Saturday Blog Bits

It's Saturday. I've uploaded all my Yarn Harlot pictures to Flickr, but I haven't blogged about it yet. That's ok, because it's time for blog bits.

Speaking of the Yarn Harlot, the following people have already blogged about the event: Stephanie at Thoughts, Rants and Concerns, Elizabeth at A Mighty Good Yarn, Stephen (I hope I spelled it right) at Knitting Sweaters & Sitting Still, Stefanie at Just One of Those Days and Christina at TwistedString Knits.

Over at Junk Mail Gems, Gretchen is showing off another awesome amigurumi pattern for a Rocket Ship.

At Knit and Tonic Wendy talks about ease and how everyone wants you to buy socks.

Taking a detour into sewing, there's a contest to win a drawstring bag over at Pink Penguin.

On a completely non-knitting note, Carrie at ED Bites explains how MeMe Roth is hurting our children.

Crazy Aunt Purl talks about a year of avoiding buying non-essential items and "life-on-layaway."

There is a sale at The Knitting Nest, but you have to follow them on Twitter first. (And the sale is today.)

Finally, Needles and Things explains why Knitting Goes Large isn't so large.

Blog Bits Saturday

It's Saturday, it's raining, I just ate chorizo and it's time for blog bits.

On the J-Walk Blog, John points us to a blog entry from Google about how they're mowing their lawn with goats. Didn't Rose Kim do the same thing?

I already pointed out that the Yarn Harlot is coming to Austin. Also, she recently had an airport adventure that I think can be blamed on post 9/11 hysteria.

I saw an awesome quilt on Monster Crochet.

Over on Needles and Things, there are some interesting thoughts on Knitters and an explanation of why cold washing a fleece works.

I have to thank SpinalCat for the shout out. She is showing off her new combs.

There's some awesome crochet pr0n over at Attice24. (Isn't there always awesome crochet pr0n on Attic 24?)

My non-knitting post for this week is from Junkfood Science, which talks about how health messages can sometimes hurt children.

On Now Norma Knits, Norma is trying to identify an old Fair Isle sweater.

Wendy Knits is getting her own color in Lorna's Laces Color Commentary series, WendyKnits Sunrise.

Also, I found two contests in the blogosphere this week:

First, Knitgrrl tells us about a contest for 1,000 Fabulous Knit Hats.

Finally, the Berroco Design Studio Blog talks about blocking and gives away a a blocking kit.

A Few More Odds and Ends

I didn't get to post this picture from Gauge on Saturday before, and I wanted to share it. They had a bunch of marked down yarns set up back there. I want my apartment to look like this. (Yarn included.)

I also forgot to mention that I officially found out that I didn't get the Ravelry job. Considering that 1,500 people applied, I'm not letting myself get down over it.


Finally, I had to show everyone my P-Mates that I won from Norma. I haven't used them yet, since I'm saving them for swimming or some other activity where they'll came in handy. It turns out I had it wrong before. I didn't win three P-Mates, I won one package of five P-Mates. (Three people won.)

(You can buy P-Mates here.)

Thanks Norma!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

I got some good news from Norma today. Apparently, I won three of her P-Mates. Yay!

A P-Mate is basically a little paper tube that lets you pee standing up. The official website is here, and there is a good review here.

In my comment, I said I'd try it out as a "feminist experiment." Now that I've actually won, I'm wondering if Mom will let me use the backyard...

Nah. I'll probably wait until I go swimming. Getting off a wet suit is hard enough, and putting one back on in a cramped bathroom is even worse.

This reminds me of a band competition in high school. I think I was the only girl in the drumline battery at the time. We were all in uniform, getting ready to warm up at the playground of my old elementary school. (It was next door to the stadium.) Someone asked the instructor about using the bathroom. He said yes, and most of the boys ran off.

I remember being jealous because the boys didn't have to work so hard to pee. (The uniforms had suspenders, so you had to take off your coat before you could take off your pants.) Then I realized something.

The school building was locked.

Yup. They had just some bushes and gone for it. One person said he peed on the hopscotch. To this day, I don't know if he was teasing me, or if he really defiled the hopscotch at my elementary school.

That's the only penis envy I've ever experienced. If I had had P-Mates that day, I would have showed them.

In other news, I have stuff posted on eBay. I'm selling Two Furby Happy Meal Toys, a Miss Piggy Pez Dispenser, a Pound Puppy and my Zune. My poor, non-Mac compatible Zune. Why not bid. Then you can be a winner too.

Conest: Who wants handspun?

I know I do.

There's a contest over at vivo est precor. The prizes include handknit socks or (my choice) handspun yarn.

