purlgurlknits2

Fathom starts his long distance swim to Tennessee

2009-06-22T17:46:00.001-07:00

Whew, I'm finished! I couldn't decide whether or not to paint/color his lips, but in the end, I decided not to. Here's the Flicker set of all the photos a snapped if you're interested. And here's just a few if you're not:

Close up of his creepy eyes:

Amazing Parade of Mermaids...

2009-06-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

Zan of Wild at Heart Art organized a wonderful doll swap called Under the Sea Swap. Today she posted the Finished works of those participants that sent her images of their completed works. Although mine isn't quite finished, it's prettty darn close, so I snapped and sent her a poorly shot photo from my mobile phone. Take a look at the dolls, they're all so different, but all so very well done.

Sign ups for this swap were a while ago and for some reason (uh, doi now...it's called LIFE) I was waiting for that crafting inspiration to hit me and would allow me to hit the ground running with this swap. Well, it didn't hit until a few nights ago and so, this weekend I'll be putting those final OCD touches on Cynjon's merman. I think I'll name him, Fathom. What do you think of him so far?

l RUV MARU the CAT!

2009-05-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

He's got his mention on Boing Boing!

You can obsessively watch ALL of his antics on YouTube.

Here's a little tidbit to get you hooked:

How can you resist his cute little hind legs poking out of the box? i RUV Maru!

yep, genetic predisposition to all things cute

2009-05-07T22:13:00.001-07:00

surfing the craft blogs the other day i came across alleluja's work and then went to her etsy shop to purchase this uterly adorable porcelain cat with a pin stuck in its heart (cute and sick at the same time). gotta love it. she sent me an email that the kitty was sent it off from tokyo japan today. check her work out. it's totally great!

Two more birds have landed in Berkeley

2009-05-07T13:26:00.001-07:00

OhThat & Lukenlarry's & birds have joined Avesthel & Amaryllisroze's birds in relocating to Berkeley, California. All four birds are enjoying the temperate climate here and are aquainting themselves with each other.

Thanks gals! I'm waiting for one more bird...

Sabine is OFF hold. Hoping to finish it this weekend!

2009-05-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

I'm on the last few rows of the right sleeve on Sabine. I have to review my notes and figure out where I am on the body. It seems long enough when I tried it on, but I don't recall where I am on the pattern with respect to it's increases and decreases. It seems there are more people showing/discussing their issues with the pattern on Ravelry. Maybe theyv'e been there all along, but I'm just noticing them now. View the peeps in process/have completed Sabine for an idea of how varied the results can be on this 'little' sweater. I would have preferred to see the author of the pattern show her garment on a person as opposed to the mannequin. It may show quite a different story.

As fellow Raveler, Susan points out, there seems to be a "new math" with this sweater. I too had/have similar experiences as Susan knitting this up. Although I was getting row gauge the length was all wonky and too short. My fix was to add several rows to lengthen the body and sleeves. Most others are getting or purposely knitting to 3/4 sleeve lengths. I prefer a little below the wrist and added enough to the length to achieve this. I also added stitches so the circumference of the sleeve was a bit bigger as well as omitted the decreases that come before the cuff portion of the pattern. The result is a sleeve that does not bell out as much.

The pattern uses Filatura di Crosa’s Superior (70% cashmere, 30% silk). I find that this yarn results in a fabric that is way too "sticky" to put on. You have to re-adjust and be careful not to pull or break the lace fabric when putting on the sweater. This is just too fussy for me to deal with. I like sweaters one can just throw on and not spend 10 minutes each time adjusting the sleeves and body because it's sticking to the t-shirt underneath. It's not a kind of sweater that can go without something underneath as it's so sheer and lacy. I'm not even sure if I'll wear this when all is said and done. Sure looks good on it's hanger though.

I've been notating my pattern mods and comments in the project notes section on Ravelry and will continue to update it as I finally approach getting this baby off 'er needles!

Birds coming in from all points to roost in Berkeley

2009-05-04T14:52:00.001-07:00

I've received two of the five birds so far from my swap partners in the Craftster Handmade Bird Swap I'm currently participating in.

Here's #1 from avesthel (Florida):

Here's #2 from amaryllisroze (StL, Mo):

Thank you both! The birds are wonderful and I've placed them on a display shelf in my living room for all to see.

The next swap

2009-05-04T14:45:00.000-07:00

So I decided on my next swap...it's the Underwater Sea Swap hosted by WildAtHeartArt. There are a bunch of amazing artists participating in this swap. To be honest, I'm a bit intimidated and hope I didn't get in over my head, nor will disappoint my swap partner, which is yet to be determined. I believe sign ups are until May 8th, so there's still a few days yet for you to sign up!

Check out the participant's blogs and websites in the righthand column of WildAtHeartArt's site. You will not be disappointed!

Managed to finish ONE knitting project...Almeara Gloves is finally FINISHED!

2009-05-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

Well, they're finally done. The knit-a-long group that I did the Jared Flood Almeara Gloves with finished theirs long ago, but I didn't get the right glove finished until last night. Oh well. I'm fairly happy with the way they turned out. I kind of want to rip out the thumbs and do them over as they are a little big around the thumbprint area and the cables look a little wonky for some reason. I modified the palm and instead of garter stitch as the pattern called for, I did stockinette. I prefer the stockinette. I also swapped around some right cables for left and/or vice versa to make the cables have a mirror effect from the left to the right. Now, to change my in progress status to finished in Ravelry!

The birdies have flown the coup

2009-05-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

All five birds set off in flight to their various destinations (1-california, 2-ohio, 1-texas & 1-finland) yesterday, April 30. My favorite of the 5 turned out to be Erdos (above). He was the first one I completed too. He's headed on a long flight to Finland! I hope he makes it there OK. All of my swappees received the "green" light, so I got clearance to shoo the birds out of their nest all at the same time. Now that I've successfully completed my first Crafter Swap what should I do next??? I looked on swapdex and found these two swaps that piqued my curiosity:

What do you think? Under the Sea looks a bit intimidating, but I'm up for the challenge. Take a look at all the fabulous participants/artisits that are joining the swap! Whew! The Monkey Swap looks totally fun too. All these swaps are seriously putting a dent in my knitting time...

and then there were five...

2009-04-24T14:14:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the five birds for the Handmade Bird Swap I signed up for through Craftster. I made four of them a while ago and for some reason the fifth one took me a few extra weeks to complete. I pretty much used the pattern/tutOWLrial I found online by Moonstitches, but added a few of my own mods like a little pouch/pocket in front of each owl and made a different base for each owl as well. I tried to take in consideration each recipient's likes and dislikes based on the questionaires we were all asked to fill out. Each one was made with different recycled/upcycled materials, different buttons and styles of eyes and wings. The stuffing used is made of bamboo. Initially I was going to construct little softie tree logs to house them in, but then stumbled across bamboo boxes below made by Numi the tea company. The company must have donated them to the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse as they had hundreds of them. I decided to go the easier route and use them instead. I figure my recipients can think of creative reuses for them as well!

Here's hoping my recipients like the birdies and bird stuffs I'm sending along with them. Bye bye birdies! <:

Mindful knitting with the Dalai Lama

2009-04-24T13:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I just picked up my three "freebie" tix for two friends and myself from another friend to go see the Dalai Lama tomorrow at UC Berkeley's Greek Theatre. I was planning on bringing my Jared Flood Almeara glove project along, but upon reading the security info on the UC site, I'm not sure if it's such a good idea. I wouldn't want my knitting to be "perceived as weapons" and I'd be pretty bummed if I had to give up my right glove to gain entrance to the event. Here's a pic of the right.

Italy earthquake: 98 year old woman knitted as she waited for rescue

2009-04-16T17:43:00.000-07:00

This story has hit every knitting/crochet blog out there, but in case you haven't seen or heard about it here it is a few more times...

There's some question as to whether she was knitting or crocheting and some say a bit of both. It doesn't really matter, I just think it's a great story.

