Button-venture

Dearest Yarnery,

Let me just say that you know I love you. You carry the yarns of the interwebs are raving about, which I appreciate.

But $3.15 PER button in your orphaned buttons cup is frickin' crazy. They were basic plastic buttons.

Cordially,
Amber.

PS Perhaps attempting to charge me this was in error.

Edit: Don't drink and post.

More local knitting fun

Got this in an email from the MN RollerGirls:

Join the Minnesota RollerGirls as we embark on a series of Knit for Charity events. We'll be knitting and crocheting chemo caps for cancer patients. All completed caps will be donated to local hospitals and the local branch of the American Cancer Society. The opportunity to knit/crochet with league-supplied yarn is for those who have some prior knitting/crocheting knowledge. Crafty Planet is generously providing their classroom space and we'd love for our crafty fans to join us in this good cause.

October 6th and November 3rd
2-5pm
Crafty Planet

More info on the RollerGirls site here.

First item of itemness: My friend Jaimi has a full set of Denise circulars she'd like to sell. They're plastic, and she has two extra long cords too, 47 and 60. She is asking $30 for the lot. If you're interested, holla.

Second item of itemness: I finished the back of London Calling last night. It IS longer than the front. By a lot. Overall I am worried that the sweater is too big for me. And I feel really disenchanted with the whole project. It MIGHT be time to stop and just start over with the other version. So, that's where that's at.

OCD

Due to the startling revelation that I am the only one who immediately loses ball bands after bringing yarn home, I am on a quest to find out who made that sock yarn.

It involves going through 27 pages of yarn on ravelry that is approximately the same weight. Also, let's hope that my assessment that it's cotton is correct. I need to know what this yarn is now. The yarn shop I purchased it at is in Milwaukee. I refuse to call. That's admitting defeat.


EDIT (FOUND IT!):Plymouth Sockotta Sock Yarn Fair Isle Effect

Ball Bands Be Damned! (I'm not even sure what that means. Whatever, I mock you ball bands)

Tonight

Same bat-time, same bat-channel?

finishing class

hey dudes, i'm still going to post here even though i never make it to knitting anymore.

i went to bella lana yesterday and i'm madly in love with it. they offer a bunch of classes, but i'm really interested in the finishing class. she was telling me that she'll teach us a crochet technique; she never binds off or sews anymore. since i hate finishing most, i'm pretty interested in that.

it's offered two dates: wednesday, 10/10 or 11/7, 6-8pm. it's $15 and limited to 6 people. the shop is up northeast behind whitey's. it would be suitable to go there for a drink afterward, i believe. anybody interested?

other classes on their list:
new knitters, $25 for 3 sessions
knitting your first sweater, $45 for 6 sessions
beginning crochet, $45 for 5 sessions
knitting in the round, $25 for 2 sessions
xmas stocking, $45 for 5 sessions
knitting clinics, $10 per session

Optimal Route

Maps

Who wants to take Friday, October 12th off to do the yarn shop hop? If not the entire day, what about the afternoon? The flyer says that it goes until 6 PM on Friday, but a lot of the shops say they close at 5 PM. We could do lunch or dinner. I kind of want to call this the Fall 2007 Day of Awesome.

I'm excited to see what the shops have for fall. This will require careful planning, though. I must not buy any yarn until the yarn crawl. No purchase is necessary to win the fabulous prizes. Funny! Because I so often walk out of yarn shops without a little something to take the edge off.

edit: Must invite Will.

London Calling

London Calling
Originally uploaded by jen.fotos

the front is done. my friend karen likes to say "PICS OR IT DIDNT HAPPEN" so here is a pic.

there are ONLY eighty ends to weave in, approx.

Yarn Shop Hop

I could hear Amber squee from a cube farm away when I emailed her about this, so I'd better post it here.

The Second Annual Yarn Shop Hop appears to be a yarn crawl/scavenger hunt were you visit 7 different LYSs around the Twin Cities and enter to win prizes and such. It's happening October 12-14 this year and will take us to exotic locations such as Burnsville and Excelsior. It looks like a good time, and I volunteer to drive. Who else is in?

There's more info in this PDF.

p.s. I think it's fair to say that the yarn diet is suspended whilst participating in this event

Certifiable and linkolicious.

