Yarn! Why must you taunt me???

I love yarn.

Sometimes, I don't even want to knit it - I just want to admire it.
I got the word from my knitting group, it seems it's imperative that I knit the matches to my sock to form a "pair" - so, I have the daunting task of knitting pairs for socks I am tired of looking at. ::Sigh::

In other, completely unrelated news:
I was driving behind a truck today that had pictures of Polish food items, one of them was what appeared to be a bottle of soda with a picture of a loaf of bread on the label.
Really? Bread flavored soda?
I have been googling and trying to find a picture of this bread pop to share with you. So far, I've had no luck. I will keep looking.

UPDATE: It is not Bread Pop, its Kvas! Thank you to my darling boyfriend, Kosta, for clearing up this mystery for me.

A word about podcasts...

I LOVE PODCASTS! Especially knitting podcasts...and especially Lime & Violet and Brenda Dayne's Cast On. I love the banter between Violet and Carin, I love that they are silly and that they laugh alot. I love their yarn recommendations and hearing about what they are knitting. Shit, I even like when they talk about Carin needing to be hooked up.
I've only recently started listening to Brenda, but I love her, too. I love her matter-of-fact way of speaking and that she shares her phenomenal essays.

However, I HATE negative feedback that lacks tact that is left on iTunes.
These people take THEIR VALUABLE TIME to bring the world their podcasts.
Listeners complain when sound quality and editing is sub-par, but when the casters upgrade their equipment for the sheer purpose of PLEASING their listeners, and ask for a contribution - people freak out.
I am well aware of the old saying "You can't please everyone" which is why I find it rude to leave comments that make the podcaster feel bad. Snarky remarks about content, flow & music choice is counter productive and threatening to unsubscribe is juvenile. If you don't like it, just stop listening. The internet doesn't need to know why you chose to unsubscribe, and they don't even ask when you do. What some deem as terrible, others love and vice versa.
How would you negative commenters feel if someone walked up to you and said "I don't like you because you aren't pandering to my likes and dislikes."? Don't you think that is rude and unnecessary?

Alright, I said my piece.

Calling All Knitters!

Howdy!

I think I have finally resolved the issue of my patterned dish cloths being bunchy and crappy looking...sooooo...if there are any knitters out there interested in doing a test knit with me - let me know! I have done a pattern for a cloth with the Kanji symbol for family and am anxious to see it knit up.
I have decided to take a short break from sock knitting to wrap up my dish cloth frenzy that started in the winter, since a new light has been shed on it and I have a metric butt load of cotton yarn that really has no other purpose. I have almost completed a martini glass pattern in some lime cotton...I did find some other alco-beverage themed patterns, I think I may knit a series!

I uploaded some pics to Flickr...you can click on it to the right.

Jenn

Create Your Own Fiber Fest!

Are you absent minded? Do you not see the writing on the wall? Well, then this is the fest for you!

This morning, I drove to McHenry County College grounds, eagerly anticipating the days adventures while I fondled yarn at the 2nd Annual Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Festival.
I drove around and around...there sure weren't very many cars there...there were no tents.
The sign clearly stated all are welcome to this festival.
I drove around some more. There was no sign of fiber. None at all.
It finally dawned on me: The sign was clearly stated, Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Festival JULY 18, 19 & 20.
Do you know what today's date is? If you said July 12 - you're right!
I'M DUMB!

So, I decided to have my own fiber festival.
I headed over to Prairie Arts & Fiber in Grayslake and self medicated my dumbness.

I made purchases! I got 2 sets of Addi turbo lace circulars (size 3) and the Cat Bordhi "Socks Soar On 2 Circular Needles" which I had also grossly misunderstood - I thought it was a way to make 2 socks at one time...again, I'm dumb...and terribly uncoordinated.
I got some nice Crystal Palace bamboo DPNs - in sock appropriate sizes 0, 1 & 1.5. I am a little worried that I will break them with my ginormous Incredible Hulk hands...hopefully they will hold up.
I got some point protectors to keep my needles from poking thru my purse or thru my flesh.
And what trip to the LYS would be complete without YARN???
I picked up 2 balls (did I just type that?? 'I picked up 2 balls'...lol) of Tofutsies (They have chitin in them! - go google it, I'll wait...) in a variegated blue (and a black/red/pink/white variegate.
I got one ball of Sockina Cotton in a pink/cream/taupe/salmon blend 80175 (why don't these yarns have names for their colorways??)