Huffington Post:
98 Year-Old Woman Found Alive In Italy's Earthquake Rubble

The Daily Telegraph UK:

Italy earthquake: elderly woman knitted as she waited for rescue

YouTube:

spoiler alert for handmade bird swapees...don't peek if you want to be surprised

2009-04-14T22:47:00.000-07:00

here are four of the five birds i'm sending to my swap pals for the craftster handmade bird swap. each one was created using their color and fiber preferences. hopefully, they'll be happy with what i've made. i added little pocketses and plan on putting little tidbits in each one. we've got until the end of the month and i could keep on obsessing on the additional things i'd like to add to each one, but i really want to send them off asap and not wait until the 11th hour.

oldie but goodie, the cuppycake song

2009-04-09T13:55:00.000-07:00

You're my Honeybunch, Sugarplum
Pumpy-umpy-umpkin, You're my Sweetie Pie
You're my Cuppycake, Gumdrop
Snoogums-Boogums, You're the Apple of my Eye
And I love you so and I want you to know
That I'll always be right here
And I love to sing sweet songs to you
Because you are so dear

I first heard this little girl's voice on an animation of a kitty that looks like a loaf of bread on www.e-thug.net. The domain is no longer but you can find it on YouTube.

Latest haul from the The Alameda Point Antiques and Collectibles Faire

2009-04-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

I try to make the The Alameda Point Antiques and Collectibles Faire held every first Sunday of the month. I just call it the Alameda Flea Market. I've been going on and off for several years now and have found some wonderful things for my home, art/craft supplies, etc. Here's my latest find:

According to this website, it's a 1938 Underwood Universal:
Billed as the new Typemaster portable, the Universal/
Champion line was a popular portable that embodies the latest development in personal writing machines of the late 1930s. Noticeable improvements of the new line include Sealed Action Frame, Champion Keyboard, Dual Touch Tuning as well as an array of features that one would expect to find only in higher priced portable. Available in Charcoal gray or tan matte finish. The early version had metal ring key tops while the later version had improved plastic key tops. (A carrying case with folding stand was also offered at the time as an optional accessory for the line).

Mine has the carrying case and folding stand. It's in excellent shape, but I think I'll still bring it in to Berkeley Typewriter for a tune-up. Isn't she a beaut? I also picked up some vintage french fabrics that I'll use for some of my bird softies. Ok, off to work...

Birdspiration

2009-04-09T08:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I should be finishing up my Jared Flood gloves, but instead I've started playing around on the old singer sewing machine figuring out what kind of bird(s) to make for the Handmade Bird Swap. I stumbled across Soto Softies blog where she points out a few wonderful bird softie makers in an old post: Ann Wood, Abby Glassenberg (while she naps), and a familiar site...Stephanie Congdon Barnes (little birds).

Wow, do I have a lot to learn regarding construction of softies, let alone creating original works and getting my own style down. I don't wanna go to work...

when crafters go bad...

2009-04-02T15:31:00.001-07:00

on ocassion, i peruse the best of on craigslist. this one had me cracking up:

Lost small crocheted robot

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2009-02-06, 1:23PM PST

I have lost a good friend due to alcohol abuse.

I got blackout drunk at the commodore last weekend (Fri Jan 30) and misplaced a small crocheted robot with a lot of sentimental value.

I need this back.

If you see this doll either laying around or in a crackhead's shopping cart please alert me because I need dexter back.

See the below picture, please hook a sister up.

Text 778.239.6844 if you have any information regarding the whereabouts of dexter.

das vadanya from mr. b :(

2009-04-02T10:01:00.000-07:00

Looks like Coraline's Mr. Bobinsky's blog posts have come to an end. He's gone back to Russia with his mice and posted a farewell message. Heavy sigh...:(

whimsical little knits arrives in berkeley

2009-04-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

Ysolda's hot off the press booklet of patterns arrived from Edinburgh in my mailbox today. Pretty darn fast shipping as I ordered it last week. Thank you Ysolda! I love every pattern in this book and would like to start off by knitting the little slippers pictured first. I discovered her fabulous patterns where else, but on Ravelry and there's even a Ysolda group on Ravelry too.

picture is worth a thousand words

2009-03-27T09:18:00.000-07:00

I'm knittin' up Jared Flood's Almeara gloves and on row 31, it calls for p2tog tbl:

http://www.knittingonthenet.com/learn/learnp2togtbl.htm

Love it. So easy to see what I'm supposed to do! The pattern mentioned that Vogue had an area on their website "Techinique & Abbreviations", but I searched to no avail and don't like to lug around my stitch dictionaries in my library collection. So, I ended up using the trusty dusty Google to come up with the above. Now, onward march...

knit happenings in berkeley this weekend

2009-03-25T14:38:00.001-07:00

with knitsonya in da house and next door a wonderful bakery, sweet adeline !

From Coraline to the Birds

2009-03-23T15:54:00.000-07:00

Well that didn't take me long...I found myself another swap-a-roo to join and help me continue on my eternal procrastination quest! It's named the Handmade Bird Swap - Sweat Shoppe Style and it's being hosted by dragonmama on Craftster. Dragonmama noted that this swap was based on one that Creative Kismet hosted back in January of this year. It was called the "Birds of Change Exchange"and like CK's ideas and meaning behind it. Creative Kismet just so happened to be part of the Coraline Mystery Box Swap I'm a part of too. Her box was and is AMAZING, definitely one of my favorites of the lot.

So in this swap we are supposed to make birds in flocks of 5 or 10. I opted for the smaller sized flock which will allow me to spend more time on each bird than if I were to try to crank out 10 of them, sweatshop style. So now I'll be changing my obsession from Coraline to Bird plush/stuffies. Maybe I'll sneak in a Coraline reference or two!

( : : ) ( : : )

Spring has sprung and it's time for the secret gardens of the east bay tour again...

2009-03-23T15:45:00.000-07:00

It's been a few years since I've last gone on this tour, so maybe I'll scrounge up the dough to make it on their self guided tour for 2009. They even have a version of the tour that's on bicycles, called Pedals to Petals. That sounds even better!

Creepy Cute Crocheted Coraline (C^4)

2009-03-19T16:05:00.000-07:00

I got my mystery box yesterday. I wasn't able to get my paws on it until well after work. It came from Evalana aka the Rabbit Hutch. Inside the #29, tin box was:

Creepy cute crocheted Coraline
Bobinsky's mouse
Letter
black "other" buttons
Coraline Mystery Box Swap tag created by Batwrangler with button key added.

Very cool Evalana. I'd love to put her on the dash of my Matrix, but the sun will likely do a number on her. Maybe I'll put velcro on her bottom and have her on the dash only when I'm driving. Same goes for the little mouse.

Coraline Mystery Swap Box in da house!

2009-03-18T15:21:00.001-07:00

I just got off the phone checking in with my SO this afternoon and he mentioned taking in a package delivered to my door. He described to me over the phone and I suspect it's my swap box package. He mentioned it has a sticker or writing that says something like "here we go..." and comes from Connecticut. He knows I've been waiting for a box and has witnessed the evolution of my contribution to the swap since the get go. He's been very supportive of my obsessive crafting endeavors, which is great, especially since I want to do a round 2 if it materializes! :)

On the same note, seems the package I sent has arrived at my pal's local post office and is out for delivery...
Label/Receipt Number: 0306 1070 0004 8319 XXXX
Arrival at Unit-->Status: Arrival at UnitYour item arrived at 8:35 AM on March 18, 2009 in SOMECITY, SOMESTATE.
Information, if available, is updated every evening. Please check again later.

-later-Status: Delivered

Your item was delivered at 1:10 PM on March 18, 2009 in SOMECITY, SOMESTATE.

I've still got a few hours until I'll able to open the box. Very excited though...stay tuned...

Swap Withdrawal

2009-03-17T16:57:00.000-07:00

I'm still mourning over the the loss of my Coraline...well, not really, I am eagerly awaiting my recipients reaction to her box. I do however feel some sort of loss. I guess, what I am jonesin' for is to find another crafty venture that will give me the same buzz as this one did . I found this new-ish blog called Swap Dex and seems to be a pretty comprehensive listing of swaps. I perused the current swap listings, but nothing really grabbed me. When I stumbled across the Coraline Mystery Box Swap, it was a no brainer, I HAD to join this swap. I even signed up within the first minute my little mochi was accepting requests to join!

When posting my competed Coraline doll to the craftster.org site, I discovered something called poppets. OMG! these dolls are amazing and seem to be the brainchild of ghilie. Check out a few of the poppets that have been made by craftsters since 2007. These have become quite the phenomenon over at Craftster. This just may be the next swap I was looking for! nezbutt, just hosted (still in progress) a poppet swap, but sign ups were in January. Here's hoping there will be an I love my poppet swap round 4! Check out her amazing dolls on her blog as well as the steampunk one (above) she sent to her uber lucky swap pal!!! I guess it's true...Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated. I am now a "friend of craftster" and have PM'd and have received ghilie's poppet pattern. Thank you ghilie!

