I’ve been eyeing this meme that was started by Carolyn for the last few days and Mari has tagged me. Yay!What is your all-time favorite yarn to knit with?
I will admit that I have not tried many types of yarn- due to budget constraints. As for the yarns that I’ve tried so far, it would have to be Baruffa Maratona - the extrafine merino that I keep raving about. It’s soft, produces wonderful stitch definition, and definitely not itchy on the skin. In terms of practicality, I also like Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece- for the yardage and wearability.

Your favorite needles?
Addi Turbo. No doubt. I love how the yarn glides over it and it’s lightweight make. I would prefer if it were sharper, that’s why my only Addi’s are in sz 0 and 1 for socks. Denise Interchangeables are good too - for their large range of sizes and sharp point.The worst thing you’ve ever knit?
Ruffles scarf from Scarf Style. That was the first thing I ever knit and I didn’t know how the wrong type of yarn can affect the finished product. It’s so bad that I don’t even have a picture of it. I used an aran weight cotton yarn and that thing weighed a ton. The funny thing is, I was so excited that it was my first knit that I gave it to a friend. Although she’s accepted it graciously, she has never worn it - and I don’t blame her. Heck, now that I think about it, I’m pretty embarrassed that I imposed that gift to her. Sorry, friend!

Your most favorite knit pattern? (maybe you don’t like wearing it?but it was the most fun to knit)
In terms of fun, I would have to say Flower Basket Shawl. The lumpiness of lace was magically transformed into a beautiful knit upon blocking and it surprised me to see how a few ssk’s and yo’s and k2tog’s can make such a beautiful thing. I do wear it alot too, as a scarf.Most valuable knitting technique?
Magic Loop. Hands down. I am geared towards efficiency. If I can do it with a pair of needles, there’s no point using 4 or even 5 to do the job. That said, this is purely my opinion, and I do own a set of casein DPN’s that’s gathering dust.

Best knit book or magazine?
Monste Stanley’s Knitter’s Handbook. The discussion of the cast-ons and cast-off are truly valuable. Other than that, I also like to leaf through Interweave Knits for their articles. Reference-wise, I go to Knittinghelp.com very often when I need to refresh my memory on techniques.Your favorite knit-a-long?
Lucky KAL - because it’s my first and included a steep learning curve. This was my first introduction to the world of wonderful and kind knitters and it will always hold a special place in my heart.

Your favorite knitblogs?
It’s difficult to pin-point a specific one since each knit blog has its unique contribution - be it writing style or presentation. That said, I do stalk Diana, Lolly and Adele. There’s tons of others, but I’d have to dedicate a whole page to them if I were to discuss them in detail. Your favorite knitwear designer?
I like Teva Durham’s designs not only because I can see myself wearing them, but because some of her designs are very out there. Speaking of which, I do love me them Delphine Wilson designs too. Too bad she doesn’t publish her work for us to worship.The knit item you wear the most? (how about a picture of it!)
Ha ha, this is easy. R.A.S.P.Y. I’ve worn it 3 days out of the week now. It’s a record! It’s boatneck-ish, uber long sleeves, and just the right length for me. I mean, it’s shown up TWICE on my blog consecutively. But all the time I was knitting it, I kept thinking to myself: It’s a raglan sweater. I have to be able to make this top down. So that’s what I’m going to do. I’m gonna make another sweater using raspy as a guideline and knit it top-down. What? You want a another picture? Okay..

Tag Time!
Hee hee. Lolly, Kris and Steph. Lolly because she has a giganormous stash and I am curious as to what she has to say, Kris because I just received a wonderful package from her from our Duplicates for Duplicates swap, and Steph because I love all her knits!

I don’t know about you gals, but me, I’ll be the first to admit - my hair and I don’t get along. Some days it’s sleek and straight, other days, it’s this. Can you see the weird ass curls that seem to have a million directions? Yea, there’s no taming that. See I fall asleep in my damp hair many a nights, so the top is flat while the bottom flares like wildfire. Quick, must find a way to cover up the bad hair day. Amelia Earhart to the rescue - again. This time, in size 8’s and one ball of KFI Cashmerino in teal (55% Merino, 33% Microfiber, 12% Cashmere). This is the third time I made this hat, and I finally get to keep it. And yes, that’s Raspy I’m wearing. Loving it too.
Around 9-ish tonite.. I decided that I’m in the mood for some soup. I wore my new hat, totally working it as I walked to the restaurant for take-out, and totally working it as I drove home - window down, of course. Gotta feel the wind in my hair. Two seconds later, I discovered that I had totally locked myself out of my apartment. Oh shit. The landlord does not live in my apt complex, and I’m too cheap to call a locksmith (The last time I did that it cost me 100+ buckaroos - think of all the yarn I could have bought with that money… yes I think of money in terms of balls of yarn). AHHH… what did I do? Hm, let’s see. First, I uninstalled the mesh screen from my window (had to fight through the thorns of the evil rose bush standing right infront of it), propped the window open, and crawled through a foot long crack. Then I found my keys, went out again to re-install the mesh screen, and came back inside, relieved. Whew, that stealth operation was worth at least two bags of Rowan yarns…..
Mari tagged me for a meme. But that will have to be another post. Stay tuned….

