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April 27, 2005
Me Likey!
So, here's my first batch of 2-ply wool.... It's a little wonky, but I am pretty proud!
And here is the yarn in it's natural habitat.... hanging from a bookcase in my bedroom.
ONLY 9 DAYS LEFT UNTIL SHEEP AND WOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by Sarah at 6:58 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
April 25, 2005
Here she is!
She's all done! Take a look-see, friends!
I love love love her! She is absolutely perfect! I'm really happy that I decided to go with an unfinished wheel and put the work into it. The Bune called it bonding time. Very true! We sanded every thing down with 220 grit sandpaper, then 330 grit. Then cleaned it all up and applied Tung oil, waited a day (a whole day people!) and applied a second coat. Then I had to wait another day before buffing it up and assembling... I had lots of time to think about spinning!
Here's the butt ugly yarn I have spun so far... I feel like I've improved already - but it will be a loooong road. Hee hee. This is super fun and totally addictive. I must remind myself to keep knitting, but I feel that it might be a couple of weeks before I really get back into that. I think my projects will be put on hold for abit while I play with my new toy :)
Now I want all my buds to come over and give it a whirl. This is too much fun not to share....
Posted by Sarah at 8:16 PM | Comments (4)
April 22, 2005
It's Here.
Look at what the nice UPS guy dropped off at my house today!
Click on the box to see what's inside!
Aycheewamma! After TWO WEEKS of waiting, my Ashford Traditional spinning wheel has finally arrived! The ordeal that has surrounded this happy occasion was quite absurd. Have I ever mentioned that I am cheap? Well, I am. The Universe decided to teach me a lesson about being cheap. It sucks. I found a website that was selling this wheel about $45 cheaper than anywhere else (!!), but I didn't get a good feeling about the site. It seemed kind of like it was an afterthought from their brick and mortar shop... But, the savings were too much for my cheap little heart to resist! So, I called the shop to make sure the price was correct and that the wheel would ship out soon - and they said Yes, Yes. OH NO NO! Liars they were! I never recieved a tracking number like you would normally receive for such an order, so I called a few days after ordering and inquired about this. They were mean to me. I swear it! Snott-ay! They told me that they didn't have the tracking number yet because the warehouse they ship these from hadn't given them the invoice yet. Okay. They never mentioned to me that they had these in a warehouse in Washington state until then! They just told me they had the wheel in stock. Harumph. So, I called every day about the tracking number (much to the dismay of the people who worked at the shop) until finally the owner, quite nastily might I add!, told me she would be very (insert sarcastic tone of voice here) happy to take 10% off my order if it would make me happier. I said sure, why not? And that I still wanted my god-damned tracking number. "I'll email it to you as soon as I get it", she says.
Days go by, still no email, still no god-damned tracking number. I called again last night (they are in California) and the owner proclaims, "You should have it by now!". Yes, darling - this is why I was rather insistent about getting a GOD-DAMNED TRACKING NUMBER! She shuffles around in her paperwork and lo and behold, there it is. I ran to the computer and looked it up and it was indeed on it's way. Funny that it ended up shipping FIVE DAYS AFTER she told me it had. I checked their site yesterday to grab the telephone number again for that final call and noticed that they raised their price on the Ashford Traditional $45 dollars. I must have made them think that a low price was certainly not worth dealing with biotches such as myself. I do not reccommend purchasing anything from the Rug and Yarn Hut, by the way. (Yes, I am aware that the name does not inspire confidence in the first place.... please see my previous note regarding my cheap cheap heart). I am not bothering with placing a review for the shop as all you would see on the scissor scale would be zero scissors.....
Anyhoo, all that is surely behind me and I have set to work on sanding and finishing my new baby! Hazah, I say! I can't wait to get this sucker assembled so I can truly understand how little I know about spinning wheels... hee hee. I loves me a challenge, I do. What? I bought a book - I'll be fiiiine.