Let the recipients posting to the Coraline Mystery Box Swap group begin!

2009-03-16T17:18:00.000-07:00

Like many other participants, I sent off my box to my Coraline Mystery Box Swap pal today (the deadline). I started this project as soon as I was accepted, but for some reason, the last bits and pieces didn't get finished until yesterday. I stood in a short line for a very long time. In classic post office inefficiency, the clerk seemed to have difficulty operating the machine that kicks out the postage and/or count stamps for those ahead of me and basically move at a snails pace. Good thing I wasn't in a rush, but boy oh boy, he did annoy most others waiting in line. By the time it was my turn, I figured it would take him at least 10 minutes to process my package. After requesting it be sent PRIORITY and was told the postage came to $8.75, I handed him a $10. The poor guy had to use a handheld calculator to figure out how much change he had to give me! Anyways, it's OFF. My box is on it's way across the United States. It should arrive in _______, _______ in two days. I sure do hope you like your box my Coraline Mystery Box Pal!!!

This swap was/is so much fun. I have never participated in something like this before. The only other swap I have participated in, consisted of assembling Altoid-like tins and some schwag for a Ravelry group, but this was so much more creative and fun! I loved making my version of the Coraline doll and learned quite a bit about constructing such things. This was my first attempt at making a doll/stuffie/plush from scratch. Participants got to post their works in progress on a Coraline Mystery Box Swap group on Flickr and it was so exciting to see others participants works. Wow, there are some amazingly talented people in this group. As a result, I went in and out of feeling quite happy about my project to very inadequate and self conscious with regards to my crafting skills. I know I should just let it go, but I guess that's just the way I am. Anyways, I am very excited to see what others post on the group site now. I've been visiting it several times a day just to see what new photos have been uploaded.

I think I frickin' won a pair of Custom Coraline Nike Dunks!

2009-03-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

I entered the Coraline Nike Dunks Giveaway (click on the red-orange drawer underneath the squid in the right corner of the room) and totally forgot about it until I opened this email in my inbox. Here's hoping it's not a hoax/spam.

Dear xxxx xxx,
Congratulations! You have been selected to receive a prize in the Coraline Nike Dunks Giveaway, administered by ePrize.

You have been selected as the winner of one (1) pair of Custom Coraline Nike Dunk tennis shoes (size determined by shoe size requested during entry or random drawing )! Please see the Official Rules for further prize details and eligibility requirements. Your win has been recorded and is subject to verification. Once we have verified your eligibility, you will receive your prize 8-10 weeks after promotion conclusion. It will be sent to the address you provided. The promotion ends on March 01, 2009.

No further action is required on your part. Should we need additional information from you, we will contact you at this email address.

For a complete set of Rules for this promotion, please click here.
Please refer to them for any questions you may have. Should you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact Prize Fulfillment Services by replying to this email. Please be sure to keep the original subject line.

Congratulations again.
Prize Fulfillment Services

addison studio sale

2009-03-13T09:33:00.000-07:00

I LOVE these people and their store!

Addison Studio Sale all sorts of vintage and antique craft materials you can go bonkers over! See you there?!

WIP: Coraline doll (she's done!)

2009-03-13T08:39:00.001-07:00

WIP: Coraline doll (she's done!)
Originally uploaded by purlgurl

I've finally finished my first doll-plush-stuffie from scratch. I've made ones in the past but generally started out with a sock. Her head, body, arms and legs were all fashioned separately. I did this to have a floppy doll look and originally, her legs were going to be "buttoned" on similar to the arms, but I ended up stitching them in in the end.

The details on her face were embroidered (if you can call it that) and the lips and rosey cheeks with acrylic paints. Her hair is individual strands of yarn that were placed one by one and then trimmed. She has a dragon fly hair clip that was fashioned out of a button and I used part of her hair that I wanted to tie back to make the Coraline hair swoop happen. I finished off the dragon fly with some rhinestones to mimic the one from the film.

Coraline's sweater is hand knit using Cascade 220 wool and size 1 needles. Her skirt was fashioned from some silk like black fabric with an elastic waste. Her raincoat and boots are constructed from XL size yellow rubber gloves with clasp fastener for the front attached with yellow buttons. The boots were formed by using the fingers of the yellow rubber gloves.

I sure hope my swap pal likes it. :) I certainly do.

HANDMADE NATION debuts in SF tomorrow night

2009-03-10T23:19:00.000-07:00

and I want to go! Anyone else game? Doors @ Mezzanine opens at 7pm, show is at 7:30. We can go by BART and get off at the Powell Street station. Here's the link to the movie's site

WIP: coraline mystery box swap box #35

2009-03-10T07:43:00.001-07:00

WIP: coraline mystery box swap box #35
Originally uploaded by purlgurl

Coming to the end of the Coraline Mystery Swap. I'll be able to concentrate on my other crafty endeavors again, including finally finishing Sabine. This swap has inspired me to do more swaps and get into making softies. I just stumbled across this one and it was so damn inviting I had to join. Seems I'm late in the joining the bandwagon as usual as it appears to be quite a phenomena. Soon I'll just be able to kick back and view the works that the other swappers have put together. Many have not uploaded any of their WIPs. I'm wondering if I should have held back a few images and left it to the surprise of my recipient. Oh, well...

Almost finished with my Coraline Mystery Box Swap project

2009-03-09T08:10:00.000-07:00

I'm very pleased with the Coraline doll I'm making for the swap and all her clothing and have posted several of the WIP pics at the group's flickr site. I will be hard pressed to send the box and it's contents off, but very excited to see how it's received by it's OTHER owner. I'll likely send it off on Friday or Monday (the deadline) next week.

I'm documenting my process, but I'm going to hold back a few details so the recipient can be "slightly" surprised as to the contents of the box.

Things to do:

~~finishing details on the box (off to ace hardware for some bits and pieces)~~ DONE

shoe laces on coraline's yellow boots

button(s) on raincoat

~~documentation as per swap specifications~~ DONE

send her off to _________________ in ______________

cool things to do with the silk hankies i picked up at stitches west

2009-03-03T20:49:00.000-08:00

initially i planned on just pulling apart the hankies i got from stitches west this past weekend and knit off the drafted silk without spinning it first, since i do not own a spinning wheel. but upon doing some searches, i found instructions on knitty on spinning hankies using a drop spindle.

i also found this site about silkworms and shows the process of making a silk hankie. apparently each hankie is made from ONE cocoon! it's kinda gross, but totally amazing at the same time. here's an image from worm spit's site showing a cocoon being opened and the bug being prepped for removal.

so beautiful, i couldn't resist...besides, it's been raining like crazy around here

2009-03-03T10:02:00.001-08:00

a few weeks ago, i saw a woman walking up solano avenue with one of these beautiful umbrellas. we both stopped at a crosswalk and i asked her where she got it. she said atomic garden. it just so happened that i needed to be in the hood later that week as i had a triathlon meeting to go to on college. it turned out that they pretty much sold out of these umbrellas. they had one left, but no price tag on it. the store keeper was going to call me back with the info later on that weekend. in the meantime, i got one online and for quite a bit less too. i kinda wish i held out for their spring line. they've got one for rain or shine now.

stitch 'n ride to stitches west

2009-03-02T08:10:00.000-08:00

my friend and i walked from my house to the berkeley (near 4th street) train station. the train was to arrive at 9:22, but it was after 10am before we were on the train. according to the director of the capitol corridor service, there were about 500 stitchers on the train. up by a few hundred from last year! wowzers. we got a bag full of coupons for vendors and various adverts along with the shwag items pictured here. when we arrived at the station, there were several buses waiting to take the stitchers to stitches west, but we weren't able to catch the first run of buses and decided to walk the 10 minute walk to the convention center. the weather was beautiful, so i didn't mind it at all. we did however, take the bus back as we were pretty tired after 3 hours of walking around the market shopping.

as it was my 4th year going, i decided not to buy any yarn. my first stop was to pick up my copy of handknit heroes and to get it signed by stephanie. woot woot!, she was signing away when i arrived at booth #97. i love it stephanie, i'll be signing up for a subscription now too!

i later picked up these hanks/hankys(not sure of the terminology) of unspun silk that can be teased apart and knitted together. i plan on making a lace scarf with it. on the search for an apropriate lace pattern. i purchased them from royale hare. i also got two cocoons that are generally unwound and the threads are then turned into the silk hanks like the ones here, dyed and turned into yarn/woven fabric. a search online brought me to to this site, and now i kind of wish i didn't buy it. :( i guess if i really wanted to be good, i wouldn't even knit at all eh? <>.
at some point in the blur of stitches west, i discovered the beautiful works of marion, jewelsinfiber.com in which the artist, self describes her work as "a blend of fiber techniques and jewelry technology." Check out her site, her stuff is beautiful. i picked up one of her kumuhimo boards to make small lanyards. fancy friendship bracelets. she completely sold out of her kits by saturday, but she sells the supplies and kits on her website too. i thought it would be fun to give it a try.

one of my last stops before popping back on the bus to return to the station was the button lady's stall. she had a wonderful english victorian antique belt for sale. i ended up getting it along with a few shell buttons and a shell belt buckle.

on my way out the door to catch the stitch 'n ride train to stitches west!

