Love. This. Book.

When I put this book on order at Amazon.com a few months ago (It was backordered due to demand), I couldn't wait to get my grubby little hands on it. I own Cookie A.'s first book Sock Innovation, and have been drooling over her other patterns on Ravelry.com over the last year or so, but I never thought I would love a book of sock patterns this much.

OK, from reviews on Amazon.com, I read that some people are not pleased that there are only a few new patterns in the book, but I didn't care because I really wanted them anyway but never had the money to fork over to collect them one at a time. So buying this book just made sense to me.

From the time I tore open the cardboard shipping materials and loveingly opened the front cover I was already dreaming of knitting all of these socks, and the vividiy colored pictures were a great jumping off point for my daydreams,as well as my plans for how much sock yarn I was going to have to invest in. Each page was filled with clear, well written instructions on how to knit up each sock, with clear diagrams in the margins explaining sizing and chart placement. Each part of the projects were even labeled clearly.

The only down side to this book I could see, was that the projects were leaning toward being yarn hogs, and some knitters (including myself), sometimes don't have the money to go out and spend on two and three skeins of sock yarn to complete a project. It's a good thing that Hazel Knits offers quarter skeins though.

2011 - Year of the Sock!

With the dawn on a new year, and a new decade for that matter, it came time again to decide on this year's knitting challenge. However, the truechallenge was to decide on what to do this year to make it stand out above all the rest. My first instinct was to continue in last year's theme and knit 11,000 meters of yarn, but that would get old since I had done that already. i thought to knit eleven sweaters or shawls, but sometimes, even I take a few months to finish anything larger than a mitten.

Stuck in my quandry, I began to look forward in the year for inspiration. Many of the events I looked at happen every year, and none had any themes that I could turn into a year long challenge. I was close to giving up when I saw it, the one event with a theme that I could use to make a year long challenge, and have tons of fun while doing it.

SOCK SUMMIT!

Now to make a long and boring story short, I plan to knit thirty (yes) pairs of socks in one year. And to tie it into my diet that I started at the beginning of the year, I set the following rules:

1. No more that two socks may be knit on a circular needle.

2. All ends must be woven in to consider the socks completed.

3. Socks must be made to fit a human being. No catsocks, no dog socks, or hampster socks.

4. If I cheat on my diet, I must deduct one pair of socks from the total number of pairs knitted. Ewample: I have worked three pairs of socks. I sneak a cupcake, I have to deduct a pair of socks, leaving me with two pairs of socks.

5. Socks started before midnight December 2010 may count toward goal, yet any socks not completed before 12:01am Janurary 1, 2012 may not count toward the goal.

With that, I have to get off the computer now and get working. Thirty pairs of socks is alot when you think about it, and well, I have 59 socks (Thirty times two is sixty) to go.

Happy knitting.

What a Long, Strange Year it has Been.

First off, let me say that I do not like writing these Year in review things. Frankly, no one really cares that Lindsey Lohan went to jail for the umteenth time this year after being caught with drugs yet again, (you want to shock me, tell me when she gets cought with a book) and if you follwo this blog, you pretty much know what is going on in my life. However here is an EXTREMELY brief synopsis of how the year went for me:

News Year Day, Madrona Fiber Arts, son turned 5, Sewing and Stitchery Expo, Husband's Birthday, signed up for the Hazel Knits sock yarn club, Disneyland and Universal Studios, new spinning wheel, Oregon Flock and Fiber, Snowmageddon four hour commute home, Thanksgiving, work sucks, Christmas, OMG! Final batch of yarn club shipment.

With that all said and done, I now give you the final shipment of the Hazel Knits Yarn Club for 2010!

As you can tell, Wendee has once again outdone herself, and included a great suprise in this shipment in the form of a project bag printed with a blue sheep to match the yarn colors. I had so much fun this year that I plan to sign up for this club again next year, as well as the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin Sock Club. Awesomeness!

