flyinmysoup

lookie lookie, a complete pair of socks for ME!!!

i loved this pattern so much (and had another single skien of the LL's) so i started these puppies: the FLAMING gull wing socks (the colorway is called Flames or something close).  i did a couple of alterations to the previous pattern cause the socks weren't as snug as i would have liked.  and, i'll definetly be using a different heal...i hate the one that i used on the first pair.  ps.  i, a die hard Magic Loop fan, am absolutly loving using shortie DPN's.  i want to try some even shorter ones (these are 6" pony pearls).

i think that i may be quite addicted to the dyeing of the yarn--i'll have to try selling some soon to support the habit, i think (any inforation on that?)  anywho, two more dye jobs.

here they are.  the blue-y one is what i've decided to use for my sock pals socks, instead of the first one i dyed.  this is way more subtle, but i really like how it turned out.  i used a different yarn than i have been dyeing--it's Wildefoote sock yarn, started out in Camel color.  the other was a light mint green Baby Ull.  By the way, everything that i've been dyeing lately, except for the wildefoote, has been Dale Baby Ull, and i've been using Wilton Dyes for the color. 

hardee har har.  the fella has been off in another state for two weeks now, doing some kind of training for the gaurd.  which means i have been all alone for that time.  usually, that would mean some mad, crazy knitting for me, but i jacked up my wrist early on, screwed up not one, not two, but 3 socks (including the flaming gull wings--which are now, once again, merely balls of yarn), and so felt properly discouraged.  i've also been a homework machine.  anyhow, i have a little progress on my Sockapalooza Pal's socks.  so far, i'm really pleased with how this yarn (especially dyed for her) looks in the Pomatomus pattern.  it's not doing any discernable pattern with the colors, which i was trying to avoid.  i myself don't have any hate for the pooling that sometimes happens with hand painted yarns, but i know that some people do.  better safe than have a disappointed sock pal!

i also decided to resurrect a project that had been sent to the "holy lord i can NOT knit on this damnedable thing anymore" pile---the Lily of the Valley Stole.  really, i want to start a shawl knit in the round (cause i paid good money for the third Mystery Shawl, damnit!) and want the needle i'm using on this bad boy.  i am a little bit over half done with it thus far.  and, since you all haven't heard it in a while, did i mention that i really don't like nupps?  in case you forgot.  can you see the mistake i made in the dimondy part?  i know you can and i decided that i don't care--i just want to be done with this thing.  i know that i'm going to love it a shit-ton when it's done, but right now, it's kinda sucking my will.....

ah, what does spring break mean to me? reading books that have absolutely nothing to do with school, that's what! i'm a voracious reader but i don't get to read for pleasure as often as i would like to, so this week i did a bit of catch up in that department. today i finished Empire Falls by Richard Russo. it has been in the cue for a while and i've owned it since january. it turned out to be really good. i also read the cleverly named Knit One, Kill Two and Needled to Death both by Maggie Sefton.  these are very cute books, high on novelty and sorta low on things like plot.  oh, well.  just goes to show what a sucker i am for anything knitting related!
i did get some more dyeing done.  i've come to the conclusion that i either have to attempt to start selling the dyed yarns or lay off it for a while--my stash is getting sorta biggish!  this first one i'm not too sure about.  i like it better now than i did before i re-skeined it.  it's just such an odd combination of masculine colors and then pink....it's not awful, and i'd probably buy it, but it's just kind of underwhelming, i guess.
now this one, this one is a different story entirely...this turned out exactly how i envisioned it!  i wanted something really reptilian.  i did have gift plans for this yarn, well, gift socks, but it's really going to depend on how selfish i'm feeling that day!

i received the Heere Be Dragone Shawl (HBDS hereafter) pattern in the mail on Saturday.  how fast was that???  (crazy fast is the correct answer)  i ordered it on thursday!  that's some stellar service, imho.  and the shawl is just as cool on paper with all the nutso charts.  looking at the charts, i felt something that i haven't felt in my knitting in a loooooong time--a tinge of fear!  the dragon motif is made up of lots of different types of twisted stitches, many that i've never seen before.  and, as of right now, it looks like it's going to be an interesting and slightly challenging knit.  of course, check back as the project moves along, cause you know how that can change over night! 
so, as i mentioned before, i got the HBDS pattern to make for a friend (Ms. HBD).  after going through my lace weight stash (which is not as large as i would like) i found that i had 1760 yds of KnitPicks Bare that had been previously dyed a sort of washed out mix of purples, fuchsias, and periwinkle-y blues.  it lacked a certain "umph", really.  so, i thought "well, Ms. HBD likes (and looks good in) blues, why don't we try an overdye and see if we can get some depth and darkness into this washed out mess.  that way, stash yarn is used and the project costs a measly $12"!  so, i skiened up all 1760 yds, tied it off, mixed up a big ol' pot of blue/purple dye and set the fuckers on the stove to simmer.  i ended up with something that looks sort of like this:  now, i'm utterly in love with how it turned out.  the picture simply doesn't do it justice (this is the best out of, oh 35, so...)  it's soooo rich.  i normally don't like my lace to be variegated at all, but this yarn makes me squeal a little bit.  from far off, it's this deeply purple-y red, and as you move in closer, the separate colors begin to assert themselves and EEEEEE!!!!  i just love it a lot.  however, i've never seen Ms. HBD where anything even remotely similar to the shade, and i became worried.  i inquired of a mutal friend (Ms. Skull Vest) "so, how does Ms. HBD feel about purple?"  "She likes greens a lot.....(really long pause) I don't know about purple."  yeah, that's exactly what i wanted to hear.  so, after deliberation, i've decide that i'm going to place a Knit Picks order and pick up some of the Alpaca Cloud in Moss for the HBDS.  it's green and alpaca, a good combonation as Ms. HBD has recently discovered how warm alpaca is and seems to be smitten with the fiber.  and it's green, which apparently she really likes.  and, at $16 for the yarn and $12 for the pattern, it's still an affordable project. 
i should have known when i found these yesterday morning taking xavier out, that it would all work out with the yarn.  cause now, i get to make myself something out of the re-dyed Bare, which is awesome, cause i was getting sad about giving it away!