2009-02-28T08:28:00.001-08:00

woot! woot! i'm hoping to pick up a copy of Handknit Hereos a graphic novel about knitting by Mortaine. it would be great if i could get her to sign it too. here i go...

my lil' old singer machine

2009-02-25T08:07:00.000-08:00

this singer sewing machine was purchased off craigslist a few years ago. i bought it off a japanese american family in the Sunset area of San Francisco selling their mother's things as they moved her into a care facility. the mother sewed all of her children's clothing on this machine and had it since it was new in the mid-1950s. her kids were now well into their 50s. i felt a little bad that i was getting something with so much history, but i did let the woman know that i planned on taking very good care of the machine and appreciated that it had been well used and cared for.

i recalled that you could look up info on the Singer site if you had the serial number of your machine. mine is AL622481 and has "15-" printed on the base of the unit. It sits in it's own wooden stand/table with a pull out drawer for bobbins and such and even came with a stool in which the top comes off to store larger items, e.g. button hole making attachments.

Machine Serial No: AL622481
Year of Issue: 1953
Prefix Manufacture Locations: AA to AT - Elizabeth, New Jersey USA

I also clicked on their PDF to find out more: AL- 575941 625940 15 50000 November 20 1953

50k represents "amount alotted" and "15" represents the "model number". Seems that my model is not as rare as some of the others. Oh well, it's a work horse and I still love it and it's helping me create my coraline button eyed doll for it's sewing debut.

making progress on the coraline button eyed doll

2009-02-24T23:36:00.000-08:00

i've been going to tomopop's post on the mystery box he rec'd. it consists of THE coraline button eyed doll. i've been going through all the pics to get inspiration and guidance on what to include on the one i'm making. the hair is slowly being added to the head. one strand at a time. i thought of using needle noodle's technique of attaching hair, but later decided to go back to my 'ol one strand (really two, because i double it) at a time method. it's a cool technique though and i'll definitely try to use it on another project. hopefully i can make the rubber gloves into a workable rain slicker. the prototype i sewed up this evening is too small, but it showed me that it can work. i just get a kick out of fact that i'd be making them out of yellow rubber gloves. i'm hoping to make the yellow rain boots out of them too. we shall see...

progress report on coraline mystery box swap

2009-02-23T08:13:00.000-08:00

had a productive crafting weekend

2009-02-22T23:23:00.000-08:00

finished one knitted cap for the chemo cap drive next weekend.
got well into the project i'm making for the coraline mystery box swap. i'll post the pics tomorrow. i'm very pleased with the way it's turning out. i'm going to have a hard time letting go of it and actually send it to the person i've been assigned to. i do hope she ~~likes~~ LOVES it.
used my old singer (new to me) for the first time. i bought it off craigslist a while back.

well, off to bed...i'm knackered.

just back from seeing the 10am show of coraline [again]

2009-02-22T12:58:00.000-08:00

i almost got back on BART to go see the art of coraline exhibit again too! the show ends today. only 4 more hours and then it's gone...[sigh] that film is just too amazing. i wanted to see it again with a friend, who otherwise wouldn't have gone to see the movie. she was blown away and i had fun telling her all the little bits of info that i've discovered about the film, book, etc over the past few months. it has consumed just a bit too much of my time these days ;)

i got a few more ideas on what i'm going to make for my swap match up over at my little mochi

so far, i've got

the box. i've had this vintage box for years that will be perfect for the project. it's wood and the top slides back and forth. i'm thinking it may be from japan as i have two others, one with japanese characters on it. this one does not.
i picked up a round metal disk that has a "c" painted on it to use somewhere on the box. maybe i'll put the "c" in the middle and paint the scroll work on each side of it to mimick the one in the movie. it's a toybox found in coraline's "other" bedroom at the base of her bed.
i plan on writing up Wybie's note that was attached to the wrapped up doll of Coraline, but change " Hey Jonesie" to "Hey [swap match participant's name]" and the rest of the note: Look what I found in Gramma's trunk, look familar? WybiE [maybe insert PurlgurL instead].

now, i better get crackin' there's only 2 or so weeks before it needs to be sent in the mail to my recipient!

putting sabine on hold...

2009-02-21T08:45:00.000-08:00

i can't believe we're already almost finished with this month! i had planned in finishing sabine long ago, but with yarn breakage issues, altering the pattern, etc...you know how that goes. in any case, i want to be able to knit up atleast one cap for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society cap drive during the stitch 'n ride event next saturday. the train is headed to stitches west 2009. i have signed up for classes in the past, but this time i decided i'd just do the market and for the first time, take the amtrak train designated for stitches west goers only as far as i can tell. i'm picking up the train in berkeley, near 4th street and plan on walking there from my home nearby.

tahoe or craft

2009-02-21T06:35:00.000-08:00

i was planning on hitting tahoe this weekend, since we've had such an abundance of rain down here and snow up there. another storm is coming in tomorrow. alas, it didn't happen, so i'm planning on filling it up with craft projects planned and unfinished.

i was just assigned my pal from a totally cool coraline mystery box swap. i'm not sure if we're allowed to blog on the process before we ship our goods to our assigned pal, so i've emailed the organizer asking if it's ok to do so.

ok, i'm now running on reserve power, so i'm going to hit "publish post" and get ready to start my crafting weekend! woot!

this is what happens when you're frustrated with your knitting project...

2009-02-16T12:05:00.001-08:00

you move onto another craft!

24g sterling 1/2 hard wire wrapped necklace with aquamarine facetted rondels 16" long. i bought a strand of these at baubles and beads during their 30% off pearls and stones sale. i still thought it was a bit spendy at $50 for the strand, but now realize that i can make 4-5 more just like this one, so the cost per piece isn't so bad. sorry for the out of focus shots. my camera doesn't zoom up close.

another great coraline site

2009-02-16T10:44:00.000-08:00

EEEEVVILLL buttons
I found this site at some point and it's got to be the best resource for all things Coraline that I have found to date. I'm hoping to add myself to the Coraline Mystery Box Swap that My Little Mochi is organizing. I've already started making little notes in my craft journal with ideas and sketching ideas for the swap. i'll have to switch my crafting gear from knitting to...??? :)

So I guess I'll be movin' my posts over to pgk2

2009-02-16T10:29:00.000-08:00

i've been trying to get ravelry to pick up my rss feed from http://purl_gurl.blogspot.com/ for almost a year now. it appears that their interface doesn't like underscores. i worked with different ravelry support and they just kept pointing me to the rss url i needed to embed in my profile. i told them that i had tried the atom feed one: http://purl_gurl.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
as well as the the usual rss one:
http://purl_gurl.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss and neither worked in ravelry. i asked their chat support if it might be due to the underscore in my url. she said that it could, but they hadn't tested for it.

excerpt from chat session:

sandysays:
We've run across a few here and there that have never worked and Casey doesn't have an explanation as to why

purlgurl:
do they have underscores in their blog url?

sandysays:
he doesn't understand why it's not worked for some folks either
that might be a possible glitch
tho we've never tested that theory to prove or disprove

purlgurl:
yeah i was going to set up another blog to test

sandysays:
LEt us know if it makes a difference if you do

Well it does...the feed is working now. I'm just bummed that purlgurlknits was already taken, but purlgurlknits2 has it's own little nuances that i'm pretty pleased with :)

yay! i'm going to see coraline on this dreary rainy day!!!

