Calloo! Callay! Oh Frabjous Day!

Ever read Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass? Well, the poem Jabberwocky:
'Twas brillig and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gymbal in the wabe
All mimsy were the borogoves
And the mome raths outgrabe

Beware the Jabberwock, my son
The teeth that bite, the claws that snatch
Avoid the ??? and shun
The frumious bandersnitch
.....
something about vorple swords

Calloo, callay, oh, frabjous day!

And that's all I remember. Well, anyway, the USB cable today presents to you:






My shipment from Knitpicks back in July. I am making socks (And could use a beta knitter!) out of the Felici, which is second from right in the top row








My unused sock yarn as of August 1, 2007. (Now I have started a sock in the Essential tweed, which is the blue yarn in the photo. The yarn in the upper left is hand dyed with Kool-Aid.










Doilies from Patricia Kristoffersen's Doilies with a Twist:

Left: Rosa in DMC Baroque, Ecru
Center: Doily #6, the same that's on the cover. I don't recall the name...
Right: Irene in Royale crochet cotton, Mint







A not so well lighted picture (plus an error with the flash) of the hand dyed KnitPicks Lace Weight I am using for a slightly modified version of Hazel Carter's Shetland Sampler Stole from A Gathering of Lace. I'd call the color Dusty Rose or Raspberry Sorbet.








Here is the sock in Felici, my own design (that's where I'm looking for a beta knitter!), taken several days ago (This sock is now finished)


And now let's see if Blogger and my exhausted camera batteries will let me upload any more pictures...






Another of my own designs, this the one being made of Essential Tweed












A Locker Hook rug I (was) working on. I think it's lingering in UFO status....












Guess what technique was used for this potholder....









Nalbinding, that's what! (Self designed nalbound potholder, in Mauch Chunky Kiwi w. Lion Brand Landscapes Rose Garden woven through it.)

An assortment of projects: The shawl back when it was in progress, my first sweater, and a bag I am making from the pattern in SnB Crochet (There seemed to be an error in the pattern, also, I ignored the instruction to turn)









A random pair of finished socks (actually, the ones I mention in this post) modeled by one of the few sweaters I like in this fall's VK










Have any of you received your KnitPicks October catalogs yet? I'm curious as to what all colorwork projects they have. I have Sweaters from Camp out from the library, and I've never done Fair Isle knitting before, and it just blows my mind!

Also, I am knitting a Tomten jacket-in acrylic. I may have more to say on this, so stay tuned

-Arachnera

P.S. As I keep hinting, I'm looking for a beta-knitter/proofreader for my pattern... Leave a comment, or email me at arachnera_at_gmail.com if you're interested...

Lace CRAZY!

Note:
Okay, before we get to today's main content, let me note this:
Camera: Check
Computer: Check
USB Cable: Uh, oopsies...
The USB Cable is absent and thus will not be bringing you today's photos.

Friday:
It all began a little over a year ago, probably the weekend before Wednesday, August 30, 2006's entry "TTY, or a parody of Tortured Tangled Hearts". And it ended perhaps half an hour to fifteen minutes before midnight on Friday, September 14, 2007. It thus took a year and a half. You query, what am I talking about? Well, Arachnera brings you, as of today, the finished (but yet to be blocked) Snowdrop Shawl. (Take a peep at the above note for why the picture is missing...)
Stats:
1 100g skein KnitPicks Bare Merino Laceweight (880yds), natural
U.S. size 6 straight needles
1 dpn, size 10, 10 1/2 or 11 (I don't remember exactly what I used)
1 yr, 1/2 month.
This shawl was proudly modeled at the Wool Gathering.


Saturday:
The day of the Wool Gathering! There will most certainly be more socks on the way, because I got three skeins of sock yarn there. I also bought 3 oz. Wensleydale sliver in a deep green with red and blue fibers, 1 oz. Fox Fibre Vreseis cotton in a medium brown color, and 4 oz. Romney(?) roving in charcoal gray. Check later for more updates on what happens with this sock yarn.

After we got home from the wool gathering, I must have had the "startitis." Yes, oh, yes, I started socks like mad, but one was frogged. Now I have four pairs of socks "in progress." I listened to Lion Boy, by Zizou Corder.

Sunday:
Listened more to Lion Boy. Started a sock on U.S. size 1, set of 4 dpns, in the KnitPicks Felici Hummingbird I received this past July.