I leave you with a pic of the yarn I recently finished on my spindle! Here's what inspired all of this madness.... I'll keep you posted :)
Posted by Sarah at 9:09 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
ohmygodohmygodohmygod
YEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
UPS has just informed me that the parcel I have been eagerly awaiting for 2 weeks (grrrrr...we'll get into that later.) has finally been delivered to my doorstep!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This parcel is indeed the reason I have not really been blogging this week. I so wanted my next post to be a picture introducing the contents of said parcel to the world.... Seems the jerks I ordered said parcel from did not feel like sending me the coveted item I had paid for.... (we will get into that later too!) For the moment, let's just say that I've decided to start reviewing online yarn shops just so I can zing these people with a ridiculously low rating on the Scissor Scale. Harumph.
But, nevertheless, today is a happy happy day! I am leaving early from work, heading straight home to rip into a bunch of cardboard like a rabid forest creature. And my bank fixed a silly mistake which had cost me $60! They gave me my $60 back!
Hooray for Friday! More to come....
Posted by Sarah at 1:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 15, 2005
I am the one who is known as It.
Now you are the one who is known as It.
So, I've been tagged by my sister, Mary for this book listy thinger.... Let's go!
Total number of books in your house:
Ummm.... a gajillion? That would be halfa gajillion for me and another halfa gajillion for the Bune. Oh Yeah! And another halfa gajillion for Mary.
So, approximately 1.5 gajillion books. Yes.
The last book you bought was:
Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson
What was the last book you read before reading this?
Well - about a dozen kitting books. :)
Real book you say? I'm halfway through A History of the Wife by Marilyn Yalom. And I started Labrynth of Evil by James Luceno, but I just couldn't get into it... The Bune will have to give me the synopsis before opening night....
I'm back to reading Hitchhiker's Guide again.... ha.
Write down 5 (or 6) books you often read or that mean a lot to you.
White Teeth by Zadie Smith
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Series by Douglas Adams
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
The Princess Bride, retold by William Goldman
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac
Howl by Allen Ginsberg
Oh dear, that's more than 6 isn't it? I'm known for re-reading books rather than buying new ones....
Who are you going to pass the stick to (three people) and why?
Hmmm... how about....
1. Kaitlyn (because we have many eerie similarities... let's see how we do with books!)
2. Christine (because she's cool, that's why!)
3. Caitlin (cuz she is my littlest sister and sometimes these lists are the only way I get new information from a tight lipped teeny bopper.)
Posted by Sarah at 1:27 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
April 14, 2005
Be Fly.
Buttah-fly, that is.
I finished my Butterflies are Free scarf from Stitch 'n Bitch Nation!
Pattern: Butterflies are Free from Stitch 'n Bitch Nation
Yarn: Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille (YUM!), 1 skein each of Mango, Rosewood, and Cypress
Needles: US6 (and a crochet hook! who's a big girl? I am!!)
Notes: Quick and easy. I like me an instant gratification project, I do. Pattern was very easy to follow until you get to the flutterby wings. They include the directions for one side, but you need to reverse those directions to create the other set of wings. No biggie - just a little confusing at first!
I leave you with an action shot of me gabbin it up with my pal Simon, the guardian of our front stoop...
Posted by Sarah at 7:50 PM | Comments (2)
April 9, 2005
Stately Shrug
So, I've been staring at this beautiful hank of Colinette Giotto that Karen sent me a while back and decided that I must make inot something! I decided to turn it into a little design challenge for myself and I'm pretty happy with the result - a cap sleeved shrug!
I decided I wanted a little shrug to go over some of my fitted tanks and cap sleeved tees. I wanted to knit it in all one piece, so there'd be minimal finishing. I even recorded the pattern for posterity! I added it in my little pattern album on the right if anyone is interested! I think it makes great use of a small amount of such a luxurious yarn, especially since the colors in Colinette yarns are so fantastic. This Bud's for you, Karen! Thanks again! :)
Posted by Sarah at 8:44 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
April 6, 2005
She's Dooooo-ooone!
Okay, so she's been done for a while and I am just now getting around to taking her pretty picture and sharing. Such a motivated knitter... and such a lazy photographer. Go fig.