2009-02-11T15:30:00.000-08:00

Coraline in 3D 7:30 show at the local AMC. I'll be sportin' my Coraline button skeleton key too! Unlike bibliogrl's find on the side of an abandoned building in Chicago, I opted for the quick, gotta have it now option...eBay. Seems their campaign included stapling, hanging, attaching these wonderful keys in cities like SF, Chicago and New York. So cool!

Here's a close up of the key similar to the one I got

I'm going to see the Art of Coraline at the Cartoon Art Museum in SF on Friday too. I just arranged to have the day off. Woot!

Here's some pics that someone took of the exhibit on flickr.

excuse me while i obsess with all things coraline for the moment

2009-02-10T08:27:00.000-08:00

koumpounphobe, huh, now that's a new word for me. i suspect i'll develop become one after seeing coraline. their website is awesome. i tried to see the movie this past weekend, but the show that i came for and the next showing were already sold out by the time i got there.

initially when i visited the site a few months ago, you had to put in secret codes that you'd find posted on various blogs/sites to view the gorgeous flash shorts that they made to promote the film. now you can just hunt around the site and discover/wander to all these very cool areas of their site. i've already spent hours there, having my tea leaves read, putting button eyes on myself and my cat...

a few months back, these "mystery boxes" started arriving at various bloggers doorsteps. once again, i spent hours and hours stumbling about the web searching each site to view the contents of each box. oh, wow, each one is such a prize! several of the knitting blogs and sites i frequent received mystery boxes of their own (wendy knits, knitty.com, ravelry! a few recipients and other bloggers have tried to "round up" and post info/images about each box that has surfaced. from what i can tell, ASIFA-Hollywood's, Animation Archive is the most complete.

these guys are not only amazing artists and visionaries, but their marketing is genius! they've got viral marketing down to a "V" or however the saying goes.

i absolutely love the fact that this film is full of handcrafted work and talent and that there is even teeny tiny hand knitted goods adorning the characters by none other than Althea Crome.

so now i'm planning on skipping a day of work to go to the last few days of "the art of coraline exhibit" at the Cartoon Art Museum in SF. i stumbled across it as a result of going to all these blogs/sites that had any sort of mention of "coraline". the exhibit's last day is sunday the 15th.

not much knitting going on, but i did start the lace on my ripples skirt!

2008-06-05T08:33:00.000-07:00

i finally got to the lace portion on the indigo ripples skirt. i'm doing a kal with a group of gal pals from my booty camp workout group. one of the gals has finished and it looks beeeeeeeuuuuuuteeeeful!

i'll be muddybuddying it this sunday in san jose. they just announced that it is officially SOLD OUT.

Race Description
Each race features a 6-7 mile course and 5 obstacles. At the start of the race, one team member will run and one will ride the bike. At the 1st obstacle, the rider will drop the bike, complete the obstacle, and begin running. The runner will arrive, complete the obstacle, find their bike, and begin riding. Teams will continue leapfrogging each other through the entire course. At the end of the race, racers will crawl through the infamous Mud Pit crossing the finish line together!

At long last, a FINISHED OBJECT! Presenting...

2008-05-25T19:56:00.000-07:00

FO: Yoda Sweater
Originally uploaded by purlgurl

Baby Yoda Sweater for Gretch's lil' boy to be...she's due in August, so I'm actually a head of the game. I think I'll knit a beanie to go with it. I thought i'd have yarn leftover, but will the seaming and making i-cords, I'm down to just a little jaw breaker sized ball.

It's a very cute pattern. If Gretch & her boy really likes it, I'll make them the next size up called not so baby yoda. I'll try to do as much as I can to avoid seaming, so I'll work the sleeves in the round again and see if I can knit the front panels along with the back at the same time.

Creating I-cord using a CSM aka circular sock machine

2008-05-25T15:50:00.000-07:00

I love the fact that there's a Bay Area CSM group that is fairly close by (1 hour away). It's a great group of people that freely shares tips and techniques on using CSMs. Yesterday, one of the topics discussed was making I-cord using a CSM. The concept sounded so cool, I just had to go home and try it out myself. Perfect timing too, because I needed a few to finish up the Yoda Baby Sweater I made for a friend's baby boy to be.

Here's how I created i-cord on my CSM (Legare 400):

Take out all cylinder needles except for those you need to make the I-cord. In my case, I kept 3 in place.
Thread yarn through yarn carrier.
Long tail cast-on the number of stitches needed for your I-cord (e.g. 3 for my baby sweater).
Transfer the stitches to the working needles on the cylinder.
Thread yarn through your yarn mast and make sure to use the heel spring to take up slack yarn.
Using your left hand to weight/pull down the tail of your long tail cast on, proceed to crank with your right. You may have to coax the first few rounds along as the stitches may need a little assistance in getting created. Once you get going, it should get a lot easier with each turn of the crank.
Crank in the usual fashion, in one direction, clockwise. As the yarn goes past the last needle, since there are no additional needles on the cylinder and because the heel spring is being used, the slack yarn should be pulled up by the yarn mast. when you crank around back to the 1st needle, the yarn should be in the appropriate place to knit the next row.
Let me know if you have any questions or need clarification on the process.

Argh....I have TOO MUCH STUFF!!!

2008-05-16T16:34:00.000-07:00

Oh jeeze. I'm just getting very depressed and disgusted with myself with how much STUFF I have. I'm going to make a middle of the year resolution to start destashing the over abundance that has taken over my house and my life! I'm not just including my yarn stash as that's the least of my concerns. I have purchased (more stuff-lol) an EZ Cube-esque light tent to photograph my stuff to list on eBay. I'm making a pledge to prepare and list a handful of things each week. It's just WRONG to have so much stuff. If it doesn't go on eBay, I want to either give stuff away to friends, donate them to local thriftshops or throw it away if it's of no use to ANYONE. I'm even planning on a garage sale next month.

OK, it's out there. Now...LET's DO this S#!T!!!

knitted wool swimsuit that won't felt?

2008-05-13T21:57:00.000-07:00

i'm not sure how this will look on, but i wasn't able to resist clicking it into my cart. hopefully i got the right size. someone on ravelry mentioned that splish swimwear runs a bit large. i'm a TYR fan, but splish's designs are just so much more fun than the usual suits out there!

still recouping from THE crash last month, but i've been swimming fairly regularly that past two weeks. it's about the only exercise that doesn't really hurt right now. i'm just getting back to my morning bootcamp (6-7am m-f) and i've made a commitment to going every day for the current 5 week session. my goals? to get the bootcamp's cool t-shirt for perfect attendance and to get myself prepped for muddy buddy in san jose next month. muddy buddy consists of 6 miles of running and biking with a partner (aka buddy). you each do the 6 mile course, while one is running the other buddy is biking, you trade off at the end of each running and biking leg and do obstacles throughout the course. the last leg of the competition is to do a commando crawl through a big mud pit! with my bruised ribs, i wouldn't be able to do it right now. i've got less than a month to get better. yipes.

i also want to dress up in some costume, but have not figured out something that won't get caught in the bike chain nor hinder me and my buddy going through the various obstacles. here's a vid of a muddy buddy in san dimas last year. maybe it will give YOU some inspiration to sign up! ;) it hasn't sold out yet.

This weekend, I'll be a triathlon lurker...

2008-05-01T16:07:00.000-07:00

Up until I dumped my poor ol' body over the handlebars during a bike dirt riding excursion a month ago, I was prepping for the Wildflower triathlon in Lake San Antonio, Monterey County, CA. The event transpires this weekend and I'm now the official cheerleader/wall flower of the group. I've gone back to easy laps in the pool for the first time this week, which I'm very happy about, but I have yet to go back to running and cycling. I still have issues going up stairs, as my hip and muscles surrounding the hip area are still bruised, lumpy and stiff with limited mobility in my left leg. Coughing, sneezing & laughing hurts because my ribs are also still bruised. I plan on bringing my knitting: Indigo Ripples & Wendy's Toe-up Sock so not all is lost. This is a weekend full of things I want to attend, but alas...Atleast I will be in the company of good friends...