::sigh:: well, I am off to go start some "Monkeys"...wish me luck!

C F S

I am suffering from a knitters affliction: CAN'T FINISH SHIT! I wish I could knit faster! I want a pile of FO's around me, I want to flood my flickr with my fibrous accomplishments...alas...I believe I am a knit perfectionist, and have frogged the same sock several times and have grown weary of this colorway...le sigh...

I visited my stash the other night, and wished for the ability to make very beautiful, delicate knit things that are far beyond my skill level...le sigh, again.

On the upside, this weekend is the 2nd Annual Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Festival in Crystal Lake, IL...YAY!!! I have made a list of things I am interested in purchasing: a set of DPNS in small sizes for sock knitting and some sort of contraption to keep my DPNs from poking through my purse when I travel with my WIPs (which is always) there has to be something to prevent that, right? Or will I be reduced to using corks on the end of the DPNs? I would also like to purchase some sock blockers, and any indie dyed yarn that strikes my fancy.

*Also, it has been my observation that there are a lot of Jenny's in this world
that are diminuitive Asian women that are very crafty. I dropped the "y" back in high school, maybe that is where are the creativity is housed, in the forgotten "y"?

Well, this post is kind of a downer... my uretha is currently screaming in agony as I have a UTI, I apologize if it's disturbing you.

Meh,
Jenn

HI! I missed you!

WoW! I have not blogged in months! MONTHS! I have been contentedly knitting socks for the last month or so and successfully finished my first pair!

Yes, they are tiny baby socks.

(is it odd that I inadvertantly photographed my own feet?)

In retrospect, I should have started making socks in that size. They are very "instant gratification" and by the time you are bored of knitting in that yarn, they are done.

I have a new yarn obsession: Cascade Fixation.

It's my favorite fiber, cotton. It has lycra in it, too (or some sort of equivalent stretchy material)

They are low maintenance (y0u won't be schlepping these babies to the dry cleaner, or hand washing in the bathroom sink and hang drying!)

I just honestly love the shit out of that yarn.

On an unrelated topic: It's SUMMER!!!

This is my dad, launching my nephew across the pool. Much fun was had by all : P

I cover myself liberally with SPF 4, which clearly is not the SPF I require.

I don't know why I am smiling in this picture, I won't be truly happy until I brown over in a day or so. On the upside, it makes me look "outdoorsy" which I am not. I did stay outside all day, playing in the pool and enjoying some frosty brews while playing a highly competitive game of bags with my parents...wow...party. HA!

Oh my! Bad blogger...no cookie!

Well, here we are getting ready to wrap up April. Let me tell you it's been a busy month!
My birthday was on 4/5 and I celebrated by buying myself some gorgeous Claudia Handpainted yarn (in the Oops! colorway) from Prairie Arts & Fibers and successfully knit my first sock(yes, just one...so far!) I joined the Lake County Ktog and went to my first sit n' knit at Panera Bread in Gurnee. I popped into The Hawley Street Shoppe in Mundelein and made a purchase of some Cascade Fixation in a tiger like colorway (someday, it will be socks for Lauri!) I started them, but was not happy with how the first few rows came out, so I frogged out 3 inches of cuff and 2 inches of a heel flap last night (aargh!)
I knit in public alot this month, especially at work. I knit on the Metra to Chicago last Sunday on my way to the Cubs game with my friend, Gina.
It was a beautiful day to celebrate Gina's birthday at Wrigley Field. The sun was shining, the beers were cold & the Cubbies won!
I have a lot of pictures to upload, but I just wanted to get some words up here before I forgot for even longer!

Happy Socking!
Jenn