Happy Holidays

I have been knitting up a storm. I think I'm in the middle of a dozen different knitting projects.Last Sat. I bought a Knifty Knitter and finished my first KK hat yesterday. It's very comfy. I used the green ring, and now that the hat has stretched a bit it's a little too big. So I'll make one out of the smaller ring and see if it fits better in the long run.I'm also knitting a dress panel on straight needles and I'm still working on my Harry Potter Slytherin scarf on circular needles. And I always keep a freeform knitting project handy so I can keep 'growing' my freeform butterfly jacket.I also have a hat made with self-striping yarn. I can tell it's going to be way too small for me, so I haven't finished it.I'm going out of town on Christmas day and hope to get some knitting done on the train.

Pagan Knitters Forum

Come see the new Pagan Knitter's Forum here: http://www.paganknitters.com/viewtopic.php?p=161#161
I just wrote this poem for their new poetry corner. It's called the Theory of Sweatertivity.

Blogshares

I just joined blogshares, a faux stockmarket game where you buy and share blogs. The game seems complicated. I'm not sure I'm ever going to figure it out.
If you scroll to the bottom of this page you'll see the blogshare logo. Click on it to see what the game is all about.

I'm afraid I know more about knitting that the stock market. I'm just doing this to expand my knowledge base in the world.

I've been busy, just not here.

Here are some knitting articles I've written. http://hubpages.com/_l6f64eotqm13/hub/Be_a_Better_Knitter
At the bottom of this first one are links to other knitting articles I've written.

Pagan Knitters Forum

Hop on over and join the brand new http://www.paganknitters.com/. I'm having a great time over there. My screen name there is Purlsofwisdom. Clever eh?

Have yarn, will travel.

I just migrated over to the Google version of Blogger. It didn't hurt a bit so far.

Today I worked on a freeform organic knitting and crochet project. I bought about 10 skeins of yarn at a Goodwill store in Atascadero, and carted it by train back to S. Calif. and now I'm enjoying my treasures.

Still working on Harry Potter scarf.

I'm really bummed that my digital camera up and died. Blogging just isn't as interesting without photos, esp. craft blogging. And I can't justify buying a new one when I have so many other more important expenses. Sigh.

I've been working on my Slytherin scarf each day, doing five rounds a day. I won't finish it in record time, but at least I'll finish it sooner or later, and that's what counts.

Save those yarn labels.

Today I got a great idea from an unexpected source. A PBS show was suggesting that you make a wine label scrap book. You steam the labels off of your favorite wine bottles, and put them in a scrap book, which you can take to the wineries so you can remember which wines you liked.
Well, I don't drink, but I was just looking at an old skein of yarn I got at a Thrift store and I noticed the vintage label on it. So instead of saving wine labels, what about saving yarn labels, and having them for future reference and nostalic reasons? But since the labels have useful info on the front and back, I may have to use plastic sleeves instead of gluing them to a page. Which beats my current method of having them all over the house in bags and boxes and on the floor.

wallop on knitting 2

wallop on knitting 2
Originally uploaded by fyrefantasy.

wallop on knitting

wallop on knitting
Originally uploaded by fyrefantasy.

I set up my knitting, took a photo for my blog, went to download it, came back to take another photo, and there was Wallop again, taking over.

Idiot Cord hair dreads (extensions).

The dreads came out so well, I'm thinking of making a belt now using 3 of these braided together in a 3 strand braid. I need a new belt for my pirate/gypsy garb that is sturdy enough to hang pouches and a mug from and this should do the trick nicely.

Idiot cord

I figured it was high time I learn to make Idiot cord, and I thought it would make for some interesting faux dreadlocks/hair embellishments. I did, and it did. I've made two so far and I wore them yesterday to the gourd festival. The first is pink with bits of white yarn that look just like shredded coconut and the 2nd was a deep bluish green that I added abalone shells to.

Free Patterns from Cascade Fixation

I had to go see if Cascade Fixations had a website and here it is and some great free sexy patterns too: http://cascadeyarns.com/patterns_fixation.asp

My Sockapalooza Socks are here

I got my sock trade today from my secret sock pal in Kansas. She doesn't have a blog yet, but I took my own photos. I love them, especially the ripples along the top!
The yarn is Cascade Fixation and the pattern is Broadripple from Knitty.com.
Thanks! I love them. And all the little gifties you sent along for the ride.

Flickr Photo Sharing

I made a pagan crochet group and a pagan knitters group over on flickr and I'd love to have more members if you are interested.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/pagancrochet/

http://www.flickr.com/groups/paganknitters/

Waffle Stitch Bookmark

Front and back of waffle stitch bookmark.

I thought I'd design a waffle stitch bookmark to leave around randomly for people to find. I'm still going to add ribbons and maybe a charm or a shell or something, and the foundart.org tag in case they want to re-enter it into the site. I'm looking forward to designing other bookmarks.

U.F.O's.

I've made a bit of progress on my Thyme scarf. Now that I've started weaving in some of the loose ends it's looking better than ever. I've also memorized the four row pattern so I'm 'in the groove' of doing row after row without having to write down notes or check off rows.
As I was driving to work yesterday I glanced down the street where the Knitty Gritty store used to be and I swear I saw a new sign that said "Sit and Knit" so hopefully a new knitting store is open.
I want to go to the new library as well, so maybe a trip is in order to both places in the middle of next week.
I'm thinking of going to the Santa Ana Zoo too. It's good to have things to look forward to.