Now I must go and clean the freezer. I promised Jules I would clean it out, and the freezer doesn't have much in it right now. (And I'm going to load it up again after I go to HEB tonight.)

The rest of the fridge will have to wait.

Holiday Blog Fodder "contest"

Both Saturday and Sunday I came home and fell asleep before I could blog. I am woefully behind on my blogging already, and it's going to get worse as Christmas approaches.

I need your help. So, I'm holding a "contest." I use the word contest loosely because there aren't really any prizes, except for glory.

During the two and half weeks Jules is here, I'm not planning to blog. I may pop in with some uploaded pictures, but nothing serious. I would like to have some scheduled posts during that time, but it's hard enough to do my regular posts, much less work ahead.

So I'm asking my readers (both of you) to send me some "blog fodder." More than likely, there needs to be something I can link to, like another website, a YouTube clip or a photo on Flickr or a similar hosted site. (Although if you have something without a link, go ahead and send it in. You never know. The main thing is that I can't host other people's images on Flickr, but I do want pictures.) Include a little commentary about it, but you don't need to write a novel. Anything from 1-2 sentences to 1-2 paragraphs will probably work, depending on the content.

I'm looking mostly for content related to knitting, crocheting, spinning and related fiber arts. Some ideas include funny, interesting or helpful YouTube clips, telling us a little bit about your latest FO, reviewing a favorite yarn or book or sharing a yarny disaster. I may post non-fiber stuff if I think it's in "the spirit" of the blog. (Do you have an awesome piggy bank? Send a picture. Does your bunny have a poopy butt? Tell us about it, but maybe skip the butt shot, ok. I may accept some cool holiday stuff as well.)

Send me your content, and if I use it, I'll give you credit for the entry and link to your blog, your Etsy shop, your MySpace page or whatever. (Be sure to tell me exactly what you want me to link to.)

You can e-mail your stuff to sallyvillarreal AT gmail DOT com. I'll accept Blog Fodder until December 16. However, I have no idea how may people will respond, so I may run out of room before then.

Bits and Pieces: eBay, contests and my life

1980s anyone?

I'd love to keep every single toy from my childhood, but I can't. As we clean out the storage unit, we've been finding things to sell on eBay. I finally started them listed tonight, beginning with my Rainbow Bright Lunchbox and Thermos. This was the lunchbox I took to kindergarten. (It didn't get a lot of use. I think I bought my lunch most of the time.) Part of me is tempted to keep it for storing projects, but I need to get rid of some of this stuff. Go check it out before I change my mind.

Contest Time
Darcy is having a contest to win a necklace that doubles as a cable needle. I think that's an awesome idea. I always seem to lose track of cable needles when I'm using them. You have until August 28 to enter.

My life
According to a quiz, this is the quality of my life today:

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	5.2
Mind:	4.1
Body:	3.5
Spirit:	4.2
Friends/Family:	3.2
Love:	6.9
Finance:	6.1
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

Here it is when I took the same quiz on April 19, 2006:

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	3.8
Mind:	3.7
Body:	2.6
Spirit:	4.5
Friends/Family:	3.8
Love:	2.9
Finance:	3.2
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

I call that progress. (Although I can't explain why Friends/Family and Spirit went down. I think those are pretty good.)

Tour de Fleece Day 4: "Sick" Day

At some point in my childhood, I read a book about a little boy who wanted to be "just sick enough." I don't remember the name. For example, he wanted to be well enough to play with his toys, but too sick to put them away.

I was in that zone today. Too hoarse to make phone calls, the main function of my job. I didn't even bother trying to come in, although I think I should be good to work tomorrow. (And good enough to attend Tom Hanks' birthday party at The Knitting Nest.)

I declared myself too sick to clean, cook or do any significant amount of grocery shopping. But I wasn't too sick to go to the library, grab some noodles at the Asian market, watch One Day at a Time on Hulu and, of course, spin.

I made some progress on the Tour de Fleece. I know it's hard to tell from the picture of the Niddy Noddy, but I really did. I may even do a little more before bed.

After sleeping on it, I decided to name my drop spindle Captain Hook. The Captain Hook from Peter Pan had a hook instead of a hand. My drop spindle has a hook instead of...its original hook. (Click here to read about what happened to my spindle in February.)

In other news, there's a contest over at the Monniblog there is a great contest where you can win knitting, reading or pet related prizes. Go over and say hi.

The Gauge Potluck and More

This isn't my best photography, but it'll work.

I mentioned the Potluck at Gauge yesterday. Now I'm finally getting around to posting the pictures.

I took more pictures of food than people. They had...

...pasta...