In other news I have the final totals for my year long challenge to see it I could burn down my stash by knitting 10,000 meters in a year. Well, it was a great challenge to see if I could keep from buying new yarn throughout the year, and I slipped up a few times, but I managed to do it and then some.

The total is (imagine a drum roll here): 12,047 meters of yarn knit in a single year!

I have a few ideas for next years challenge, but haven't completely decided on what to do. I will post it early next year though.

Until then, Happy New Year! See ya'll on the flip side.

Christmas Ornament 2010.

As you may remember from a prevoius post, every year I make a Christmas Ornament for my tree using beads and other interesting bits and pieces. However, unlike last year, I try to make five different color variations (Last year's ornament contained some hard to find vintage beads, and I could not find other colorways that I liked).

And now, the colorways.

Traditional: Red and Green are often the most common colors associated with Christmas, and I couldn't resist just making one like this, accented with 24 carat gold seed beads, and red and green Swarovski Crystals set off by bright white Swarovski Crystal Pearls, This on is definately a keeper

Nick: Sometimes I have no choice but to drag my little boy along with me on trips to the bead store, but he never seems to mind. So for this one, I Let the little guy pick the colors in this one. Of course he went for his favorite color (purple) and a rich emerald green, I decided that this one would be a bit diffrent, as I used Crystal Copper Swarovski drops for the corners of the netted fringe. This one is kind of my favorite because of the rich colors and the beautiful contrasts between the colors.

Carribbean: I was not sure how this one would turn out, but i fell in love with the Carribbean Blue Opal Crystal beads and I love the drops that I used in the corners of the netted fringe (Crystal Golden Shadow). This one actually turned out better than I thought it would, and I ended up really liking this one after all.

Lilac Summer: When Swarovski announced this pale lavender and light green as their new colors, I could not resist making another purple accented ornament. So this one was born, however to take some of the overwhelming gold out of the equation, I used the 14 karat gold seed beads instead of the 24 karat ones.

Vintage: This was another color selection I was not to sure about, but turned out wonderfully. I thought about making an antique inspired ornament and decided on a pale rose matched with the Palace Green Opal Swarovski beads, giving this ornament a bit of an Asian look with the jade greens. I went with the Nickel plated seed beads in the netted fringe here and really ended up liking the pale jade and pale rose seed beads in the body of the ornament as well.

Anyhow, that is the ornaments ffor this year. Perhaps next year, I will really go crazy!

Happy Holidays!

Port Gamble Ghost Confrence 2010.

I really meant to post this blog earlier, and to be honest I have three really good excuses as to why this blog did not get posted earlier and here they are:

1. The hotel I stayed in did not have the wireless internet that was promised to me and I had no access.

2. My son had me out for two hours on Halloween night Trick or Treating, and I was tired afterwards.

3. I takes a long time to go over paranormal evidence, and I have been quite busy.

4. I was being lazy

Anyhow, here is a summary of my adventures, and what I found:

The first evening, we got to meet the speakers and hear many interesting stories about their evidence into the paranormal. Some of them made us laugh, and others served as a cautionary tale to warn us of some of the dangers of paranormal investigating. I was excited to learn as much as I could though, and took everything in.

After the opening and introductions, We were all invited to go on a Ghost Tour of the historic town of Port Gamble, and we stopped at pretty much every building some of which include: the General Store, the Post Office, the church where an apprition of a one armed man is seen running through the churchyard, and the Graveyard.

It was a thoroughly interesting tour of an EXTREMELY haunted town, and I loved hearing the history of the beautiful town and some of the basis for the reported hauntings. However, the graveyard kept pulling me back and making me want to go back for a quick walk around for a secret tour. (I know, not bright.)

Anyhow, I stopped off at the pavilion where most of the Ghost Confrence was taking place, and sipped a cup of coffee while reading a book. I listened to people chat back and forth, and as people petered out and left for the night, I packed up my own belongnings and headed out to may car, but something about the graveyard was just talking to me.

