Celebrity look-a-like

This was just too fun not to post.

Howdy Stranger

I've been gone for a while. Work has been keeping me busy and my knitting is suffering. I've had to frog a few projects because I had forgotten where I was in the pattern.





Wave good-bye to Pirate Haystack and Bellatrix. The pretty pirate is back in my stash waiting for a new purpose in life. Bellatrix was only ripped back to the cuff and has been reincarnated as Eleanor.

I think this pattern is a much better fit for this yarn. That's Fleece Artist Sea Wool in the Midnight color way.

In addition to Eleanor currently on the needles is Molly. Might I add this is my first attempt at cables?!

Speaking of knitting firsts. I did my first ever toe-up sock!! This is Phineas in Regia bamboo #1062. I've got some major second sock syndrome going on with this one. There's just too many new projects I want to start.

It's been a while huh?

Ok so my blog has been neglected for a while. But guess what!? I got a job!! Hopefully this will help keep me busy (and mentally occupied) while my Sexy Sailor is gone. I'm really enjoying it so far but it leaves me exhausted at the end of the day. Which means, my knitting time has taken a big hit. Despite the decline in knit time I have a few FOs for you. Some have been finished for a while but I just haven't gotten around to posting about them.

First up. The finished Menehune Cobblestones socks for my mom. The yarn is the fabulous
Yarn Pirate in the Rain colorway.

OH! Speaking of Yarn Pirate I signed up for the booty club!! This is my very first club and I am so excited.

These are my Mermaid Matrimony socks. Which I happen to be wearing right now and they are sooooo soft. The pattern is the Gentleman's Matrimony Celebratory socks from Sock Bug. The yarn is Fleece Artist Sea Wool in the Mermaid colorway from The Loopy Ewe. The sock blockers are also from the Loopy Ewe.

Next is a little hat I made for a friend's daughter. I forgot to take a picture after I added the icords but you get the point. The pattern is the top down bonnet from Hello Yarn. The yarn is Mystical Creations (I won't go there right now) in the first kiss colorway.

This doesn't really count as an FO but I thought I'd post a pic anyways.
I'm participating in the LimeNViolet scarf circle over on their message board. Basically everybody get a list of names and addresses of people in the circle. You start off by knitting 6 inches of a scarf for yourself and then send if off to the next person on your list. Each time you receive someone's scarf you add 6 inches. So by the time your scarf makes it through the list you have a finished scarf from all around the world. Aren't knitters wonderful people? :) So anyways here's the scarf I just added to. The picture isn't the best but I think the concept is so cool (does anybody say cool any more?) that I had to post about it.

Finally a couple things from my pottery class. Not my favorite piece but it took so much time that I'm hoping I'll warm up to it. The glaze around the outside was supposed to be green. So much for that. :) Oh, it's supposed to be a vase in case you were wondering.

Last but not least is my lantern. That I have yet to use. :) It's just sitting on my tansu begging for a candle to be put inside. One of these days I should do that. Oh yeah, in case you were wondering about that castle I was working on. It has been glazed and fired but the colors were horrible. Even my sensei didn't like it. So why all the glaze color issues? We have like 5 colors to choose from because the order for new glaze was on back order. So sensei told me I could re-glaze it when the new colors come in. I hope it works or I will be so disappointed.

Look what I'm making!

Up to this point my blog has been mostly about my knitting. Well that's all about to change. I've always dabbled in various crafts but it wasn't until I started knitting that I really made anything on a regular basis. I guess that got the ball rolling because I'm trying all kinds of new things. So I figured I would share my polycraftual skillz (yes I went there) with the blogging world.

A month or so ago I started taking a pottery class at our base community center. One day I walked into class and sensei brought this catalog/magazine over to me and next thing you know I have this castle. Since I took this picture I've added several rows of windows on both sides. It's ready to be fired and should be waiting for me to glaze at the next class. Keep your fingers crossed for me that it didn't crack!

I'm it!

OMG! Someone actually read my blog. Ok so there are a couple other people that have stumbled across it but still! I feel like a real blogger now. What's all the fuss about you ask?

FiredUpFairy tagged me with the 7 things meme.

The rules: Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those who are tagged need to write on their own blog those 7 facts as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven other people and list their names on your blog. Then you leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog.

1. When I was little my nickname was Omi and my family used to call me Omi-wan kenobi.

2. Since moving to Japan I have become obsessed with cherry blossoms (Sakura in Japanese). Anytime I see something with a cherry blossom design I have to have it. I have dishes, a coin purse, lotion, wall hangings, and I want to get a cherry blossom tattoo before I leave.

3. I am a closet fantasy geek. I have a huge dragon collection that lives in my home office. I read fantasy novels and will watch just about any movie with a fantasy theme. I even have two dragon tattoos.