Knit Shawl

I made this knitted shawl a few years ago.

Waffle Stitch

I was watching the Rosemary and Thyme mystery series on PBS and Thyme was wearing a really cool multi-colored scarf in a stitch I didn't even recognize. So I used that as an inspiration for a scarf that uses a waffle stitch. Right now it has tons of ends I have to weave in, but I want to post a photo of it anyway. For one thing, beginners need to see that knitting can look pretty unruly until you tidy it up at the end. It is so much easier to make big things with one or two colors, but I guess I'm just not wired that way. I must have Kaffee Fassette DNA because I'm happiest when a project has a plethora of colors.

H.P. Scarf

I'm still working on the Slytherin scarf. If you are working on a Harry Potter scarf too, please link your blog to mine.

Sockapaloooza

I'm off to mail my sockapalooza socks to their lucky recipient.

Pirate cap

I had so much fun designing this. I'm really going to enjoy wearing it. I don't always like wearing the wide brimmed version, especially if it's windy.

Another Giant Needle Shawl

This clearance yarn was under $3.00, and it only took one skein to make this.

Fun shawl

The light side of the shawl poncho in front this time. It takes me one hour and one skein of novelty yarn to make one triangle.

Two triangle shawls equal one poncho

I made this on giant knitting needles.

Still a long way to go.

I'm still chugging away on my Prisoner of Azkaban scarf.

Make your own knitting needles.

When I couldn't find the size of double pointed needles I needed for these socks after searching 3 or 4 stores, I decided to make my own out of a hardwood dowel. I shaved the tips down with a pocketknife, and then sanded them smooth by rubbing them on sandpaper.

Sword case in progress

The knitting part of the sword case is finished, but I need to weave in the ends, add a button, and make a leather bottom.

Sword case

This is a sword case I designed to cover my belly dancing simitar so I don't scratch it up any worse than it is. If this turns out I need to make 2 more since I have 3 simitars.

Amazing bit of synchronicity

Recently I joined postcrossing.com, a random address generator for people all over the world who would like to swap postcards. In my first outgoing batch of five postcards, I randomly got an address in Denmark of another knitter. So I send her the postcard with my knitting blog address. When she gets the postcard she emails me her blog address, and not only are we both knitters with blogs, we both have recent pirate/skull knitting projects. So I posted mine here so she could see it. To see hers, go here: http://www.lioness.blogs.com

The finished Sockapaloooza Socks

In the works

I'm working on a knitted purse, a pair of skull mitts, a pair of lacy socks as soon as I can find the right needles, and shawls made on giant needles.

Sockapalooza photo

I put the photo over here for now: http://knitabit.tribe.net/photos/e2318582-d9cb-4090-b29e-cb9ec70bc846 Hopefully "HELLO" will be working tomorrow so I can put it here again.

Practice safe sox.

I had such a hard time with that first pattern. Everything was just getting too bulky and funky, so I set that aside and started fresh with a new pattern, different yarn, and different needles. This pattern is from the Socks, Socks, Socks book. I am about done with the second sock and I tried to post photos but for some reason 'hello' just doesn't want to work today.
I thought the deadline for the socks was today, but as I look through the 600+ of sock makers, I see very few 'red' names that indicate people have finished their socks. Is everyone behind or is it just that it's a pain to update the lists with that many people on it? Okay, back to knitting!

Complications.

The sock pattern I'm using has two sizes. The regular size requires 48 stitches to be cast on. The larger size uses 60. When it came time to turn the heel, it referred me to another page. The entire book hinges on understanding the directions on that one page. After trying over and over again to turn the heel, and getting mutant results, it finally dawned on me what was wrong. The directions are for people that started out by casting on 48 stitches. Those directions don't work if you have 12 extra stitches for the larger size. The book forgot to mention that those directions are only for the smaller size and failed to include any advice on how to add the extra stitches to make them work on the larger size. I'm guessing that the author never tried making the larger size. So after searching google for tips on how to basically rewrite the trickiest part of the pattern, I finally found an animation that at least got me moving in the right direction at knittinghelp.com. Unfortunately the animation is for making a baby sock, so I took my best educated guess on just how many stitches I needed to adjust. I finally got what looks like a decent heel, but I won't know for sure until I finish the sock and try it on. I just hope I understand my notes when I get back to that part on the next sock. I want the socks to match. It's almost 3 AM so the rest of the gussets will have to wait until tomorrow.

This is my sock so far. 

Sockapaloooza update

I am turning the first heel on my trade socks. I will post a photo as soon as I figure out where I put my digital camera. I've been knitting a bunch of things the last 2 weeks, but I haven't had time to photograph them and post them yet. I'm using a pattern in the book Sock Hop: Socks to make your feet dance by Joseph Madl. Wish me luck.

Hop on to the Sockapaloooza sock trade

You only have one day to sign up. I just signed up. To read more or to sign up, go here first: http://alison.knitsmiths.us/001600.html and then go here:

http://alison.knitsmiths.us/sockapaloooza/signup.php

I just started a Slytherin Prisoner of Azkaban style scarf inspired by Harry Potter. My daughter is making a Gryffindor scarf. I'm sure she is way ahead of me because she started several weeks ago.