Maybe you can check some of the cool happenings out for me?

picot hem top socks on a legare 400

2008-04-28T13:39:00.000-07:00

picot hem top socks on a legare 400
Originally uploaded by purlgurl

using Laura's (http://handwerkstextiles.com/) hand dyed superwash wool, i somehow cranked out a pair (using the 72 cyll) out in under 3 hours! woohoo a new record for moi. i also mangaged not to drop a stitch during the 45 rows using the ribber on the 2nd sock too. another first! i am still struggling to find out how to get snugger fitting socks. the gauge SEEMS right (going to have to put a measuring tape to 'em) but they're still a bit floppier then i'd like them to fit. this pair is going to a friend for a belated birthday. i'm packaging it in a sushi togo tray, each one rolled up like a sushi roll. (pic later)

Three-position Lucas switch--DIM, FLICKER and OFF

2008-04-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

The Lucas Lights joke; the three-position Lucas [purlgurl's brain] switch--DIM, FLICKER and OFF applied to me in the understanding of short rowing socks, specifically when it came to making the 2nd half of the toe. I tend to run before I learn to walk, so I've NEVER finished a handknitted sock, but I've finished a few pairs on my circular knitting machine. I can't really even claim to have the 2nd sock syndrom as I have never really finished a FIRST one either! I've tried toe up and it's variations a half a dozen or so times and have a few cuff downs in various stages of completion, but none have made it off the needles.

So, I decided it was time...mind you I still have yet to finish the first pair as I am JUST finishing the first toe portion. I started with Wendy's Toe-Up Sock Pattern. I've followed her blog on and off for a few plus years now and found it listed on Ravelry after an "easy sock" pattern search. All went well until I hit the section, "Now you'll work the second half of the toe"...yeah right! I read, them over and over and I just didn't get the instructions (sorry Wendy). I guess I'm lame. I prefer knitting instructions and things in explained in general with clear "a picture is worth a thousand word" images and good use of the English written language. So, I did a few searches and in googling "short row toe" came up with Jill's Short-Roe Toe Sock instructions. It was JUST what I was looking for and there weren't even pics to boot:

Short rows for second half of toe:

Knit Row: Knit across to wrapped stitch, slip the wrapped stitch to the right needle, reach left needle under the wrap and pull the wrapped stitch out and onto left needle. Slip the (now freed) wrap back to the left needle and knit the stitch and the wrap together through the back.
Yarn forward, slip next stitch to right needle, yarn back, slip the stitch back to left needle. (This stitch now has 2 wraps. When you unwrap it later, those 2 wraps will fill in where a gap might have occurred.) Turn.

Purl Row: Purl across to wrapped stitch, slip the wrapped stitch to the right needle, reach left needle under the wrap and pull the wrapped stitch out and onto left needle. Slip the (now freed) wrap back to the left needle and purl the stitch and the wrap together.

Yarn back, slip the next stitch to right needle, yarn forward, slip the stitch back to left needle to create another double wrap. Turn.

Continue working the knit row and the purl row until you have worked all the wrapped stitches. You will be unwrapping two wraps from each remaining wrapped stitch.

THANK YOU JILL! I can now continue (using both patterns and maybe more) and more likely now to complete atleast ONE toe up sock in my lifetime. :) Muhwah!

i bought some knitting related art...well related to moi

2008-04-15T13:43:00.000-07:00

a local gallery and shop has a show up right now and some pretty cool pieces. i ended up purchasing Sheepstack and get to pick it up after the show ends on the 20th. the artist has another one called Lambstack, similar to the one i got and it's still available. they're both framed in some really cool ornate vintage frames and i plan on hanging it in my office/craft/guest room. support local artists and run down and get the other one now! i should have bought them both, as they'd look nice together as a set, but alas...

one week later

2008-04-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

so it was last sunday that i catapulted myself over the handlebars of my friend's honda 150. by tuesday, i thought i had possibly fractured a few riblettes, so i drove myself to the minor injury center at kaiser walnut creek. kaiser oakland is closer to me, but i'd have had to wait in the ER to be seen and i'd likely still be waiting there today. the doc who saw me said there wasn't much he could do for fractured ribs, but pain meds. he decided to x-ray my chest and left hand since i told him i was planning on doing the wildflower triathlon the first weekend in may.

after returning to the MIC after getting my x-rays, the doc informed me that i had no rib fractures, but likey my left hand was fractured. i ended up leaving the place with a removable cast. by friday i was feeling a thousand times better (still in alot of pain but improving day by day) and asked my primary care physician to review the x-rays as i was doubting the original docs diagnosis. she confirmed along with a radiologists that i did not have a hand fracture, so off went the cast and i've just been splinting the pinky and ring finger together to protect it from my clumsy actions.

i tried swimming a few laps on saturday, but bailed on that fairly early as heavy breathing really hurts the ribs and opted for the hot tub soak instead. i have swim practice on tuesday night. it is my goal to show up. i don't know how much of the workout i'll be able to do, but i'll give it a go.

wanna put this one in the queue too

2008-04-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

It's written for kiddlettes, but I see that the author of the pattern kicked out the extra sts needed for a big kid like me too. It's the emma's unmentionables pattern in knitty. I figure I live in an area where pretty much anything goes, so here goes! Well, in the Ravelry queue it goes. Here's the big kids version...and one more shot of it here.

purlgurl gets schooled at Dirt Day 101

2008-04-07T10:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm banged up from my ribcage on down to my hip bone and the bruise on my hip is pretty nasty looking now. A little road rash and mainly my damaged ego. Sigh...A group of us went to one of the OHV (off highway vehicle) areas in San Luis Resevoir State Recreation Area in Gustine, CA about 2 hrs. from Berkeley on Sunday. It was my first time out on a dirt bike. I had a blast tooling around on my friends' various dirt bikes. Later that afternoon I got a little too confident and followed a more experienced rider on a few whoopdies a bit too fast. Well there were 3 in sucession that I did not realize were pretty hairy...I made the first two but supermanned the third. As a result, I am now typing with my right hand as my left is in a cast and my ribcage is bandaged up. As I was teasing one of my other triathlon training buddies who fractured her riblettes (mine are JUST bruised) while snowboarding..."there has got to be easier ways out of doing triathlons than this"...she was riding with us on Sunday too. She faired much better than I. In fact EVERYONE faired better than I. ;)

I'm hosting another knitting squad get together at my house this weekend. I can't handknit, but maybe I'll be able to CSM it instead.

beginning to <3 ravelry...

2008-04-04T15:56:00.000-07:00

I was looking for the Setsuko Torii book on and off for a little while now, but then stumbled across the HabuTextiles group in Ravelry and all the homework was done for me :).I just had to go to the website mentioned and plunked down $37.75 smakeroos and now I await my very own copy of Setsuko Torii Hand Knit Works !!! Yippy!

I had the pleasure of visiting Habu's shop in NYC almost a year ago to date. A gamelan group I used to play in toured the East Coast. I took the opportunity to visit the various yarn shops in the area and even got to catch the Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting exhibit at the Museum of Arts & Design across from MoMA. It was all so very, very, cool. Not to mention the weather...it was freezing there at that time!!! Brrr...

mateo's hat is done

2008-04-04T15:23:00.000-07:00

Here's the little preemie hat I kind of knitted up quickly (for me). I used Bamboozle (Fall Herbs #9808) on size 3, 40" circs using the magic loop method. The only thing I did not like about Bamboozle was that I was constantly splitting the yarn and having to re-do stitches. It feels nice once all knitted though and I do like the fabric it produces and it is stretchy. The little <3 s around the hat get lost in the varigation of the colors, but the LOVE is there. ;)

actually handknitting something...

2008-04-02T13:14:00.000-07:00

I had a group of friends over my place for a knit fest this past weekend and got to demo my Legare. It was supposed to be a time where we got to work on UFOs or WIPs, but that wasn't the case for myself. I did teach a friend to knit and she's working on her first scarf with Manos yarn from my stash. Nice friend eh? ;)

I haven't been handknitting lately because I'm too busy trying to work out the dealio on the sock machine. Some friends of mine just had a baby boy this past weekend. He's a preemie and came in just over 3 lbs. I thought it would be nice to handknit him a little hat. I found CarissaKnits' site on Ravelry and have cast on for the "<3" version.

Yarn: Crystal Palace Bamboozle
Color: Fall Herbs #9809

inexpensive sock blockers/stretchers you can make yourself

2008-03-27T21:08:00.000-07:00

This is a great idea. I'll have to remember not to return the hangers to my local dry cleaner next time as I've only got plastic hangers in my closet.

i <3 this ring!

2008-03-26T15:29:00.000-07:00

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10546574

Too many other financial obligations right now (property taxes, income taxes, etc.) and the fact that I just plunked down bank for my Legare 400 Circular Sock Machine.