4. I can't grow my fingernails to save my life.

5. My dad is a musician and when my younger sister and I were little he used to take us to the nursing home to sing Christmas carols. I have pictures of us standing in front of a mic in our 80's dresses with Dad in the background playing guitar. I love that.

6. We don't have any kids yet but everyone wants us to have a boy. Sexy Sailor is the only boy so he has to carry on the name and all of my siblings have girls. Problem is, I really want a girl!

7. My Sexy Sailor and I like to quote the elevator scene from Mallrats.

Wow that was more difficult than I expected! Since I really don't "know" any other bloggers I think I will use the I stalk L&V ring to randomly tag people. If anyone I've tagged isn't a fan of memes please forgive me and I totally understand if you don't want to do it. But hopefully this will be a way to "get to know" a few fellow L&V fans! :)

Here goes..

Dragons do knit

Handcrafted Happiness

Get a Clew

Crewgrrl

Kit knits

Wanda

Froggin' knit up

This should be fun! Happy knitting!

Socks and stuff

Told ya I wouldn't learn my lesson. It's been almost a month since my last post. Bad Gnome! Wanna know my excuse? I won't blame my dad this time. Instead I'm pointing all fingers at my Sexy Sailor! He's finally home!! So now that we've established that I'm just a slacker with an excuse let's move on to what I've been knitting. :)

Remember the picture of all my yarn pr0n last month? There was a sock in progress in there and this is what it has become. A beautiful pair! I L.O.V.E this colorway! It's Spring is Here from Spritely Goods. The pattern is Tropicana from MagKnits June 2006. I added some 3x2 ribbing for the cuff. These were also my April submission for Socktopia for the April Showers theme. Blue for the rain, green for the new growth and brown for the mud. :) I'm so clever. Ok forget that part. Onwards!

I just took this off the needles. This is the first sock for a pair for my mom. The yarn is Yarn Pirate's Rain colorway in the Menehune Cobblestones pattern. I think I'll use them for my May Socktopia submission under the Ahoy Mateys theme, since it's Yarn Pirate and they're blue. Either that or.....

These! More Yarn Pirate. This color way is Pretty Pirate and I'm using the Hay-stack pattern.

I am my father's daughter

Hi my name is Gnomes and I am a procrastinator. I got that from my dad who used to try and scold me for it but in the end would just say, "Well, you learned from the best." I've neglected my blog for so long that now I have a months worth of blogging to do. That will teach me. Err, no it won't. I am my father's daughter.

April has been a very depressing month and my yarn purchases reflect that. I tried a little retail therapy but unfortunately, retail therapy isn't a long term solution so I was right back at it a couple days later. As guilty as I feel about it let me tell you I scored some great yarn. Before I go into the pr0n I want to share a fabulous experience with you.

Thanks to the enablers over on the LimeNViolet message boards I found my way over to Pick Up Sticks where there was a battle going down for some Sweet Georgia. I had never purchased Sweet Georgia before and after hearing about it on L&V I just had to have some. So in my haste to score some of the coveted yarn I didn't pay attention to the yardage and only grabbed one skein each of Stillwater and Roy. Then someone over on the boards mentioned that you need two skeins for a pair of socks! I ran back to Pick Up Sticks and tried to score some more. I was able to get another skein of Roy but Stillwater was gone. I had to laugh at myself for getting so worked up about yarn so I added a comment with my second order to explain my stupidity. Next thing you know I got an email from Connie offering to send me some Louet yarn to coordinate with my lone skein of Stillwater....FOR FREE! I emailed her back asking her to please add the cost to my order. She responded that she insisted and this way I will have a surprise to look forward to. I can't thank you enough Connie. So all of you that read this blog (all 2 of you) go to Pick Up Sticks and support this fabulous woman! I <3 knitters!


Ok on with the pr0n!
In the bowl:
Back row left to right: Yarn Pirate - Cannon Beach, Yarn Pirate - Shiver Me Timbers, Yarn Pirate - Pretty Pirate, Lorna's Laces - Black Purl, Lorna's Laces - Jeans, Cider Moon - Winter Twilight.
Front row: Regia bamboo - 1062, and hidden in the shadows is Panda Cotton - black
On the chair: Spritely Goods - Spring is Here, Fleece Artist Sea Wool - Midnight, and some Giza Egyptian cotton that I got here in Japan.

As if that wasn't bad enough I still have a couple orders on the way!! There is of course the Sweet Georgia order from Pick Up Sticks and a skein of medium weight Socks that Rock in the Lagoon colorway.

Ok that was a lot of fiber goodness so I think I'm going to hold off on the rest of my updating for a bit. :)

I've been a bad girl

This is what happens when my Sexy Sailor goes out to sea for extended periods of time. I buy yarn, and lots of it! As if this isn't bad enough.... there's more on the way! I have three more skeins of Yarn Pirate on the way, one skein from Spritely Goods, and one skein from the LimeNViolet Etsy store!! Oh and three out of those five are mostly blue! PLUS, I'm going to a 5 floor craft store tomorrow with some friends. Where one entire floor is dedicated to needle crafts. I'm hoping to score some local hand painted yarn for myself and my Magic Yarn Ball swap partner.




After tomorrow I am so going to have to go on a yarn diet.

What I'm listening to

I do a majority of my knitting while my Sexy Sailor is out to sea and I hate a quiet house. I'm not talented enough to watch TV and knit so I download all kinds of podcasts to keep me company. Well one of those podcasts is an audio book, Daughter of the Sun by Lonnie Ezell and he's doing a little contest for his listeners. I'm going to be totally stingy here and NOT tell you what the contest is. If you really want to know you'll just have to listen to the podcast. :) I am by no means a writer or a critic so I appologize for my ramblings.

Daughter of the Sun is a fantasy novel with originality. Each chapter pulls you in deeper and deeper to Ezell's realm and leaves you on the edge of your seat. The characters each have a potential for greatness that you can sense just over the horizon. I highly recommend Daughter of the Sun to anyone who enjoys the fantasy genre. So check it out at http://www.lonnieezell.com/

Where did I put those pom poms?

Sock Madness is officially over for me. My opponent finished her pair before I could even finish my first sock. I'm a little disappointed but in all honesty I didn't expect to make it past the first round.

This round's pattern is called Mad-tini and is designed by Karin Bole. It has a really interesting cuff, a neat spiral pattern around the leg, and an Eye of Partridge. It is just challenging enough to be interesting but simple enough that I didn't have to look at the pattern for every single round (once the pattern was established that is).

When the supply list for Sock Madness first came out I ordered some Lisa Souza sport in Earth Birth. Unfortunately with Lisa going to Stitches and then a shipping problem, my yarn didn't get here in time for this round (totally not Lisa's fault). I had ordered some back up yarn just in case and although it got here in time it was really rough on my hands. So I swatched anything in my stash slightly heavier than normal fingering weight and I came up with my Yarn Pirate mernio/tencel in Apple (first picture below). I love that yarn and I love the Mad-tini pattern but not together so once my opponent finished her pair I frogged my sock. It must have been fate because that very same day my Lisa Souza showed up in my mail box! I quickly cast on the Mad-tini again (second picture below) and I am in love!

Lucky Snakes

As if I didn't do enough knitting earlier this week for Sock Madness. I've started a pair of Snakes on a Sock...for St. Patrick's Day! The other day I said to myself, "I don't like any of my green clothing so I think I'll knit some green socks to wear instead. I knitted my Mad Cow socks in a few days so I should be able to finish another pair by Saturday. Right?" Umm NO! I've just finished the gusset of sock number 1 and it's Friday afternoon. I guess I'll be wearing them next year.

Sock Madness Round 1

Mad Cow finished - Wendy's Toe-up
Originally uploaded by yardgnomes.

I think I made it! These are my first socks from Sock Madness. My color choice doesn't really shoe off the pattern but I'm still happy with how they turned out. Since I have HUGE feet I've decided to give these to my sis. I still haven't mailed out her other pair so I can just throw these in her package too.

It's a good thing there is a novice division. Let me tell you these folks can knit super fast! Some people had their socks done in the first 24 hours. Not a single sock..a pair! I on the other hand only just finished my socks this morning (still Monday night in the states).

One down one to go

Quick update. Just finished sock number one for my niece. Sock Madness kicks off on Saturday so I need to finish the second sock before then. :)

What have I done for you lately?

Socks that's what! I finished my sis's socks yesterday! I am so happy to be done with those. They were definitely a learning experience on how to read patterns, mistakes and all. The yarn is Lisa Souza in Can't-Elope. It looks bright orange in this picture but it's really much softer. The pattern is the Maple Sugar Socks.


I finally broke down and bought a new digital camera and wouldn't you know it, less than a week later the old one is found. Where was it do you ask? On top of our dining room hutch hiding behind the molding. I had a couple of my plants up there for the winter and now that it's warming up I decided to move them outside during the day. Had it not been for that I probably wouldn't have found the camera until when we move next spring. Of course now I'm totally in love with the new camera and can't bear to return it. :( Anyways... on with the knitting goodness.


After I finished sis's socks I cast on the socks for my niece (her daughter). Since Sock Madness is so close I decided to do a very basic pattern with k3 p2 ribbing. Let me tell you, I am in L-O-V-E with this yarn! It's Lisa Souza's sock! in Berry Poppins. I was going to try and make two pairs out of it for my niece but now I want to keep the rest of it for myself. I could so make a pair of ankle socks out of it!!


While I'm at it, now that I have not one but two digital cameras I figured I should post a "finished" picture of my very first ever socks. That is Black Pearl (Pearl for short) making sure they are up to snuff. She's our newest rescue kitty. Yes, my husband named her after Jack Sparrow's ship in Pirates of the Caribbean. Sometimes I swear he was a pirate in a past life. I'm tempted to change the spelling of her name to Black Purl. :)

My huge feet

I finished sock number one for my sis this weekend! I'm already past the maple leaf design on sock number two so it's smooth sailing from here. I think the maple leaf looks more like a shell with the yarn I'm using.



The sock looks so much better modeled on a foot..even if it's made for a size 9 and said foot is a size 11. Just imagine that the heel fits properly.

Forward MARCH!!

I was poking around on the LimeNViolet message boards and came across a post about Sock Madness. Basically they are going to send out a series of sock patterns during March Madness and you compete against other knitters to see who can finish first.

Now, I've only been knitting for a few months and I've only just cast on my second pair of socks so what business would a novice like me have signing up for something like this you ask?! If you said, the hubby is out again and I need something to help pass the time you're absolutely correct but more importantly it gives me an excuse to buy more yarn!!

Speaking of my second pair of socks these are for my sis. My digital camera is still MIA so this is taken with my ancient web cam.


Pattern: Maple Sugar Socks
Yarn: Lisa Souza, Can't-Elope

I'm feeling a little limited right now because all of the sock patterns that I've been drooling over call for US1 size needles and the smallest I have are 2s. I ordered a sock needle kit online so hopefully it won't be too much longer. One of these days I'll be able to adapt patterns but that day is not today.

On a side note I have the beginnings of a yarn stash!! I just got my skein of The Kilted One by Miss Lime from the LimeNViolet Etsy shop. I'm still waiting on my Mystical Creations yarn and I just ordered two skeins from Yarn Pirate in Apple and Hydrangea. Pretty huh?

Socks and more sock yarn.

I finished my first pair of socks! I'm pretty happy with them considering I've only knitted scarves and hats before. My digital camera has been MIA since our Super Bowl party so I can't put up any pictures at this time. Hopefully it will turn up soon.

Next on my list, socks for my sister and her daughter. I'll be using Lisa Souza's Can't Elope for my sis and her Berry Poppins for my niece. I still haven't decided on a pattern and the fact that I don't have #1 size dpns is making things a little more difficult. I've ordered a pair but it will be a week or so before they get here and I really don't want to wait that long to start on their socks. I already wound the Berry Poppins into a ball and it looks so pretty!



I also have a skein of Lisa Souza's Mars Quake and Violet's Pink Ribbon that are calling to me. Plus I have some extra squishy yarn that I got for my mom at a yarn shop in Yokosuka that is run by a very sweet elderly lady. She even gave me a free sock pattern when I bought the yarn!! Too bad it's in japanese. It does have a chart but I don't understand the whole chart/diagram thing yet.

My first sock attempt!!

I decided to jump on the band wagon and try to knit a pair of socks. So far I'm pretty happy with how they are turning out. They are the basic sock pattern from the winter 2006/07 knitsimple magazine using Wool of the Andes from knitpicks.com in Mulled Wine and Black Cherry Heather (it was on clearance = safe for me to mess up).

How it all began

Back in November I decided to learn how to knit. I went to the local hundred yen store (like a dollar store) and bought a pair of needles and some yarn. With yarn and needles in hand I sat down at my computer and searched for all there is to know about knitting. I came across knittinghelp.com and quickly learned the basics.

After many trips to the frog pond I finished my first scarf. It is a chunky drop stitch monstrosity that I recently mailed home to my mother back in Iowa who complimented it in ways only a mother can. Since then I have knitted 3 more scarves and 3 hats (I frogged one of those too).

Then in early January I found the wonderful world of LimeNViolet. *insert angel chorus here* Since I don't have a local yarn shop or SnB to draw inspiration from these ladies quickly became my tour guides through the realm of fiber goodness. I had listened to other knitting podcasts and while they are pleasant and informative there is just something about these two ladies that drew me in.

So here I am attempting to knit my first pair of socks while drooling over Lisa Souza's yarn and checking out as many knitting blogs as I can find. At this point I decided I should jump on the band wagon and join the bloggers. If nothing else it will be a way to remember what I have done so far, what I am working on, and what I want to achieve.