Back from vacation!

And I have so much to share! Here we go!

First, the things I completed:

The Moda Dea Sassy Stripes baby sock. Well, they were socks, but then the airline lost my luggage, and when it was returned to me (at 12:37 a.m.), the zippers had been mangled, and the yarn-containing portion of my luggage had come open. So, sock #2 has been lost.


Next, the Embossed Leaves socks! Plus, the "Father-in-Law socks" in progress. Did that on the plane rides, much to the chagrin of the flight attendants.

Oh, yeah - guess who the socks fit perfectly. The BHE (Best Husband Ever).

And last, but not least, the NEW yarn! WOOHOO!

From L-R : The Great Adirondack Yarn Company's Silky Sock in colorway "High Desert", South West Trading Company's Tofutsies in dyelot 032107-126, and Mountain Colors' Bearfoot in colorway "Bitterroot Rainbow". I can't wait! Thank you C. and T. for taking me to the awesome yarn shop! They have some catching up to do around here.

Blech... like the weather.

So, been sick. Yuck. So here's a pretty picture to tide anyone who's reading this over. I made these this past Christmas for my Mom. They're Crystal Palace Taos yarn, can't remember the color, and I used my trusty Basic Mitten Pattern from a book my friend Debbie gave me. I ended up using that fluffy white yarn at the top right as a furry cuff (Mom=DIVA). Love. *Cough, hack, sneeze, cough again* I hate sickness.

Embossed Leaves Sock(s)

Yay! I finished my first Embossed Leaves sock from Interweave's book Favorite Socks. LOVE these. I, of course, then cast on for the next one, in the hopes of using up some yarn! Remembered to check the tag this time - the yarn is Koigu KPPPM, dye code P516, dyelot 185. I'm torn about who to gift these to (if anyone) - could go to my principal, could go to the school secretary... could stay with me... could go to my secret pal at work... ah! What shall I do? Leave me a comment so I can help decide.
Oh yeah! Jessie! Send me an e-mail at AppBandO _at_ aol _dot_ com so I can gift you something for being the first non-family member to comment on my blog! You deserve it.

Best Dog Ever

No, really. Leader is - the - best - dog - EVER. Love.

What I learned about dyeing yarn...

So today I needed an instant gratification project. So, I decided to help de-stash and use some yarn (Lion Brand Wool) that I had dyed, then used RIT color remover, then dyed again. It's really quite nice, color-wise. But here's what I learned:

1. Color remover smells BAD on wool.
2. Post-color-removal, the yarn takes on a crunchy texture.
3. After re-dyeing for correct colors, the yarn retained said crunchy texture, even after washing multiple times with several detergents.

Ick.

So, I thought - I'll felt a bowl! Crocheted it all up, and even got a model (you go, Puffy-girl). Another valuable lesson learned today -

THE COLOR REMOVED PARTS OF THE YARN WILL NOT FELT! For the love of all humanity, don't use color remover! Someone will like the color. Just make something and pass on the love. Or go on Etsy and sell it. Do something with the ugly yarn! Just learn from my mistake, and don't use color remover, no matter how awful it might seem.

Up and off to the races!

Here it is... the long awaited knitblog. I didn't know it would take so long to start this undertaking! But I digress. Here - the first of many posts. And some eye candy, just for fun. Here's my first attempt at lace knitting, pre-blocking. Eventually, it will be a shawl for my Mommy. :)