Sign of "A Great Yarn [Company] for Socks"...

2008-03-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm very impressed. I emailed SWTC about my displeasure in coning up a ball of their new yarn Tofutsies. I wanted to try it on my new to me Circular Sock Machine and discovered that the ball was riddled with separate pieces of yarn. I counted upwards of 10 joins before I stopped counting!!! In anycase, I got on their website and found their "Contact Us" link and wrote a short complaint letter. I received an immediate response and a request to win their "love" back with a replacement ball. That email was on Friday and in my mailbox Monday morning was the ball of yarn! Thumbs up to SWTC, you guys ROCK!

Sockcess #2

2008-03-24T09:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, so there were a few socks that were pulled out and re-knit before I got to these, but they're my 2nd sockcessful pair.

Yarn: Austermann Step Duett Color 52
Using 54 cyllinder: 20 row hem top, 45 row 5-1 mock rib, 10 row knit with all 54 needles, heel, 45 rows knit, toe. Kitchnered by transferring all stitches to a #2 long circular needle and did the Knitter's Companion version of the kitchner stitch. This helped me out alot to make sure I was getting the right stitches and not inadvertently the row below or a non-"live" stitch.

Some issues I had with these...still dropping stitches here and there...do not seem to have the height of the yarn carrier set to it's sweet spot yet. I have to guide the initial beginning row in afterwards it seems to work alright. The 1st sock came out in a tighter gauge than the 2nd even though I did not change the tension settings. I guess I have to pay more attention to when I place the various weights and where.

They're being washed and dried as I type. Crossing my toes that they don't shrink too much. I need to stop gambling with these expensive sock yarns and get some practice yarn. I've got a huge cone of undyed merino I should really be using. I guess I could dye them later if they're worthy enough. :)

Sockcess socks after 1st washing & drying

2008-03-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

The tag said not to dry, but I did anyways. They're made of Superwash Trekking XXL Zitron and they didn't shrink too much. A tad definitely. I guess that's why it's called superwash and not superwashndry.

Sockcess!!!

2008-03-22T14:26:00.000-07:00

Check it out...first pair of socks made on my Legare 400!!! Woot woot! These were made using Trekking's XXL Zitron (Color 145). Using the 54 cyllinder it's a mock rib 5-1 pattern with a hem top. I cranked out 75% of a 2nd pair with this 459 yards of yarn. I think I'll rip out the 2nd pair and save it to mix with another leftover ball.

note to self...try using this as a set up bonnet on the CSM

2008-03-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

Legare in da house!

2008-03-17T14:01:00.000-07:00

Wooooohooooo! Picked up one heck of a heavy box from my PO this morning. It was shipped from Quebec and wow did they do a great job of packing it. The prob is that it will take me hours to uncover the CSM inside. Each piece is individually packaged in cardboard and taped over to death with packaging tape. I took a coupla snaps with my phone. They're a bit blurry, sorry. You can view the images sent to me by the restorer here. Also in my PO Box was a notification to pick up one of these. It's a vintage (70s) Mattel Knitting Machine. I thought it would be kinda fun to have the extremes (in cost and performance) in the circular knitting machine realm. Not to mention it was a complete impulse buy. ;)

Item (Legare 400) successfully delivered

2008-03-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

2008/03/14 09:09 94XXX,USA Item successfully delivered
2008/03/14 07:40 94XXX,USA Item out for delivery
2008/03/14 07:39 94XXX,USA Item has been received at the delivery office in the destination country
2008/03/04 12:16 QUÉBEC, QC Item accepted at the Post office

Unfortunately, it was delivered to my work address and I won't be able to pick it up until Monday. :( Probably a good thing though as my weekend is booked with necessary chores. If I had that Legare in hand, all that would have gone out the door! Never would have thought I'd wish it was a Monday! ;)

I feel like Humbert without my Legare (LeGail)...

2008-03-13T12:32:00.000-07:00

but i can't really knit (but i could crank!) now anyways as i had a little bicycle accident last weekend and my right hand is in a splint thingy for two weeks. typing on the right with two fingers...sigh

Attitude is everything.

2008-02-29T08:59:00.000-08:00

I got this from a friend...

Attitude is everything.

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
Live simply
Love generously
Care deeply
Speak kindly…….

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain.

Geekin' out on all things CSM not CMS

2008-02-28T17:48:00.000-08:00

My work involves maintaining CMSs (Content Management and Course Management Systems). But for the moment, I'm obsessing with all things CSM. I've got some homework to do before my Legare 400 arrives from Quebec!

Home Study Courses

YouTube vids on making ribbed socks on CSMs

Various informational sites:

http://www.sockmachines.com/index.html

Sheesh, I haven't even laid a finger on one of these machines and have already joined the CSMSA and comtemplating going to their yearly convention in Indiana!

OMG! What the F have I done?!

2008-02-27T15:49:00.000-08:00

I was so proud of the fact that I didn't spend much money at stitches this year. Revelling that I got out of there under a $100 bucks! But then I made the mistake of stopping to observe a demo of a Circular Sock Machine. It was all over after that. Up until that point, I had only seen them in use online and not in person. I fell in LOVE with the mechanics and solid construction of an item of a bye gone era. I emailed the woman who demo'd it for more info. and well...two days later, I've plopped the $$$ down for my own. It's a Legare 400 and is being shipped from Canada. It's fully restored and is supposedly a gem of a specimen. All I can say is that all gifts given to friends and family from this point on will be SOCKS-SOCKS-SOCKS-SOCKS-SOCKS. Sheesh!!!

wanna ride to stitches west?

2008-02-21T10:13:00.000-08:00

i was going to ride the bike on over, but i'm a fair weather rider. i'm signed up for a class on sunday, but would like to hit the market tomorrow (friday). ping me if you're interested in going. i'm in the north berkeley bart area and can pick you up locally.

dansko yarn clogs!

2008-02-21T08:12:00.000-08:00

i saw these online and managed to find these awesome dansko professional clogs that have various yarns needle felted all over them! aren't they cool? what dansko lovin' yarn addict wouldn't want a pair of these Dansko 'Professional Confetti' Clogs? they're pretty much sold out everywhere except on occassion the usual spot you go to obtain unobtainable objects. :) i'll model them once they arrive in the post.

edit: seems that you'll be able to get these again...september 2008. a place called shopfred.com is taking pre-orders.

yep, i'm antsy alright...

2008-02-19T14:42:00.000-08:00

Chompin' at the bit alright... but boy I'm movin' up fast!

You signed up on February 11, 2008
You are #106773 on the list.
382 people are ahead of you in line.
4657 people are behind you in line.
95% of the list has been invited so far

So I broke my promise to continue knitting off my UFOs pile. I picked up a copy of The Magic Loop: Working Around On One Needle from a new LYS located dangerously close to my house! :) some german sock yarn that I forget the name of and set myself up to start knitting a pair of socks. The idea was for me to cast on both socks and knit them with just one circular needle. Since the pattern I was using came straight from the booklet and called for worsted weight and I had sock weight I'd have to make a swatch to figure out gauge and do a little math. Well, I was impatient as usual as well as lazy to figure out how to deal with casting on both socks on using this one needles method so I ended up pulling some Cascade 220 (#4192) from my stash and just knit one sock on one needle. I'm right at the heel now. Too bad it's not superwash. Oh well...good for practicing anyways. I have yet to complete a pair of socks. Let's hope I finish these.

Maguro nigiri or salmon roll?

2008-02-15T18:25:00.000-08:00

Maguro nigiri or salmon roll?
Originally uploaded by purlgurl

I had lunch at my neighborhood sushi joint and noticed this on the counter. I asked the owner if I could pull it down in front of me to snap some pics. Isn't it adorable? The woman who knit them and gave it to the sushi chef has just started knitting.

Where's the soy sauce? Wonder where she got the pattern from? Just did a quick search and found one on MagKnits. Dang, I should have taken pics with my order placed beside it.

UFO down to earth

2008-02-15T18:00:00.000-08:00

Lion Brand Beanie
Originally uploaded by purlgurl

They call it "grunge" lace, I call it cute. What do you think?

i was pretty close to finishing this last year, but for some reason, i stopped more than 1/2 way through it. the pattern called for repeating the 4 row "grunge" lace 3 times, but i ended up doing it 5 times as i felt the beanie was a little too short. i also only did the ending 2 by 2 rows 5 times instead of the pattern's 6 and also swapped out from size 7 needles to 5s as the hat was just a tad too loose. seems to fit just fine now. Made with Jewels from La Lana Wools, Mountain Colors and Blue Sky Alpaca Suri. It goes with the Jewels scarf I made last year after getting the La Lana Wools' yarn at Stitches West 2007.

yeah, late to jump on the bandwagon, but what else is new...

