By, Bye Blogger!!

I've moved and gone through a change!! Visit me at Purls and Pugs!!
http://www.aaswanson.com

Unproductive

That is the only way I can describe Monday. Not only did I have so many meetings at work, the 'real' work didn't get done, but by the time I got home I had a migraine. I wanted to grill some fish or turkey breast on the grill last night, but I couldn't get the gas to turn on. So we ended up eating out.

Jeremy had picked up a wireless access point for the Tivo so that we could have Yoda slide shows in 52" and listen to our mp3s through the receiver and massive speakers in our living room. He spent all night on that. When I came down to eat breakfast this morning, I noticed the access point was packaged back up into its box. Apparently, the sales guy gave him an incompatible access point (after clearly stating the purpose of the purchase).

I knit like one row on the Tennis Sweater. Then I tinked it. I got to the last 4 stitches and ran out of yarn. Back I went.

So, as you can see we were very unproductive yesterday. Maybe Tuesday will be better...

Life of a dog

Boy Yoda sure has it bad. My husband once said that he wants to come back as a dog in my family. All the dogs we have every had have been spoiled. Sometimes I wonder if they were more spoiled than my sister and I. So the legacy continues with Yoda.

Saturday she was lounging around using Jeremy as her lounge chair.




Hey, Cabana Boy, bring me a drink!




I think I'll nap right here.




Ohhhh, my face is loving this massage.



In between waiting on Yoda hand and foot, there was some knitting. I managed to get the first sleeve done and on the same needle of the hourglass sweater. The way the weather has been acting, I might be able to wear her before the fall.




Hourglass with sleeve

My new love is the Tennis Sweater. This yarn really makes me happy. It is so soft. It is inexpensive. It is bright and pretty. I can't wait for more Knit Picks yarns....Bring it on, Baby!




Mmmmmm. Soft

Oh, dear!

Well, I've gone and done it! I hit the Jo-Anns in Bolingbrook last night to stock up on some Cotton-Ease. My parents had given me $50 for Easter that I had yet to spend, so I went for the yarn. I still have $.25 left...







Cotton-Ease: Black and Bubblegum


For those of you living in the area, Bolingbrook Jo-Ann's had a tonf of colors and skeins. If you are looking to stock up, I suggest heading out there.

When I did arrive home, I was greated with this:





Knit Picks Green Apple and Blush Shine and Euclean


Since green is the 'new pink', I decided that I shouldn't descriminate--I'll do a pink and green sweater.

So what did I promptly do?

I swatched for the Vogue Tennis Sweater...





unblocked swatch in Green Apple


The guage is pretty much dead-on. And I must say, I really like this stuff. It is very soft knitted up as well as in the ball. The stitch definition is amazing. Those cables really pop. So, I guess I would suggest this yarn to whoever was maybe on the fence.


I also really like the pattern thus far. Maybe I'll make a few of these in some different colors and fibers. It looks pretty versitle--no shirt underneath, collared shirt underneath, camisole underneath...


So, Jeremy got home from class last night and I was knitting the ribbing of the Vogue. I said, "Did you notice that I got my yarn?" He said, "It all looks the same to me. I wouldn't know if you had that stuff for months." Good to know...Muwahahahaha!

Need a paper?

There are some MIT students that wrote a program that generates fake papers using a Madlibs format...need a paper? I know where you can get one.

Guess I should mention one of their papers was accepted to be presented at a conference!!!

Read Article

Gone forever?

Disturbing it is.* Lion Brand's Cotton-Ease has been discontinued. While I have not used it yet, I have played with it and have plans to make this. From the blogs I have read and the people I have spoken to, this is probably Lion's most popular of the non-novelty yarns. Perhaps Lion Brand wants all their yarns to have fur in it. Or maybe it is part of a bigger picture and they are going to be releasing some really nice wool and cotton yarns that will rival Knit Picks and Elann. One can only hope.

So excuse me while I plan my route home to include a couple local Jo-Ann Fabrics stores and maybe a Michael's or two...I can't forget Hobby Lobby, either. This is going to take some logistics....**


*Yes, I have begun speaking like Yoda.
**This does not go against the YNBA. This is an emergency!

Half way to the weekend...

Thanks to everyone for the nice sweater comments. I really do recommend the book. Even if you hate knitting in the round, there are some good techniques in there that can be used on flat knitting as well.

Oh, yeah, Yoda must have you all fooled too because she is not so cute when she is whining for more dog food--even after already eating 2 cups!! We call her piggy instead of puggy...

Not much knitting was happening here, but sewing was on the agenda last night. I laid the fabric out on the floor to iron it and look who took over:


Comfy

I managed to get the fabric all ironed and even cut out. But not much more after that. Yoda gets all weird when no one is paying attention to her.

It may not look like much to you...

...but this sweater is my first in the round, custom made for me! Remember The Thing? Well, this is my first resulting sweater from it. Obviously, I didn't over due it and went simple. But now I feel comfortable being able to make just about anything I want with the skills I learned from that book. I recommend to anyone wanting to begin designing sweaters. I know, I know, it's not definative, but it's a beginning. So, without further ado, I introduce My Sweater:




Excuse the hair and pj pants...

Pattern: Mine--Based off of skills learned in The Sweater Workshop by Jacqueline Fee
Yarn: Patons Merino Wool in Russett
Needles: Denise Circulars size 7
Notes: Yes, this is the Mariah yarn I purchased. I have quite a bit left over, so I think I'll try matching felted clogs.



I still need to wash and block it, but I am happy with it. It is one of those comfy hang out sweaters. I like the Patons, too. All in all, I think this sweater only cost me about $20. Not bad at all!

The other day Yoda and I went outside to enjoy the nice weather. Now, recall that I don't have a fence, so I have to take her out on her leash. I tried to get some action shots, but the leash is a real hinderance. I'll have to get Jeremy to hold her sometime while I snap away. Until then here are a few snaps from our little photo shoot.





Don't mess with the cutest




Puggy Profile




What's over there?




Can I go potty now--without the camera?



Hey! Get out of my yard!!!

FO...sort of

Alright, so I do have a finished project, but I don't want to reveal it until I have a picture of me in it. That way I am keeping you all off my back!!

Ask and you shall receive

So I wanted some cotton Knit Picks Yarn and my request was granted. I received an email on Saturday from Knit Picks that two fo their cotton yarns are now available. I did not hesitate! I purchased some of this main color and this accent color for the Debbie Bliss Vogue Tennis Sweater. I am getting close to completing the Hourglass Sweater, so I am ready to begin something new.

What a day!

Yesterday was a loooong day. It was class day. It was also test day. Not to mention is was have tons of stuff to do at work day. I feel beat today, but the bright side is that there are only really 2 days until the weekend. My plan is no yarn work.

Since I have been so busy studying and taking horribly painful tests, there has been little knitting the last few days. So, I don't have any pictures or updates. The one knitting thing I did do was look at the Stitches Midwest booklet I received yesterday. Anyone else going? I was thinking of taking a class or two. Is anyone going that would be interested in learning fair isle with steeks? (That whole cutting thing scares the crap out of me!) I have always said that I should take a finishing class, too. Let me know if your interested... Maybe all the area knitters/bloggers can get together like those Westcoasters did.

Spring has Sprung

Wow! What a beautiful weekend! The only thing I don't like about the weather turning nice is the yard work. I grew up doing yard work almost every weekend. My parents live on this huge lot with tons of trees, so there was always something to do. I vowed I would have very little 'yard' when I finally bought a house. Jeremy wanted a large yard--so I told him the work is his.

I did help though. We put down almost 100 bags of mulch around the house. That's just around the house. We still have 4 islands and 3 trees to do. My Freelander smells like a cedar closet!

There was some knitting this weekend too:





Hourglass Body

I have to begin the sleeves and then start knitting them on to the sweater. I liked the 390 yards of yarn all in one ball--I didn't have to worry about changing yarns and having loose ends!!

Granted, I will have to put this one away as soon as it is done....I have been thinking about the next project. (Well, of course you knew that--you do it too!). After seeing Kate and Wendy making the Debbie Bliss Tennis Sweater from the new Vogue, I want to make it too. I really liked it in the magazine, but seeing the in-progress sweaters is really tempting me!! I'm not sure how much of an investment I want to make in the cotton cashmere yarn since it is pretty much a 3-4 month sweater. (meaning since it is mostly cotton, I'll only get about 3-4 months of Spring/Summer wear out of it) But if I knit it in wool like I am thinking, I won't be able to wear it until the fall. Maybe Knit Picks will come out with their summer yarns already so I can go 'cheap'!!!

Did I die?

No. But I wish I had. I am now the lucky recipient of the latest sickness. I have been off work for two days and probably shouldn't have gone back. But I didn't want to look like a slacker--they all have to see me sick to believe I really was, right?

I did minimal knitting while out--most of the time Yoda and I snuggled on the couch and slept. She is a funny sleeper!! And loud. Did I ever mention she snores-loudly? Yup, little dog, big farts, big snores.

So, I think I am actually getting over this sick, and now Jeremy is coming down with it. I guess I should be expecting it to get passed to me again in a week or so.

Stya healthy everyone and have a good weekend!

Boo hoo!

Well, I stayed up and watched the men's NCAA championship game. I don't really feel bad--you can tell when a team wants to win. And that's all I have to say about that.

I knew I was being ambitious when I said my surprise sweater would be done during the game. I got so bored, I switched to the Hourglass Sweater. Not much better...bunches of stockinette. Easy though. Hopefully done soon and on to the next...Hmmmm, what should that be? Suggestions welcome!

My brain hurts today. I think that when my eyes are so tired they burn my brain shuts off, so don't expect too much from me.

Enjoy the nice weather today!! (70s in Chi-town!! Woohoo!)

What difference an hour makes...

For those of you who never have had to change time due to Daylight Savings Time, you'll never know the pain one hour can cause. This is the time of year we jump ahead an hour (read: lose one hour). I don't want to sound whiny, but I could have used that hour for sleep. It's hard to fall asleep an hour earlier if your body hasn't adjusted, yet. I know a lot of people who are off for at least a week regardless of whether we gain or loose that one little hour. Woe is me, right?

Regardless of the time change, Jeremy and I were work horses this weekend:

• We finally got our ceiling fan and the dimmer switch installed. It goes a lot faster if the fan isn't dead out of the box.



• We put down 17 bags of mulch in the front yard. While 17 bags sounds like a lot, I'll tell you we probably have another 100 or so to go before we get everything done. But it looks good, so I don't mind. We went with Red Cypress--it adds a lot of color. It's amazing the difference!!



• I steam cleaned the carpets--well, half of them. The mulch got in my way, so tonight is the second half before the ILL-INI game.
  
  
• We also managed to get a table at a local Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the Illini beat Louisville. There was one Louisville fan in the restaurant. Not a good idea to taunt the rest of the restaurant, Dude.



• My secret sweater is coming together and will probably get done tonight during the game. I know that might be too much to ask, but I can try.

For those of you who can give a crap about the NCAA Tourney, American Chopper is airing the first part of the Caterpillar Chopper. Discovery Channel chose a very bad date to air that, but we are still excited here at the Big Yellow Machine Company.


Since this is a knitting blog and all, I should mention that I cast on for the Hourglass Sweater. Here is what 390 yards of Wool looks like all balled up:

Holy crap! Look at all that purple yarn!

I didn't think it was going to fit on the ball winder anymore!! But I managed somehow. Yoda likes to watch the Swift go round and round.


Here is a close-up of the swatch. I actually washed this too. I know. I amaze myself, too.

All clean and washed!
Is it bad that I am already thinking about my next project? I barely have the stiches on the needle and I already want to move on....Guess that's how it goes.

Are they all bored?

Everyone at my company is having a baby. Or two. This one guy who works in Peoria just had #2 and his wife is already pregnant with #3. I told him I would buy him a TV if he was boerd. That poor woman!

Anyway, I wanted to make some quick gifts, so Last Minute Knitted Gifts to the rescue. This time I decided to try out the cotton baby hats. When I was at Walmart (gasp!) the other day, I bought some Bernats CottonTots. That stuff is awesome!! I think it's really soft and the yardage will give me quite a few hats from each.
In between exploding pugs, school, and work I was able to churn out a couple of these:





Sunshine and Blueberry

Pattern: Cotton Hats from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Yarn: Bernat CottonTots in Sunshine and Blueberry
Needles: Denise Circulars size 8
Notes: I decided that since a little boy doesn't need a bow, I tied the i-cord in just a regular knot and the hat is cute, but not too girly



I think Yoda wants a hat...