...cream cheese with a pomegranate chipotle sauce and...

...five kinds of homemade gelato! There was lemon, strawberry, pomegranate, chocolate and hazelnut. (Thanks Emily!)

There was other yummy stuff as well. Of course, I brought a two liter of Coke that no one opened. (But it will be there the next time they need soda.)

I found the elusive Black Purl
When I got home that night, this was in the mail:

That's Lorna's Laces Lion and Lamb in Black Purl.

And I didn't break my budget. I actually ordered this from eBay last fall for about the half the normal price. Somehow it was returned to sender, then I forgot to respond when the seller asked me for my correct address and then I forgot all about it. Until a couple of weeks ago when I cleaned out my e-mail. I e-mailed them back and they still had it! I'm psyched.

Contest

Knitasaur is designing gloves and she needs your hand measurements. Post yours here and enter to win some Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool. Be sure to tell them Large Marge Sally Comes Unraveled sent you.

Parting Shot
I saw this at the cash register at Gauge. If you put your money in Poncho Pig, I'll give you lessons.

Contest Time Again

There is a contest over at Strings and Purls. Go check it out and tell them Large Marge Sally Comes Unraveled sent you.

How not to open a jar and other bits and pieces

It's Friday. I just got paid. My tummy's full of frozen pizza. I went for a swim this evening. It's time for a little of everything.

I keep questioning this cooking thing. The smoke alarm went off again, and the pizza wasn't even burnt. (It was a little dark, but definitely not burnt. I ate the whole thing.) I struggled to remember how I did it before. I should note here that I put books on the chair, and pushed from behind the thingy that comes out of the ceiling.

Here's another issue I had with cooking earlier this week...

How To Open a Difficult Jar
Get a dishcloth, hold on really tight and turn.

No.

Run the lid under hot water.

No.

Wedge something under the edge of the lid to relieve pressure.

No.

Try them all again.

Attack it with a pocket knife and bottle opener, make a hole big enough for the olives in your black olive and caper spaghetti sauce to come out and pour it out before the spaghetti gets cold.

Yes.

I wonder where I can get the pattern...
I was looking at some Unforgettable Faces last night and found this guy crocheting on a subway. (Ironically, you can't see his face.) I like his outfit. I wonder if his closet is full of crocheted clothes.

Contest
There is a contest over at One Scheme of Happiness. I wonder if I can win another Schrodinger Cube. (Be sure to tell them Large Marge Sally Comes Unraveled sent you.)

I'm not ashamed
From this site:

Many of us own collections that we're too ashamed to discuss in public, whether it's vintage porn, yarn or commemorative Burger King glasses.

Who's ashamed of their yarn collection now? Now that I'm saving money, I'm thankful that I have nice yarn saved up for a rainy day, because it's raining now. (More food for thought here.)


Don't Take I-35 This Weekend

Seriously. And of course the detour they recommend will probably clog up the exit I take all the time.


Clapotis Update
I started dropping stitches. Check it out.



Extreme close up!

Cass has the best contests...

There are five ways to win the 555 contest at Shut Up, I'm Counting. I plan to do all five. The contest details are here.

As always, be sure to mention that Large Marge Sally Comes Unraveled sent you.

Things that cut into my yarn budget: Being responsible with my tax refund

After much flipping through paperwork,deciding to file online, looking up pin numbers, deciding not to file online, etc, I got my taxes done. I'm getting back about $400, which will go towards...

(dramatic pause)

...the dentist. I still have dental work that I've been putting off until my insurance rolls over. (Or it might go towards health insurance deductible. Whatever I have to pay for after my FSA runs out.)

I was hoping that I could use some of it for a washer and dryer, but it doesn't look good. It doesn't look like any of that will even be going into the savings, much less to buy yarn.

More Big Girl Knits
In other deprivation responsible news, More Big Girl Knits is on the shelves, and I have not bought it yet. I did stop Borders to take a look, and there they were (on the top shelf, so I had to ask an associate for help), two crisp, clean copies. Of course, I didn't have my camera, there are hardly and pictures on Ravelry and I still can't download pictures from my new camera phone, so I don't have any pictures to show you.

Definitely the must knit item for me was the Susie Hoodie, which is eerily similar to A Cardigan for Arwen. I've looked at several cabled hoodies, including Mariah, Central Park Hoodie and A Cardigan for Arwen, but I have been too lazy busy to adjust the patterns to fit me.

Modular Spirals also looks good, except for the curly edges, and the low cut neckline. There's nothing wrong with low cut necklines, I just don't know how much I would wear something like that.