And a detail of the beadwork...
Pattern: Charlotte's Web by Koigu
Yarn: About 5 and a half skeins of Koigu KPPM in colourways: P200, P206, P205, and P445.
Alterations: Added Swavorski crystal beads to the crochet edge cuz I like sparkles!
Notes: Man, I love me some Koigu! Now I understand what everyone raves about. This yarn is striking in color and I love the spring it has as it knits up! Now, I did knit a gauge swatch and was right on... but despite 2 blockings, mine seems to have come out a bit on the small side. But, I love her nonetheless! Mad props to Karen for helping me with my blocking fiasco! After the
first blocking, I ripped out the bind off edge and bound off again with
a larger needles and it did help quite a bit! This was my first time knitting lace, and I dig it, bay-bee! I was quite intimidated by the chart at first, but by the end it was second nature as people had told me before.
Posted by Sarah at 10:56 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
April 5, 2005
Yarn, LLC
This past Sunday, a few representatives of the Hat City Scissor Squad trekked to New Haven to a little shop called Yarn!
A small shop, but packed to the brim, I tell ya! They have a varied selection of yarn, including hand dyed wool from a local farm! It's a very visually appealing shop - yarns are arranged by color, rather than texture. I find a shopper's preference is quite personal. I have a verrry tough time shopping in stores where yarn is arranged this way. When the stock is sorted by texture, I have a much easier time finding what I'm looking for. But - I am a knitter who goes to shops with something in mind! For those that shop just to ... well, shop(!) this place is surely heaven. They have a small wooden table for gettin' yer knit on and even hosted a knitting birthday party a few weeks ago! FUN!
The staff was very friendly and helpful. They gleefully dug through piles of yarn to help my bud Lauren find enough mohair for her new sweater project. As you can see, my bounty was much smaller than last week's excursion - I behaved myself. I picked up the Rowan Summer Tweed I needed to finish the Silkroad Cardigan I've been plugging away at - as well as the book I've been dying to get - Last Minute Knitted Gifts! I've already started sifting through my stash to see what I've got to make the Hourglass Sweater... oooh!
So, with my shiny new ratings system in place (Thankyouverymuch Mary!), I'll be rating out of 10 from now on... I did have a tough time finding yarn and it doesn't have the big knitting area Knottygirl does - but it does have a more varied stock...
I gave Yarn a 7.5 on the scissor scale!
Posted by Sarah at 6:35 PM | Comments (2)
April 2, 2005
More Interviews!
Ooh! I've got 2 more takers for interviews! Sorry it took me a while to get these posted.... I'm so lazy with the 'puter on the weekends!
Here we go!
Hard hitting questions for my gal, Mitch:
1. If you could pick up everything (with no worries about job, money, etc...), and live anywhere in the world for one year, where would it be and why?
2. You've been with your hubby for a while now - let's hear what your number one favorite thing about Todd is!
3. Will you ever let me teach you how to knit? Well???
4. You just had a supremo cute cute baby 3 months ago.... Tell us, what has been your favorite moment of mamahood so far?
5. You are a fellow Simpsons afficionado - if you were zapped into Springfield, USA, which Simpsons character would you be?
And now for Kaitlyn's interview!
1. I think your blog is faboo! How long have you had it up and running and what inspired you to start one in the first place?
2. As a fellow knitter, I always want to know - what got you into knitting? How long have you been at one with the needles?
3. Do you delve into any other arts or crafts besides knitting?
4. Your hubby is a restauranteur - lucky you!! - what's your absolute favorite thing he's ever cooked for you?
5. If your personality were to be described in muppet form, which Muppet would you be? (I personally think this is a very telling question... haha)
Okay - go forth, ladies! I can't wait to see your responses to my ridiculously inane line of questioning! :)
And for those of you seeking knitting updates - the weather here has been awfully rainy and dark. Multiple photoshoots have been postponed! I fear I may have to bite the bullet and take badly lit pics just to get this blog rollin' again... So. Impatient. I. Am.
Posted by Sarah at 6:34 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack