More Yarn and a cool hat pattern

The online delivery status of about 10 skeins of yarn I bought on Ebay says delievered, but my oh so slow mail room on campus doesn't have it yet (They do. They are just lazy and haven't sorted the mail yet) I'm so excited to get it and play with it! I can't remember what brand the royal blue yarn is, but the red yarn is...blanked on that brand too! Oh well, I should have it in my hands soon enough!

I did already start on my darted tank. Shine Worsted from Knit Picks is so amazingly soft! I can't wait to get it done and be able to wear it. I just know I will feel oh so glamourous when I put it on! The color is truly amazing, but a little scarey for me. I don't wear orange; plain and simple, I don't wear orange. I thought it was going to have a few more brown tones than it doesn, but it is actaully very similar in color to a shirt I do already own. Plus, I was working on it last night at my boyfriends house and he said it will really look good on me, so I felt reassured that I will be able to pull it off. (He has more fashion sense then most girls, so I trust him!) Then I was think of how fabulous it will look paired with my white/wheat colored jeans from Express! Now I really can't wait to wear it!

I found a fabulous hat patter at Stitch Diva. Go check it out!

On a more solem note, a family member is struggling with cancer right now, and the family is taking it hard. Now when I say family it is my step-mother's family, but they are my family and when one person in your family hurts we all feel the pain. I don't know if anyone actually reads this, but if by some change you happen to come across this please say a prayer for Mark.

Packages, Yarn, Patterns OH MY!

I finished my scarf yesterday. It is so beautiful. I'm just sad that it's spring and I'll have to wait at least 2 more seasons to wear it. Oh well, I'll just look and fawn over it.

I just realized after uploading the picture that it sort of looks like a breast cancer ribbon. I know a lady who has just finished her chemo and her hair is starting starting to grow back. She is the mother of my sorority big. She is an amazing woman who has come through this ugly disease, and I couldn't be more proud of her.

Here is the most wonderful thing of my day today. The weather was a bit gloomy today, but a nice temperature; howerver, this brighted my day! It is an order that I placed from Knit Picks: 7 skeins of Shine Worsted in Terra Cotta, 1 hank of hand-dyed merino wool Glossamer in Caribbean, and a book of five tank tops.

This is a close up of the yarn and the darted tank that I'm using the yarn for. I already started on it, but while taking these pictures my camera died, so I'll post progress pictures of the tank soon.

"We can live without oil, but we can't live without water."

-Jane Goodall, April 16,2007 speaking at Oklahoma City University

I am still in awe of her. I sat in the wellness center at OCU last night and was in awe. She is amazing, pure, full of life, soft and oh so powerful woman. She spoke at our Distinguisted Speakers Series last night, and what a lady she is. She spoke about the most influencial people in her life; her mother, Louis Leaky, Mr. Greybeard, and one other. Her mother also tied into the message of hope and peace she is trying to give our world today. Chimpanzees, like humans, care for their children and will protect them throught their lives. Also, there are good Chimp mothers and there are bad Chimp mothers. She spoke of the unthinkable act that was committed at Virginia Tech this week, and that even though it was horrible, sad, and heartbreaking we need to have hope for the future. She spoke of her grandkids and how much of an inspiration they are for her. She was at a recent UN event where several Native American tribes were represented, and one of them that was an Eskimo said that everyday they see what the rest of the world doesn't...how we are losing our water supplies. The ice is melting. I've always been concerned with the environment, but she made it even more real to me. Please, have hope and know that we need more 'good' mothers out in the world raising strong, independent, and well-balanced children.

The rest of this post I started Monday morning, but just never finished it.

I'm waiting not so patiently for my new yarns to arrive from Knit Picks. Since I'm a relatively new knitter (and a college student with limited cash flow) I don't have a very large yarn stash yet. In the meantime I've been looking for lace shawl patterns for the laceweight yarn I bought. Here is a gorgous shawl called Kiri that I'm considering. This is another that I like: Print O' The Wave Stole. While looking for these I came across this beginner lace scarf that I think I'll try using the pink yarn I've been wanting to knit up.

It really seems to the all the craze lately, to knit socks. I'm a little scared of them, but I really want to try them. My LYS has classes on knitting socks, so maybe I'll attend one of them this summer after school lets out. I did find a great tutorial on socks at my new favorite website http://www.knittersreview.com/article_how_to.asp?article=/review/profile/011018_a.asp. I also found an easy beginner lace pattern for a scarf. I've already started using the pink yarn I've not known what to do with. It is called "Feather and Fan" or "Old Shale".

Kniting woes

I have found a super cute darted tank from Knit Picks that I really want to knit, but I can't for the life of me decide which color of yarn to purchase with it. I am going to knit it in their Shine Worsted which is 60% Pima Cottom and 40% Modal. Super soft and great for the summer, but I just can't pick a color!!!!

Family Ties

I have this yarn. This beautiful pink yarn that I have no idea what to knit with it. It is the first yarn that I ever had. It was given to me by my grandma who was the one who taught me to knit. We don't knit like most people in the United States because the woman that taught her to knit was from Hungary. The style is called Continental Or European Method as opposed to the English style of knitting. We hold the yarn in our left hand instead of our right. My grandmother is a woman that I look up to. She is strong, beautiful, and amazing in every way. I want to be just like her when I grow up. It makes me happy that I make her happy by knitting. I've grown up seeing her knitting (usually sweaters). 2 Christmas' ago I decided that I wanted to learn, so I asked her to teach me. I was thrilled, and bought me this yarn and gave me a pair of #6 straight needles. Even thought she is amazing that wasn't the best choice of yarn or size needles to teach with, but I love her anyways. After a few frustrating tries, not getting vary far with those, and then visiting my step-grandma's house I finally had something easier to work with. My step-mom who also knits gave me a size 8 circular needles and some left over yarn she had. We drove to Grove (her mom's house) and by the time we drove the 2 hours I needed more yarn to knit with. Her mom, Betty, gave me about 5 skeins of extra yarn she had in her stash (wish is a lot of yarn). I guess my grandma got me started, and with a little help along the way I'm starting to become a pretty good knitter. I love it. It is relaxing and challenging in a variety of ways. I started out making every color of scarf under the sun, but I got bored. Since this Christmas I've ventured our and really impressed myself and my mothers. I feel that knitting is part of a tradition that didn't really mean to be a tradition, but when i think of knitting it gives me warm comfortable vibes reminding me of home, family, and where I come from. Family is very important to me and thus so is knitting.

This is my newest FO. It is the One Skein Wonder from Glampyre Knits. It turned out really pretty, but it's a little tight. I can still wear it though. I might try it again.

This is material and a pattern for a sundress that I want to make. Reasons I haven't done it yet.

1. It's been cold!
2. I'd rather be knitting (especially lately)
3. I'd rather be knitting

I'm sure I'll get to it sooner or later. Maybe when it starts to warm up again.

Non knitting related topic

I when and sat in on my first ELS class today. I will probably do one more before I start substitue teaching there. It was informative. I got lots of odd looks from the students in and around the building. I'm sure they don't see many Americans coming into their building unless they are teachers. Most of there teachers are older than me (I'm still in college) so I don't they assume I'm a teacher. I did get hit on while waiting for the Center Director to take me to the class I was going to be observing.

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My first MAJOR knitting project is almost done & it's so cute!

Easter weekend was great...good food, fun with my family, and time at church. I saw a great illistrated message called He's Alive at Victory Cristian Church in Tulsa, OK.

I didn't get my shrug finished like I wanted, but felting my purse took a long time and a lot of attention. I finished knitting the last piece of my purse on Friday evening and felted it Saturday morning. It took 45 minutes, checking it every 5 minutes, and then transfering each piece to cold water to stop the felting process. It was finally dry today. Between work and my afternoon class I assembled most of the purse, and it turned out sooo cute! I love it so much. The handle still needs to be attached (right now it's being held on my straight pins).

Here name is Flora, and she can be found here.

Here she is before felting.

And here she is after felting.

Here is a close up of the flowers w/ bead detail.

This is another view just because she's so pretty.

I will probably line the inside of the purse because I'm afraid with how clumsy I am that something will get spilled or a pen with leak. I want something light in color and sort of springy.

I also knit 1 1/2 dish rags in Sugar & Cream. I already gave one to my mom and forgot to take a picture of it.

Easter Snow

WOW the week went by fast, and Oklahoma is experiencing snow in April! Crazyness I say, crazyness! I had to get up at 4:30 this morning to take my bf to the airport, I went back to sleep, and now I'm at work. I've done way too much for it to not even be 9:00 AM yet! Now on to knitting...

I bought a beatiful skein of cotton yarn that was kettle dyed in Uruguay. The brand of the yarn is Manos de Uruguay (Hands of Uruguay). I also bought #5 Bryspun circular needles, and a shrug pin thingy (not sure what it's called). As you can see I started imediately on the shurg I bought the yarn for, but sadly I had to rip that out (plus a little bit more) because I was some how off by a few stitches in the middle section, but all is well and I've already gotten about that much more knitted again. Here's a close up of the yarn and shrug stick. All of my new goodies were bought at the Gourmet Yarn Co, which by the way is a fabulous yarn store. I bought the pattern for the shrug at Glampyre Knits. The name of the shrug is the "One Skein Wonder". I should be able to finish it this weekend, and have pictures up next week. I will also be felting my purse this weekend, so pictures of that will be up to. Yea for FO's!

~ Happy Easter ~

~ Feliz Pascua ~

FO

I finished my black shawl, and it turned out even better than I thought it would. I'm so excited! I think I need to wash and blocked it, but it's finished none the less.

Here it is in action.

Knit, knit, knit is all I wanna do!

Weekend knitting:
Flower fabric for purse - added several more inches...almost done!
Black shawl - about 2/3's of the way finished. At the point of CO 3 sts beginning of every row till end...also almost done!

Future projects I want to start SOON:
Boogie Time Watch - Designed by Knit and Tonic (wonderful blog)
Shrug - at Glampyre Knits. I have a pink silky yarn to use for it.
Tank - can also be found at Glampyre Knits.

While talking with my step-mom (who knits) said that her mom (who knits more than both of us and for much longer than both of us) said that felting white (which is the color of my purse) wool is the hardest and that the store that I bought the yarn at should have told me. idk. I'm visiting my dad and step-mom this coming weekend for Easter, and together hopefully we can felt my purse successfully.

In my previously mentioned future projects I listed a shrug. I am nervous and excited to knit it. I've knitted a shurg before (see post before this one), and it didn't work out too well. I want to make one that I will actually wear, so hopefully this one will work.

I would so much rather knit than do my readings for class, but since there are only 4 or 5 weeks left in the semester I guess I'd better buckle down, and do the work. One of my professors is leaving for Korea tomorrow morning, so I won't have to go to one of my classes this week, but I need to use that time to work on my research project for another class. Hopefully I will be a hard worker on school stuff, so I'll make all A's instead of 2 A's and 1 B like last semester.