The cover sweater looks nice. So nice that I wish I designed it myself. There's also another modular knit called "Pastille" (I think) that looks good, except I'd want bolder colors with more contrast. The Summer Chevron also looks like a nice quick knit, but again, I'd want different colors. I also like the fact that there is a Boo, Too has been rewritten with larger sizes than the original.

Contest
If you're poor like me, you can visit Cass Knits and enter her contest for a free copy of More Big Girl Knits.

Contest Time

It's time to promote some contests.

Mariknits is having a Malabrigo March/Blogiversary contest. To enter, just comment and link to the first post in your own blog.

There's also a blogiversary contest here. The hard thing about this contest is that you have to name your favorite dessert. How can you pick just one?

As always, please tell them that Large Marge Sally Comes Unraveled sent you.

Also, if you were disappointed because the link in yesterday's post was broken, never fear. I will be fixed it shortly.

Edit: I just realized the dessert contest ended at midnight. Oops. Go check it out anyway.

Thoughts on Limitations and a Contest Entry

Cross posted at Sally Comes Unraveled and Kntters Scavenger Hunt Swap.

The Knitters Scavenger Hunt is having a contest (swap participants only, sorry.) All I have to do is answer 2 questions. But they aren't easy questions to answer.

#1 - If your knitting skill and the money to purchase the necessary yarn were no issue, what one pattern would you knit? (link & photo if you have one, so we can all ogle!)

This is a hard one. I know this sounds conceited (or maybe delusional), but in my mind I have no limitations related to my knitting skills. There are just new skills I haven't learned yet. I don't think I have this type of confidence in any other area of my life, which is one of the reasons why I love knitting so much.

So that leaves limitations of resources and time. It's hard to pick one pattern. The closest I can get is Morrigan, which I will knit eventually. Buying $300 worth of Rowan Calmer will be difficult, and I'm still trying other candidates.

Rather than a specific pattern, most of my seemingly unattainable project ideas are centered around specific yarns. I wish I could afford an entire sweater out of Lorna's Laces Lion and Lamb, or entire sweater out of my own handspun. (The handspun is the part where my skills fail me.)

#2 - What is your favorite blog ?(doesn't need to be knitting related)

I'm not going to pick an all time favorite, but I will say at the moment I'm most interested in Yarn Pirate's blog, because she's due to go into labor at any moment. Also, I love seeing all her baby knits.

Good News, Bad News

The good news is I didn't have to work today. The bad news is that I didn't have the MLK holiday off. I didn't go in because of stomach problems. (I'll spare you the details.)

Dr. King had a dream about all the children of the world playing together in harmony. Last night, I had a dream that I was trying to open a shop that sold toys, yarn and ginger beer. (It wasn't the best of business models.)

But there is more good news. Contests on other people's blogs. Go visit and follow the posting instructions to win goodies. Be sure to tell them Large Marge Sally Comes Unraveled sent you:

Hurry, Mariknits' contest ends at midnight tonight.

InsanKnitty has some interesting topics for you to comment on.

Finally, Shut Up, I'm Counting wants to know your thoughts on blogging.

Enjoy!

The Funeral: FO-ish: Sock Wars II Socks

With as late as the post is, is it any wonder that I died in Sock Wars II before I even finished my first pair?

I'm actually surprised I lasted as long as I did. I was out of town on a church retreat when they e-mailed our assignments. There were pictures of completed socks already uploaded when I finally got the pattern off my friend's laptop.

I had planned ahead of time, and used valuable packing time swatching to get gauge. It took US size 1 needles to get gauge in Claudia Hand Painted Yarn Sport (color: Circus Dancer. Part of me wishes I had kept this yarn for myself.)

I really like the pattern. It incorporates "smocking" (or at least that's what Lyndsey said it was.) It inspired me to use smocking in future designs. I think it looks especially good on handpainted yarn. The two lines of smocking are supposed to be battle scars. The Scar Rib Pattern is available for the general public now.

You can see multiple Scar Rib socks on the Flickr Sock Wars II group.

(FYI, I had gotten to round 17 of the scar rib of the second sock when I died.)

Can you really call incomplete sock wars socks an FO? Put it this way, I am. I even entered these in the Stash and Burn Socktoberfest Contest.

I got my socks one week after the wars began. Right now, I can't remember my assassin's name for the life of me.

But, as you can see by my picture, I have an excuse. By mid-week, I was as sick as a dog. (You can see I still had antibiotics left when this picture was taken.)


I missed my usual knitting groups that week. I stayed home from work that Thursday and slept all day. I never even touched my knitting on my sick day.