What happened to the other skein of laceweight I bought according to the Yarn Harlot's estimated quantity? Ah, well, I picked up A Gathering of Lace from the library, and having been looking around, I have decided that I absolutely love several of the Shetland lace shawls. (Such as the Unst Bridal Shawl, the Princess Shawl, and the Spring Shawl here.) as well as several of the American Alpaca Company's shawls (The Whisper shawl, the Winter Wonderland Shawl, the Misty Morning Shawl, the Forest Path Stole, and the Reflections Stole). (Three free lace patterns that intrigue me, but are being saved for a later date: Eunny Jang's Print o' the Wave stole,{totally irrelated, but I do believe I like just about any Eunny Jang design. Kudos to Eunny!} Orenburg style shawl{As a sidenote, be forewarned that the Orenburg shawl is a huge PDF file due to its pages of charts), and Daisies shawl) Anyway, I'm thinking I might try a slightly modified version of the Shetland Sampler stole by Hazel Carter from A Gathering of Lace. {I keep going off on tangents, or as my teacher calls them, rabbit trails, but anyway, have you seen Sweaters from Camp? I've never knitted Fair Isle, but that book made me want to try} So I dyed the other skein with Kool-Aid this weekend.
This did not turn out as I intended... The color seems to be a pale pink/dusty antique rose, rather than the reddish purple I was hoping for. I used 1 packet grape and 1 packet fruit punch on 1 100g skein of yarn.

Monday(Today):
I have knitted a good deal on those socks in KnitPicks Felici. I am at the time of this blog entry almost finished with the seventh repeat of the 12 row pattern, and past the heel, where I am doing an afterthought heel, albeit with a scrap yarn knitted in. The yarn seems to have some subtle variation in color within the solid section that reminds me (I am not an authority on this sort of thing, having never really properly experienced kettle dyed yarn) of kettle dyed yarn. I may give you a pattern for this.
Also, on the web today, I listened to KnitPicks Podcast 20 while knitting on my socks. This was my first podcast, and I chose today to try one because I had finally remembered to bring my socks today! And what did I start thinking of as Kelley Petkun was talking about short rows and I was working on my socks? This entry, from all the way back in January (!) from the Yarn Harlot's blog. Fortunately, Ms. Petkun does not have any power over my knitting, though it was a bit more difficult to pay attention. I may put up the patterns to my two sock designs, however, they are highly based off Sensational Knitted Socks patterns, so if they do get up, they will not have extensive information. By reading my blogs listed in the sidebar (Note to self: Fix Eunny Jang link), I came across this sock pattern which I will have to try sometime.

For no particular reason, if you were wondering, I kind of lagged out of Runagogo, but I may just make another effort now that cooler weather has started once the new session starts.
Unfortunately, I have got to go now.
Happy Knitting,
Arachnera

P.S.: Fall Knitty's out!

Difficulties

Okay. I have two Google accounts. I have an account "arachnera@yahoo.com" that owns this blog. I also have an account "arachnera@gmail.com " that has gmail and everything associated with it. Have you ever heard of the Blogger email posting feature? Well, I'm trying this out right now from arachnera@gmail.com . I have had quite a few difficulties trying to juggle both Google accounts, and at the moment I seem to be logged into both, but that makes no sense! By the way, here are my Ravelry stats:

• You signed up on September 10, 2007
• You are #32086 on the list.
• 19210 people are ahead of you in line.
• 823 people are behind you in line.
• 38% of the list has been invited so far
• Clearly, I'm still waiting...
  

Ravelry...

• You signed up on Today
• You are #32086 on the list.
• 20205 people are ahead of you in line.
• 0 people are behind you in line.
• 36% of the list has been invited so far
• For no particular reason, I signed up.
  

Exactly 5 days until the wool gathering!

The Wool Gathering in Yellow Springs, Ohio takes place next weekend. Unless something goes drastically wrong, I hope to be there. (Note to self: Remember Robert Burns quote: "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley.") What have I been doing?
Well, knitting group at the library is tonight. I have done some work on the Snowdrop Shawl, but I think I'm about 1-2 repeats from the approximate halfway point on the edging.

I started socks of my own design, but based on the cable pattern in Sensational Knitted Socks in KnitPicks Essential Tweed Marina on size 0 needles. My feet are approximately size 7 1/2, and these socks are 77 stitches around in the leg and I believe about 68 in the foot. They are tight and rather difficult to get on. My fingers are itching to start another sock, but I am trying not to. I also have an unfinished pair of socks in Parade.

I have a pair of gloves that has lain in UFO status for probably almost two years now, due to the fact that I do not like knitting glove fingers. I detest the task. However, I have started double knitting the middle finger. Maybe there is hope for these socks.

While I was one a mysterious blogging hiatus, I made a nalbound potholder. It felted out circularly, but the shape was something of a septagon/heptagon before it was complete.

I have started school again. I am running the school newspaper, which is a deal of work, but will not figure prominently in this blog. I do not have my USB cable, so I cannot give you any pictures.

A miscellaneous question:
Why are some Dixie Chicks songs labeled "Explicit" on Yahoo music? I suppose I can understand "Goodbye Earl" but what is with "Cowboy take me away" and all that?

Am I rambling? Good then, now I'll stop.