Well, I walked up to the graveyard armed with only my camera and my car key and started walking round taking pictures of some of the headstones when something really interesting appeared and took me by suprise. This strange fog appeared with an image of a person's head and shoulders showed up, and it was a clear night with no rain. I even held my breath when I took the picture to steady myself.

Anyhow, after I took this picture, I headed back down to my car and headed back to my hotel in Plousbo where I found out I had no internet access. Frustrated, I went off to bed as it was going to be an early morning for me the next day. As well as a late night.

The next monring, I had a really hearty breakfast of Corned Beef Hash at the diner inside the General Store, and it stuck with me through the whole day, making me even skip lunch because I was just not hungry. I attended may great seminars and got some great information about the art of Ghost Hunting, and what not to do while investigating. (One being not to investigate alone. my bad) After dinner though, was the true moment of excitement for all of us, because we were going to take part in an actual ghost hunt.

That evening, at seven, the groups met and we all began our investigations. My first stop for the eveining was the basement of the towns Post Office/ Community Center. Historically, the basement was once the town's morturary, where all of the dead lumber mill workers and their families eventually were prepared for burial. About 22 seconds into my first investigation, I got an EVP of a person saying "What are you doing here......get out". My little digital recorder really paid for itself that night. As I caught several more EVPs there and some unexplained footsteps that seemed to come from above us.

Our second stop for the evening found us in the Community Hall, where we were trying everything from sitting on the stage, to asking questions to see if we would get anything, but nothing seemed to trigger any activity. Thinking outside the box, andther person and I began playing music on the piano that was sitting just off the stage on the right, and despite it being EXTREMELY out of tune, we were pretty good. After both of us left the stage, I snapped this picture and got some interesting Orbs that were perhaps triggered by us. Immediately after taking the pictures, A single note was tapped out on the piano. The group got me to go up again and try the little tune I tapped out on the piano, and to everyones suprise.......the piano was in tune. I tried the same song again, and the piano was no longer in tune. Is that cool or what?

After a very interesting visit to the Community Hall, it was time to move onto the Walker Aimes Mansion across the street, where there have been reports of full bodied appritions as well as unexplained sounds. I didnot get much for photographic evidence, but I did have something brush my hair in what was called the Nannie's room in the attic, and in the front sittin room, I was sitting alone when I could again feel something again lift the hair on the side of my head as if they were looking at my earrings. (I was wearing an old fashioned looking pair of lavender crystal earrings, mabie she liked them.) In the basement, we got some unexplained tapping, and again I felt like someone put their hand on my elbow, and my arm got ice cold around my elbow.

All and all, it was an interesting trip, and I am looking forward to next March, when husband and I are going back for another investigation with OPPS. This event is a charity hunt to raise money to restore the graveyard. It will be a fun advenure.

Better Late Than Never, October Sock Yarn Club.

Sorry about the lateness of this post, I have ben up to my elbows in other projects and getting ready for a two day road trip across Puget Sound. I will elaborate on that trip later though, right now I have some bragging to do.

Because my litttle model was a bit cranky this time around, I was unable to get him to do his obligatory pose with the yarn and swag this time, so I snapped this picture of my spoils.

I was suprised by this shipment not because of how unfall the colors were, but by how much I LOVED them both. I think the red skein has been spoken for with the awesome sock pattern, but the green is still up for porject yumminess. I may make a shawl, but I am leaning toward another pair of socks. One can never have enough socks you know.

Anyhow, stay tuned in for m y next adventure to historic Port Gamble for a special Halloween road trip and activity. I am leaving here on October 29 and spending the night over there and returning late on October 30. The plan is to post the first blog on the evening of the 29th and on the 31st (Trick or Treating permitting).

A Descent into Madness Part 5: Completion.

I finished the Lyra cloth tonight, and I am happy to say that it turned out great, after blocking it on a new set of lace blocking wires that I recently bought at Cultured Purls on my way home from work yesterday.

Now onto the next adventure.