I missed the Meet Up Yarn Crawl to attend Maker Faire with Peter and Lyndsey. It was awesome, but because I was sick, I didn't really get into it. I was dragging myself around like a zombie most of the day. I didn't even bring a camera. (Although Peter has pictures here.) The socks did make an appearance at Maker Faire, on Peter's camera. (I don't have a picture of it right now.)

Anyway, after going for Pho with Lyndsey, I headed home and decided that I could knock out this sock before the weekend ended. After all, knitting required little movement. But lo and behold, I checked my mail and there they were, the socks of death.

I'm unsure of the yarn or fiber, but they are a pretty color. And they fit.

Did I mention my target has bigger feet than I do? And that I was I out of town when I got my assignment? And I was sick the first week of the wars.

I know. Excuses, excuses. But all is fair in socks and war.

FO: Ribbon One Skeiner (w/"Pattern")

I'm just now posting my last Stash and Burn One Skein Contest entry, and I already I didn't win the contest. But I did have fun.

I've done this "pattern" a couple of times. I bought two balls of Crystal Palace Party Ribbon a while back at the Knit n' Knibble in Tampa. I had already done the drop stitch scarf everyone does with ribbon yarn, and I decided to do something different. I tried all sorts of stitches. Finally, one day I walked into the Knit n' Knibble and saw someone making a mesh shawl with ribbon yarn and giant needles. It took me a minute to figure out that it was just plain old garter stitch, on giant needles.

I've done this scarf a couple of times. I've also used Moda Dea Ticker Tape. I think it will work with just about any ribbon yarn.

I used US size 17 needles. This scarf is in Crystal Palace Party Ribbon in "Ultra Blues." It was one of the two balls I bought from the Knit n' Knibble.

The key is to cut the fringe first. On this one I cut 30 pieces, each about 10.5 inches long.

After cutting the fringe, cast on 15 stitches. Leave a tail that is at least as long as the fringe.

Knit until you run out of yarn. The first time I did this, I tried to keep the ribbon perfectly flat on the needles. It's not worth it. Just knit. Trust me.

Bind off. Make sure you have enough yarn left to bind off the whole row, and leave a tail the length of the fringe.

Add fringe on each stitch. (There's a good tutorial here if you've never done it before.) Tie the tails in with the fringe.

Depending on the yarn you choose, you may want to put clear nail polish or Fray Check on the ends of the fringe to prevent unraveling.

FO: Pinky-Purple Boogie Time

I planned to make several Boogie Time watches for the Stash and Burn One Skein Contest, but I only got in two. One is for me, this one will be a gift.

I used a bit of leftover Claudia's Hand Painted Yarn Sport in "Just Plum" leftover from a "mystery" project. I settled on size US 2 bamboo dpns after unraveling it a few times. The watch part is from Jo-Ann.

I also didn't really follow the pattern, just the basic concept. I cast on a number that seemed right, and then knit until it was a length that seemed right.

I did it in one day, the second my second to last entry for the one skein contest.

FO: Skinny Lengthwise Compromise Scarf

Once upon a time, there was a ball of dyed wool on eBay that didn't have a name. A knitter named Sally saw it and decided to buy it because she liked hand dyed yarns and because it was dirt cheap. So cheap, the shipping cost more than the yarn.

But when the ball arrived, she had no idea what to knit with it. So she set it aside.

Then, months later, the new Knitty came out with a lengthwise scarf with fingerless gloves on the ends. The pattern was called Entwined and Sally had to knit it. The yarn with no name was perfect for it.

But there was something with the pattern that didn't seem right. The gauge was awfully loose for worsted weight yarn, even with Sally's loose gauge. Sally decided a quick rewrite was in order to adjust the gauge.

So Sally did the math cast on the yarn with no name with size 6 needles. She was knitting merrily along, when something else didn't seem right. There did not look like there would be enough yarn to finish the scarf.

Sally didn't know what to do. She kept knitting hoping she was wrong, but eventually, she had to admit the truth. Knitting the scarf at a smaller gauge required more yarn than she had. And because the yarn had no name, she couldn't buy more of it.

However, the scarf was coming along quite nicely, so Sally made a decision. She bound off before making the fingerless gloves, added some fringe, and made a regular skinny scarf.

So the yarn with no name was finally knit into a project, and Sally still had another entry for the Stash and Burn One Skein Contest, as well as something to give as a Christmas gift or sell on Etsy or a at a craft show. Not tomentioned that it matched her last FO.

And what about Entwined? The pattern was happy too, because it knew it would be knit another day.

And they all knit happily ever after.

The End

(PS - It just occurred to me after I finished this entry that it has an odd resemblance to a recent blog entry by Persistent Illusion.)