetup. She had seen us in the Atrium at CitiCorp. We said yes, she wanted to know if there were any in Queens, which was funny, because we were talking about wanting to start on up in the Forest Hills area. We exchanged emails and hopefully we can get something started! If anyone out there is interested, contact me.

I got six pattern repeats done on the poncho - I really need to push this if I want to wear it next weekend!

I finished my crochet ponchette last night! It looks really cute - I wore it to work today, I just wish I would have had a little more yarn - it keeps my shoulders warm, but my arms are still cold. I will post pix asap.

Tonight is the knitting meetup - it will be the first time I will be able to go. I am really looking forward to meeting other knitters! I brought my lacy poncho - I have to get a move on it - it needs to be finished this week if I intend to wear it next weekend and I need to work on the felted purse to go with it. Hopefully I can get a lot done tonight- I work right by CitiCorp where we are meeting at 7:00 - I get out of work at 4:30 so I will grab a bite to eat and go sit in B&N and knit till meeting time! Hope it does not rain - it is looking very dreary out there.

It was a lovely weekend! I finished the first rectangle of the Lacy Poncho - it is blocking in the kids room now - I love the way it looks and the peace fleece blooms so beautifully - I hope the cooler weather comes soon! I started the 2nd rectangle last night, I finished 3 pattern repeats only 22 more to go!

When I got home on Friday my pattern orders had arrived - I got the Kensington shawl from Threadbear and the the felted bag pattern from magsbags that I bought from knittingzone. I bought this pattern to make a bag to go with my poncho - isn't it cute?

I went to smiley's on Saturday and bought Patons Classic Wool in Ocean which matched the color of the peace fleece perfectly. I also bought some other wool in raspberry and slate blue to make stripes and a lilac color - similar to the one in the picture for the contrast trim. This will be my first felting project and I didn't want to spend the money on Kuryeon because I am not sure I will like using a felted bag.

I am in love with the new issue of knitty! I want, no I need! the blaze sweater. I watched the season premier of Charmed last night - I could use those extra arms to finish all my knitting!

Last night was the pefect evening to sit home and knit - it rained all day and most of the night. I snuggled on the sofa with my lacey poncho - channel 618 on cable (music choice adult alternative) and got another 5 pattern repeats done. Just 5 more and I will be finished with the first rectange. You might wonder why I watch music i/o listening to the radio? Well there is nothing on the radio in NY any more - at least on any station I can get! Unless I want to listen to the same songs over and over all day long, my best choice is watching cable.

I think I have a yarn gremlin - I started to crochet the poncho out of some UYO I had in my stash - now I KNOW I had 1 large hand wound ball made when I frogged whatever I was originally using it for, plus at least 2 started skeins and 1 full skein. Now all I can find other than the ball is one stared skein. If I don't find the rest of the yarn, I will have to find something that will work with this, maybe in a denim blue. I really want to find that yarn. ( You don't thing the other yarns could have caniblized it? I always suspected them of breeding in the dark - but yarnicide - never!)

What a miserable morning, I was soaked by the time I got to work. I was afraid my knitting back was getting drenched, especially since I was carrying a new project - I always have a new project! I started crocheting a poncho last night, I had a Dr. apt and I know her waiting area is always packed and I wanted to bring a project that I could do standing if I had to. I found some unidentified yarn (UYO) in my stash - it is a pale blue with a cream colored slubs - mostly acrylic, but very pretty. I think I bought it in Woolworths a 100 years ago. I am using this pattern:
but I modified it so that I am only using 1 strand of yarn not two - I didn't want it too bulky - I like the shorter length and I think it will look really good with jeans and boots this fall. I don't think I am doing the pom poms either. You can go to the pattern by clicking on the link below.

My lacy poncho is coming along really nicely - I love the peace fleece I am using, I hope to finish the first rectangle this week. I want to have it finished by the 25th so I can wear it to my nephew's birthday party.

I found the cutest buttons for the hoody I am planning to knit him for Christmas - little red teddy bears wearing bright gold scarves! The yarn I have picked out is a deep midnight blue - I think these buttons will be perfect. I got them in one of my favorite stores - Samurai on Queen's Blvd - it's a Japanese $0.99 store - they have all these cute gadgets and housewears, stationary, knitting,crochet and sewing stuff and it is almost all under $5. I always come out of there with a bag full of stuff. Of course all the labels are in Japanese, so half the fun is figuring out what some of the stuff is!

Oh boy - the mail man just arrived! My order from elann is here- the peruvian alpaca and Filatura di Crosa oxford - they are soooo much prettier in person. I also got the book I ordered from Amazon, "Jewels of the Pharaohs" - I have been wanting to do some beading and I love all things Egyption, so I thought this would be a good resource - I already have some ideas brewing in my mind (speaking of brewing - I need more coffee!)

I fixed it!!!! I was really unhappy about how my ponshawl turned out and I wasn't sure what to do about it. I finally decided to bite the bullet and cut an opening for my head in the square, and with great fear and trepidation that is what I did - and it worked!!!! I love it!!

I folded it in half marked off where I wanted the neck to be, ran a life line all around - sniped the yarn picked up my stitches and knit 5 rows in the round to make the neck edging and voila! I now have really cool square poncho. I think I want the back a little longer so I am going to knit a few inches in the green wool as a border, but otherwise it is perfect.

Picked up Interweave Crochet yestersay - some very cute things in there - I particularly like the caplet - I have some unknown stash yarn that would be perfect for this. Opps there goes the oven alarm - the birthday cake is ready!

Finally Friday! I am really looking foward to this long weekend. David's birthday is Sunday, so we are going out to dinner and I promised him a cake. I am going to do nothing but knit, crochet and bake a cake.

Started this pattern last night from Chicknits:


in this yarn:
Peace Fleece "DK" sport Yarn in seamoss


I also ordered the Kensington Poncho from Threadbear today - I will have ponchos this fall!

Well I finished the ponshawl last night - unfortunately it is more of a pon-blanket then shawl! The stitch pattern is stretching more widthwise then length wise so even though I knit a rectangle - I got a square! No biggee though - I love the way it looks and feels, so now I have a great blanket for those cold winter nights when I sit in front of the tv knitting. I am going to try this again in a different yarn - only this time I will knit it much narrower and longer so if there is any stretch it won't end up a square.

I saw this really cool pattern on MagKnits - it is for a sweatshirt with a knitted yoke - you actually cut off the yoke on the sweatshirt and knit on a new one. If you click on the Link below it will take you to the pattern, there are some really great patterns there including a poncho.

After my earlier rant about the RNC, I am surprised to say that my commute this week has been very very easy. If fact it has taken me less time to get to and from work than usual. Of course half the city is closed and everybody that could took vacation this week, but still getting home in a 1/2 hour is fantastic. Of course I don't have as much knitting time on the bus, but I get lots more at home.