I bought more yarn

I didn't need it, but it was there on my KnitPicks wishlist and I had to buy some replacement US4 replacement tips for my Harmony interchangeables so why not? Because you have a ridiculous amount of yarn already, you silly person! I got one because it was shiny:

And the other because it is MCN (merino/cashmere/nylon):

Only one yarn arrived this week besides the previous indulgences. It's the last Geek Tour Doctor Who shipment:
The color's called Petrichor. The color's not what I'd associate with petrichor ("the scent of rain on dry earth" according to Wikipedia). I like the color and it is shiny so I'm happy. It looks like those two KnitPicks yarns were mixed together, now that I see them all together.

FO Friday

This is a tape measure I made for my partner in the Gilmore Girls swap on Ravelry. I finished it and a box-shaped project bag with Pop Tarts on it several weeks ago. My swapee got her stuff yesterday so it is finally safe to post.

This is a TGV shawlette. It might be a shawl, as it looks like it will be a lot bigger once I block it. The pattern's a great use for the ball of use-it-or-lose-it Noro I had. I know Noro tends to be scratchy and the long repeats sometimes get messed up when they knot in a new stretch of yarn. I do enjoy the colors, though.

I'm off to see other finished objects at Tami's Amis.

ETA: I also finished my Dalekanium socks. Amazing what you find when you clear off the coffee table.

WIP Wednesday

Wednesday already? Okay, here's what's in progress.

• Temperature scarf seems to be working out okay at last. I'm limiting pictures to monthly since it's going on all year.
• East Meets West satchel is waiting for a new design for the flap. I bought a new pad of graph paper. Have yet to decide if I'll unravel the flap or hack it to bits like last time.
• Quilting portion of a quilt has been waiting for a loooooooong time. I think two or three years. I need some thread then I'm going to make myself do one square a day until it is finished.
  
• Sake socks from a Cookie A book. I'm on a use-it-or-lose-it binge with my oldest yarns. I love this Claudia Haindpaints, but I couldn't find a good pattern for the amount of yarn. I think there was a mistake somewhere in the amount of yarn listed for this sock. I left out 40 rounds in the leg and still don't know if there will be enough to finish.
  
• Dalekanium Socks are another UILI project. They're almost done:
  

See what other kids are doing at Tami's Amis.

FO Friday

Two more pair of socks. First we have Watermelon Slice socks:

The other pair are the German translation socks that use up some old Regia:

I completed the satchel flap. Again. I don't like how it looks. Again. I'm officially giving up on the flap as written. Intarsia and I are not getting along well at all, so I'm going to use the other colorwork charts as an inspiration for a new flap design. Thank goodness the kit has so much extra yarn. At least matching colors won't be a problem.

Now go visit Tami's Amis and see what other people have finished.

WIP Wednesday

This is the flap on my East-West Satchel: It looks better than I thought it did when I put it to one side out of frustration. This is the third try. It needs to be done neatly because of a bunch of duplicate stitching done on top of it. Maybe I'll start working on it again.

I went digging through my oldest yarns for the Use It Or Lose It project. I saw a pattern I liked in my Ravelry recommendations that I thought I'd use with one of them. The pattern's written only in German. I ended up getting bits of it translated using Babel Fish. Between that, the charts, and the little bit of German I remember, it came out okay: It would've come out better with a different yarn, but I'm just glad it's almost done and the yarn's getting used.

Another UILI project is Dalekanium socks:

I've been switching off between projects. If I get bored or frustrated, I pick up something different. I'm actually getting more done this way.

Visit Tami's Amis for more works in progress.

Souffle Girl

The latest offering from Sheepy Time Knits' Time Traveler Club is Souffle Girl:

This isn't my favorite color, but once I saw the inspiration, I was happy with it. Souffle Girl is essentially Doctor Who's new companion. I like her and am looking forward to her new adventures that start a week from Saturday.

I've enjoyed the Time Traveler Club. It was scheduled to end with this shipment and I was sad about it. Since this is Doctor Who's 50th anniversary year, it was decided that the club will continue through 2013. I'll be signing up again.

FO Friday

Three pair of Cookies done. Newton (dark green in real life):

Ernie (likewise, green in real life):

Striations:

More Finished Objects at Tami's Amis.

WIP Wednesday

I started again on the Temperature Scarf. I'm joining the yarns using a double knot. It's not as smooth a join as I'd like, but it is good enough:

The other WIP is the Ernie Socks. I'm zooming through them so fast that they may appear on FO Friday.

I've been wanting to make one of those boxy project bags. I found a pattern online and gave it a try yesterday. I'm very fond of llamas so I couldn't resist the fabric. It was a trial run for one I'm doing as a surprise for someone. That one is done, but no pictures yet. It appears that I'm unable to make just one project bag. I've got two more cut out. They're WIPs until I pick up a couple of zippers.

More WIPs at Tami's Amis.

Knit Kit

I've been wanting a knitting tool kit for working on things away from home. I wanted something that would give me all I might need without having to dig up each component separately. I tried The Knit Kit last week and it worked out pretty well.

A is a double ended crochet hook with two different sized hooks.
B is a counter.
C is a thread cutter.
D is a tape measure.
E is on the reverse side. It's a hinged door that doubles as a needle gauge (both US sizes and metric).
F is a pair of folding scissors that are inside the door.
G has a pair of point protectors, stitch markers in two sizes, and a tapestry neeedle.

The stitch counter is a bit rough. The numbers don't line up with the windows very well and sometimes the clicker sticks and won't advance. The tapestry needle was huge. If you work mostly with bulky yarns, it would be great. It's more a matter of preference than any fault of the kit. I'll replace mine with something smaller.

I'd give it a B+. I was able to do all I needed to do while I was traveling. Note that I did NOT have it in anything that I carried onto the plane. I would think that it would be okay, but I'd do some research before putting it in my carry on stuff.

I have returned

My brother is improving slowly. He's getting lots of excellent therapy so improvement should continue. Fingers crossed.

WIPs and former wips:

• E-W satchel: Haven't touched it since before the trip. The steeks seem to have gone okay and I started the flap on the satchel. That has not gone very well. It is intarsia with too many little stupid bobbins. There's an option for doing some of the detail work in duplicate stitch. I plan to frog what I've done and try it that way.
• Striation Socks: finished.
• Newton Socks: finished.
• Ernie Socks: somewhere on the foot of the first sock.
• Temperature Scarf: Tried restarting it yet again with a different pattern. I have yet to come up with a good way of dealing with all the ends. Weaving them in is sloppy and lumpy. It is going on hold until a solution presents itself.

A new project is in the works. I zoomed through the satchel so quickly (this was before the flap) that I thought I could add something new. Silly knitter. Kelso from Knit Picks is a short-sleeved pullover hoodie with a lace panel up the front. I splurged and ordered Sheepy Time Knits colorway of the month, Berry Pie.

Speaking of Sheepy Time, the Doctor Who sock club is going to return since this is the 50th anniversary year. I expect to sign up for it. I found this out about 12 hours after signing up for another club from Space Cadet Creations. I thought Sheepy Time wasn't going to do another round of Doctor Who, so that was my excuse.

I'm a very silly knitter with a whole lot of yarn.