Raspy is done done done. And here she is, left view, front view and side view (I had to hold a mug cuz I didn’t know what to do with my hands). Note to self: Wear a black bra next time if I’m going to be using the flash on my camera.Pattern: Raspy, Rowan Denim People (sz Small)
Materials: Den-m-Nit Dark Indigo (13 balls - Diana was right, I did have enough to seam). Sz 4/5 needles for body, 5 for sleeves
Notes: No pattern changes except to lengthen sleeves so they’re 21″ before raglan shaping (25.2″ before shrinkage). I had to throw this in my dryer 3 freakin’ times to get it to shrink to the desired size. That was a bitch in itself. This is where I explain why I call it the “cheater’s version“. You see, after the waist decreases, the pattern asks you to start increasing for the bust - which I apparently don’t have. After seaming the sucker, I ended up with a very roomy bust. What’a a girl to do? I don’t have the heart to rip and knit again (esp. since I already shrunk it), so here’s where I cheated. I BACKSTITCHED. That’s right, y’all. I have no shame - and no craftsmanship for that matter. And here’s proof. It’s impossible to photograph dark indigo, therefore you get the overexposed shots above. But I did manage to get one where I processed like mad in photoshop to show you the details up front. It’s a little dark, but you get the drift.
I’d like to thank Diana, Jade and Michelle for offering their leftover denim yarn when I panicked previously that I was going to have no yarn to seam. Even though I did not need that extra few yards in the end, their assurance to send me that extra ball helped me finish this sweater. It’s no where near perfect - in fact, truly flawed, but I will wear it with grace. Fact is, if I hadn’t mentioned it, no one would ever know right? Say yes.

My SYNO package is here! Heidi did such a wonderful job with it. Her expert finishing touches are so perfect that even after staring at it for a long time, I still couldn’t figure out how she managed to hide all the yarn ends. I’ve never seen such mad skills! Without further ado, here’s her FO on me - as a shrug, as a long scarf, AND as a keyhole scarf.
Heidi also included a pack of Halloween candies and a bar of lavender oatmeal soap in her package. She didn’t have to, but I’m so thankful she did. Thank you so much, Heidi. I love them all!A big thank-you also goes out to Jac and Kris for organizing this wonderful swap. This was a first for me and I had a wonderful experience. Yay!

For starters, if you don’t know this already, Diana finished her Raspy. I have one word for it - perfection. That gave me the motivation to pick it up and start knitting again. When I ordered yarn for this sweater initially, I just looked at the yarn requirements for a size small sweater and it said 12 balls. So I bought 13 - you know, just in case. The yarn arrived and I took a closer look at the finished schematic size and noticed that the finished sleeve length before the raglan decreases was 17.5″. 17.5″? Oh SHIT — that’s like, 3/4 length for my long ass arms!!! So I hurried through the back piece to check how many balls it would require, and plowed through the first sleeve (lengthened, of course) like a mad woman. I recalculated and figured out that 13 balls of yarn would cover the knitting - SANS seaming. What??? Then I checked Elann, and for 1 ball of Den-m-Nit in Dark Indigo, plus shipping, totals approx 10 bucks. 10 bucks for a freaking ball of yarn to seam - when all I need is a few yards? I think my heart just sank.

So here’s the plea - does anyone have left-over Den-m-nit in Dark Indigo from their previous projects that they would be able to part with? I just need a few yards. Just a few measly yards. Please?

I’m going to be MIA for a while. Conference coming up in two weeks and I am running around like a headless chicken. Stress and I are like best chums right about now. And that last few yards to seam Raspy makes me want to punch myself in the face. Coulda, woulda, shoulda.

With that, I leave you with a plea and a partially finished pair of socks. Try not to look so hard at my tan line.

Edit: And thank you all so so much for the comments on Lace Leaf Pullover. Trust me, the kitchenering is not perfect. My camera just decided to compliment me once for a change. I would write individual emails to thank you all personally, but Blogger is being a bitch and displays 90% of commenters’ emails as “anonymous“. I will not be pegged a thankless bitch for Blogger’s f**k-ups… just so you know.