Tuesday, March 25, 2008

INFP

So, those who know me, do you agree?




You Are An INFP



The Idealist



You are creative with a great imagination, living in your own inner world.

Open minded and accepting, you strive for harmony in your important relationships.

It takes a long time for people to get to know you. You are hesitant to let people get close.

But once you care for someone, you do everything you can to help them grow and develop.



In love, you tend to have high (and often unrealistic) standards.

You are very sensitive. You tend to have intense feelings.



At work, you need to do something that expresses your personal values.

You would make an excellent writer, psychologist, or artist.



How you see yourself: Unselfish, empathetic, and spiritual



When other people don't get you, they see you as: Unrealistic, naive, and weak

Monday, March 10, 2008

Noro Mittens


Well I finally finished these mittens.

I took a mitered knitting class a while back and had picked up some Noro Silk Garden for the class - I think it was on sale and I knew the colors would look nice in miters. Generally, I'm not a Noro fan. I know, that's probably sacrilege to most, but its the truth.

Anyway, we got a hat pattern in the class - a pillbox style with miters for the sides. I knew I'd have enough yarn for more than the hat and I'm anal enough to think winter accessories should come in sets, so I made a mitten to go with it.

And then like most projects, it got put aside.

When I was going through WIPs/UFOs this last year I decided to rip the hat - just really didn't like the style. But I liked the concept of the mitten. It may be hard to see but its K1,P1 ribbing throughout so very forgiving for a variety of hands.

Unfortunately my notes were vague at best - 22 rows for cuff, 25 rows to thumb. That's it! Looking at the mitten I was thinking "CUFF????" But I looked close and I had increased a couple of stitches right where the hand flares out from the arm.

Anyway, I made a second mitten as close as I could, keeping better notes. Then I also remembered that I had made the first with lots of leftover bits so it didn't have any of the purple or even the brighter green. So I made a third mitten, and finally have a pair that I'm happy with.

So these will go in the give-away box.

And so I remember what I did if I decide to do it again, here are my notes:

Cast on 44 stitches.

Work 22 rows in K1, P1 ribbing.

Increase 1 stitch in first two stitches of next row (46 stitches).

Work 25 rows.

Work 9 stitches in waste yarn, slide worked stitches back to left needles and continue working 20 more rows.

1st decrease row: *Work in pattern 6 stitches, K2tog, repeat from * 3 more times, work in pattern to end (42 stitches).

Work 1 row even.

2nd decrease row: *Work in pattern 5 stitches, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round (36 stitches).

Work 1 row even.

Continue pattern of these 2 rows until 12 stitches remain, ending with a work even row.

Thread tail through live stitches and draw tight to close top of mitten.

Pick out stitches worked in contrast yarn, putting live stitches on needle. When working first round, pick up stitches between two rows of live stitches to eliminate holes. Work 15 more rounds in pattern, reducing to 18 stitches within first two rounds.

K2 tog around.

Knit one round.

Slip one, K2tog, psso round.

Thread tail through 3 remaining stitches and draw tight to close thumb.

Weave in ends.

Sunday, March 02, 2008

Swappie


This is Swappie!

Swappie came to me in a trade from some yarn. Swappie was crocheted by MamaK on Ravelry. Isn't she the cutest? Isn't that the most adorable expression on her face?

I also traded a person in Vermont for some maple syrup, though I'm sad to say I can't remember her Ravelry name. Being from New England originally, I just think the syrup from there is better!

Oh, and the actual numbers from February - 5466.13 yards and 1 kit added to the stash, 13346.9 yards destashed or used.

Saturday, March 01, 2008

March resolutions

Well first lets talk a little about February. I manage to do 2 of the 3 resolutions. I did make the Knit-a-Mile challenge finishing one of the WIP's, but didn't finish another. Then again, I didn't knit the last two weeks I think. But I really made the last challenge this month, despite that long list of expected clubs. Unfortunately I forgot the file at my office, but last I looked I had 13,000+ yards of yarn out and 5,000+ in. Essentially, I had lots of takers on yarn I had listed on Ravelry!

So what yarn am I expecting in March? Unfortunately a lot:
- Yarn Pirate Booty Club (last month)
- dkKnits Technicolor Dream Toes (continues through October)
- February and March Tour of DC Sock Club (March is last month)
- Harmony Sock Club (continues through June)
- Webs Skein of the Month (continues through December)
- Brooklyn Handspun Holiday Sock Club (continues through April)
- Seven Deadly S(p)ins (first of seven installments)
- Year of Lace (first of a year-long quarterly club)
- A Change of Seasons Lace (first of a year-long quarterly club)

In other words, March is likely to be the worst month this year. Those two lace clubs are going to be a lot of yardage, and a lot of the sock clubs haven't ended.

Speaking of clubs, one that is just amazing me is Webs Skein of the Month. If you use that link to go to their home page, there is a round blue area in the middle of the page that will take you to information. You can join mid-year at a pro-rated price. When I joined it was $119 for 12 months, or basically $10 per month including shipping. In January we received Sheep Shop Yarns Sheep Three, while in February we got Fiesta Yarns Swoon. Plus a pattern each month you can complete with the skein, and a little extra goody in February. If you look these yarns up on their web site you'll see that based on yarn value alone we've already gotten back about 1/2 what I paid to join. So they're being very generous. So if you're looking for a way to try some really nice yarns......

Okay, so back to March resolutions:

- I'm going to combine February and March yardage totals for a goal to have more out in those two months than I got in in those two months. February will help on this front, but there's still a lot coming in!
- Finish two WIPs from the current list.
- Knit a pair of socks.