I was informed last night that I am DOING IT WRONG. Wrong, basically, in that there is a right and wrong way to position the Union Jack. So I have spent the morning hurting my brain a lot in Illustrator, with a lot of little square boxes and lines and stuff, but I've managed to do some serious correction to the flag pattern and I think it is much more awesome. Especially when done in my preferred reverse colors. Click.

And yarn! This is the yarn I was thinking of. It is fingering weight, which is very very very thin. But also probably closer to the original weight of the recommended yarn. This yarn is also machine washable, mostly natural, and cheap. Total cost: $32.90 for the whole sweater. DO WANT! So, yes Jumi, I will be jumping in on a knitpicks order with you. Just tell me when!

Status Update

I frogged Hanami last night.

tonight = on

Who's in?

Also, is it really learn to crochet night? I brought a hook and some very very bright acrylic yarn.

I may be finishing the hat made of the purple/pink/grey alpaca. I realize I just bought the yarn last FightKnitting and I have a load of projects I said I would finish before then. In my defense, there was a cold snap and a nice fall hat seem justified.

Hockey Tickets

The UMN men's hockey tickets go on sale this weekend. I'm a student, dudes. I know some of the fight knitters dig hockey. I'm planning on going to the Michigan Tech game. I may want to see the Wisconsin game (I hear it's hard to get tickets for that one).

Maybe this is just directed towards Cindi?

Yarn Diet!

Yesterday evening Amber let me buy two skeins of white, laceweight alpaca. Her Protector Against Bad Decisions badge is currently up for review.

Now that I've bought the yarn (which will be made into Hanami, and then dyed a colour that I don't have to be so paranoid about), and I have a $120 order of yarn and needles from Knitpicks languishing at the Fedex sortation center in Brooklyn Park (put it on a damn truck already, GAWD), and I have not one but two mismatching skeins of Malabrigo in my stash, I think it's about time to go on a yarn diet. In the interest of accountability I'm announcing it, and the terms now:

Whereas, I, Jumi, do acknowledge that I have enough yarn to keep me knitting for a good long time. And Whereas much of my stash is already allocated (in my head) to future projects, and I have enough future projects to keep me busy for a good long time. And Whereas buying more yarn to start new projects just distracts me and keeps me from getting anything done. The following terms are proposed:

1. For at least the remainder of 2007, no more yarn is to be purchased.
2. I am allowed to go to yarn stores and surf online, however I may only look at magazines, books, needles and notions.
3. Because I am human, there are a few exceptions:
• a. Yarn for approved gift projects that I don't already have a reasonable substitute for is allowed. Right now, the approved gift projects are: Pirate Argyle Slippers for Nerd 2, and mittens for my Raverly Mitten Exchange partner. New gift projects must be approved by a commitee of at least two (2) fightknitters, not including myself.
• b. If I finish all of my projects in a given category, I may purchase yarn for another project in the same category (for example, when I finish the Tattoo Sweater, I may purchase yarn for another sweater).
• c. If one of my current "crack" yarns is found on sale for 50% off or more, I may stock up. Crack yarns include (but are not limited to): Malabrigo Merino Worsted, Noro Kureyon or Silk Garden, anything made by SWTC.
• d. As this diet is only for purchasing yarn, I am allowed to swap yarn in my stash for yarn in someone else's.
  
4. On January 1st, 2008, I will evaluate my stash and my Finished Objects in Ravelry to determine if the diet can cease or should continue until the occasion of my 30th birthday.

So, do you think I can do it? I'm counting on you guys to keep me honest!

YarnSwift

YarnSwift
Originally uploaded by ellaislost

Sorry, dudes. I meant to post this picture a lot sooner. This is the yarn swift my dad made me for my birthday. He varnished everything but the pegs (he thought the pegs would need a bit more friction, which I agreed with). I can adjust the tension by the nut on the top. He added little rubber stoppers to the bottoms of the feet so the swift would stay put. I feel like this picture doesn't really do it justice. I was so excited about it that I tried explaining just how cool this was to a non-knitter friend.

That green malibrigo on the swift is going to be the death of me. That epic strawberry-esque blanket is almost done. I'm just adding the green. This shouldn't be taken as long as it is, but the project is losing momentum. And there are newer, sexier yarns in my apartment.

Yarnventure!

Amber needs more something or other from Borealis Yarn so let's go and fondle their pretties again tomorrow.

Leave Arden Hills at 5:30ish?

It's on...

Who is joining me tonight?


Ravelry update: 4433 people are ahead of you in line. Srsly.