2008-02-15T07:38:00.000-08:00

seeing how i have not been knitting or blogging for a few years now, i just found out about ravelry from other knitting peep's blogs.
as of 7:40am pst today,

You signed up on February 11, 2008
You are #106773 on the list.
4384 people are ahead of you in line.
2111 people are behind you in line.

sheesh, i'm #106773 to jump on this particular bandwagon. it's a bit of a pitty that so many people are posting all of their stuff on this now. it's locking out so many of us that do not have accounts. :(

Yippy! Off the needles and onto my head!

2008-02-14T20:16:00.000-08:00

IMG_1363
Originally uploaded by purlgurl

well, actually the mannequin's head. thanks to vanillabean knits for the pattern & inspiration! earlier this evening i went through my stash and discovered over a dozen UFO's. some i will rip out, some i hope to finish. in my hand now is UFO lace beanie from lion brand. it calls for cotton-ease, but i'm using leftovers from a scarf i did from stuff purchased at stitches west last year:
Mountain Color's Bearfoot (60% superwash wool, 25% mohair, 15% nylon) in burgandy carried along with Blue Sky Alpaca's Brushed Suri in "fudgesicle". you can view the scarf i made last year with it here. it's about 50% done, so hopefully, if i can figure out where i am on the pattern, i can whip this one off the UFO list.

approaching the finish line...yay!

2008-02-13T16:03:00.000-08:00

so i am on row 41 of my cable beanie (almost 6" in length). i'm going to start the decreases now. woot woot! approaching the finish of the 1st completed project in a year! sorry for the poor quality pic. i'm being lazy and snapped this out of focus pic with my phone.

great knitting videos abound on youtube!

2008-02-11T19:56:00.000-08:00

omg, i've just found a great video on continental knitting. i already do continental, but this teacher has some great techniques that i plan on using to make my knitting faster and more efficient. check it out! oh, and check out this wonderful little animation short called the last knit (When knitting becomes an obsession.) too!

My yearly attempt at getting back into knitting...

2008-02-06T19:00:00.000-08:00

I have so many WIPs, but I decided to re-start my knitting by making this. I am using Cascade Indulgence (when it was still avail in 100gm hanks) in a charcoal from my dusty stash. I did however, buy some #7 Clover bamboo circs from my LYS (even though I have 3 sets of Denises, several Addi's and tons of other miscellaneous needles about--all with various WIPs attached them). I started right in without swatching...doi now! Well, I pulled it all out and I'm swatching right now. You'd think I'd know by now, but I am so impatient. I always like to plunge on in without really preparing. I do this with most everything else too.

I also signed up for one class at Stitches West in February. I'm a little late in the game, so most classes have long been sold out. Sounds fun though...knitted softies. Last year I signed up for Automaton Knitting with Debbie New. Wow, what a cool class and boy does she make amazing stuff. I brought my copy of Unexpected Knitting for her to sign too.

Spring has sprung, but I'm still knitting winter wear

2007-03-12T14:05:00.000-07:00

So I found this AMAZING handspun yarn, called Jewels (in a different colorway than pictured) from La Lana Wools at Stitches West. It's so spendy, it's sold by the ounce! I bought 5 ounces, not enough to knit up anything with it, but to use as an embellishment. I wanted to make something similar to their Stone Soup scarf pattern, but different.
I ended up finding this lace pattern online and will knit the scarf itself with Mountain Colors bearfoot in merlot carried with Blue Sky Alpaca's Brushed Suri ...yummy! I should have knitted the bulky Jewels in with the scarf, but I'm going to add it in last.

Already LOST my gloves!

2007-01-22T12:18:00.000-08:00

Waaaahhhhh! My first knitting project in almost 2 years, and I have already lost it. Well, someone's walking around with some snazzy handknitted goods. Sigh...

Haven't been knitting the habu bag cuz I'm painting and re-flooring my upstairs. I'm in the midst of pulling up the carpet in my bedroom and dressing room area to make way for edge grain 5/8" solid bamboo flooring in natural. I have already covered my downstairs (living room) with it with fantastic results.

Finished my first knitting project in over a year and a half!

2007-01-14T07:54:00.000-08:00

I'll post a pic later, but I'm very happy with the way my Alterknits lace up fingerless gloves came out. I even did a little modification on the ribbon detail too. Instead of using the ends to tie up in a bow at the end, I whip stitched the extra ribbon around the edges and viola! Gotta love that Manos yarn! I'm no knitting Habu Textile's kit-13S: Silk Linen Shoulder Bag (small) in the colorway shown. Cool beans. Since my knitting is so tight though, and even moving up a size in needles (5), I'm still not close to gauge. I've knitted what should be 8 inches of fabric so far, but mine measures 6.

I also picked up an amazing deal on a Juicy Couture cashmere hooded sweater. Regularly $288! but got mine from Jeremy's for $60! It has a tiny little hole in the sleeve, near the shoulder area, so I'm going to try my hand at darning. I found this site that seems to have great instructions on the process.

It's The Most Consumeristic Time Of The Year...

2006-12-22T13:06:00.000-08:00

OMG, I'm actually knitting again! With my yarn stash gathering dust bunnies in a large section of my guest room and loads of knitting needles strewn about, with and without WIPs on them, I decided to embark on my first knitting project in about a year and a half! First I had to go out and buy more needles, not that I needed any, but I just couldn't pass up the new pink Denise Needles. I mean, it's for a good cause right? $5 of each purchase goes to help support breast cancer research. :) Once in hand, I decided to start small and work on the Lace-Up Fingerless Gloves from the book Alterknits, which I purchased from Amazon. I'm using Manos del Uruguay (#100-Agate).

Wowzers does this stuff knit up beautifully! The colors are amazing and instead of buying it, I actually pulled this one from my stash.

getting ready for burningman

2006-08-30T05:57:00.000-07:00

well, i'm picking up the rental van from a nearby car rental agency and will be prepping it for my departure for burningman. haven't done much of anything to get things together this year.

busy as a bee...but alas still no knitting...

2006-03-24T06:45:00.000-08:00

Wow, just finished an intensive training session through the California Motorcyclist Safety Program (CMSP). I am now a MSF-certified CMSP RiderCoach. I start "coaching" next weekend...

Check out the amazing doll that my workout pals made me for my birthday...http://www.flickr.com/photos/purlgurl
It's supposed to be ME. The balls represent all the things I juggle in my life...motorcycles, gamelan, crafts/knitting, sports (snowboarding, runnning, etc), scuba, my kitties =^..^=

not so pc yarn...

2006-01-26T19:59:00.000-08:00

So, I feel a little uneasy about this one…

My friend L, went on a three week trip to New Zealand. He was nice enough to bring back some very nice skeins of NZ produced yarn which he purchased from a local NZ yarn shop. I was very surprised to feel the yarn was sooooooo soft and looked at the label for it’s content: 30% possum fur. Initially, I thought, wow, this is sooo nice and soft, I’ll have to think of a special project to use it for. Well, upon sharing the new finds with some knitting friends I came to hear that possums are thought of as pests in NZ and are killed and used to produce all sorts of things including this here yarn. Sigh…I’ve been trying to do some online research to find out how the fur is obtained and manufactured, but haven't found much.

http://www.bangornews.com/news/templates/?a=106593&z=195

Of course this leads one to think about yarn production in general and now I’m questioning ALL of my yarn purchases. I’ve got angora, cashmere, even plain ol’ wool has me concerned. What conditions are these animals subjected?

Anyone out there know?

I found it difficult to find stuff online that isn’t from the perspective of the fur industry…like this one…http://www.thread.co.nz/article/466

Guess I need to refine my search criteria.

for your viewing pleasure...LEGO knitting machine

2006-01-13T16:19:00.000-08:00

LEGO knitting machine Looks like a four loop icord to moi.

I'll start posting my blog posts here as my site http://www.purlgurl.com is and will be outta service for some time.

i'm actually bloggin' over here...

2004-11-28T07:57:00.000-08:00

http://www.purlgurl.com/