A Tale of Two Yarns-Day One

This is my first official 2nd Annual Knit and Crochet Blog Week 2011 submission! (Sadly, I am a day late but still posting anyway---just going to cheat and do 2....shhhhhhhhh......)

BLOG TOPIC #1
Choose two yarns that you have either used, are in your stash or which you yearn after and capture what it is you love or loathe about them.


*Ok, so this topic is a little weird for me because I am not picky about yarn. As long as I can afford it-I use it. However, there are some differences I have picked up. For example, if it is cotton, my fingers will know. The fibers rub against my skin and it makes it feel almost like an Indian burn. WAIT!! Does everyone know what an Indian burn is?? Please trust me when I say it is not supposed to be a racist term! I was born and raised in Virginia so somethings are still stuck in the Dark Ages of PC terms-so if I offend, please forgive me. Anyway now that my apology is done I will try to explain an "Indian burn" ummm.....ok! I got it! Take both of of your hands and cup them onto a volunteers wrist (side by side) and then turn each hand in different directions-fast! The result on your volunteers wrist will be an "Indian burn!" SO this is what happens when I use cotton--my fingers feel as though they are getting "Indian burned" as I am knitting. Of course, this doesn't stop me! I will still knit the occasional dishcloth (I sent 2 to Afghanistan when my niece was stationed there last year) or the occasional absorbant baby toy. It is just not my most favorite yarn in the world.
* My favorite yarn would have to be any baby yarn that doesn't split too much. I think this is mainly because I knit A LOT for babies. I can't help it! My family keeps reproducing at alarming speed! A couple of positives to this is that 1) I have learned to knit faster, and 2) there are always cute babies being born. The negatives are 1) I always seem to be knitting baby items, 2) once you knit for one family members baby-then ALL of them want something handknit (tee-hee! shhhhhh...I actually think this is a positive but was going for symmetry in my list!! LOL!!!)

SOOOOOO phew!! I have completed my first official 2nd Annual Knit and Crochet Blog Week 2011 post....I did it! A day late but here it is!!!!

 

Excited about 2nd Annual Knit and Crochet Blog Week 2011!!!

      I am so excited about participating in the 2nd Annual Knit and Crochet Blog Week 2011! I have already started thinking about how to respond to the prompts that Eskimimi made and cannot wait to read what others have written! I got an e-mail today about the week and how to use the tagging system that Eskimimi set up. It seems that she came up with the tagging system so that other bloggers can find each other on Google easier-purely genius! It took me a minute to figure out what exactly how to work the tagging system but I think I got it now and I am raring to go!!! I know that I am no where near as a great blogger as others out there and I think this is going to give me a great opportunity to learn from others.
     Ok....enough about my excitement! Now to talk about something realllllly important: my newest yarn find. Last weekend I took a trip to the Metro Richmoond Zoo with my sister, my 4 nieces, 1 nephew, 3 great-nephews, and my great-niece. It was a great trip! I haven't been to a zoo since I was little and I have never been to the Richmond Zoo. It is not as big or as nice as the Norfolk Zoo (which is where I used to spend every Saturday when I was little) but they have a nice set-up nonetheless. My buddy for the zoo was my then 2 year old nephew, Tay (he just turned 3 on yesterday) and he was amazed by the animals (and a little scared) We got to ride on something called a "Safari Train" where animals were roaming free as we rode in a customized golf cart. One even put her nose right into our section!!
      After spending 4 hours wandering around the zoo, I decided I had to see the gift shop before I left. Small but great! As I was checking out I spotted my lucky yarn find! Inside the glass case, in a bowl, sat 3 skeins of gray yarn. The sign stated that it was made from animals on-site! I have never had yarn made from real animals (I am more of an acrylic type of girl!) and since it benefited the animals-I bought a skein. For $8, it is by far the most expensive yarn I have ever owned. I took it home and undid the hank to make a ball--it is huge!! Almost like a double skein!!! I am now making a project with it that I will be posting during Blog Week 2011!!!
      As of yesterday, I had no idea what kind of animal contributed to my yarn. However, my sister called the zoo and found out that it is actually from 2 different kind of sheep-black and white-which is why it is gray-silly me-thought it was dyed! Sooo mystery solved! Yay! Another surprise came when I started knitting with the yarn! Beautiful flecks of solid black and solid white speckle the yarn. I thought it was just gray but now it is turning into a nice almost varigated yarn! NICE!

New Blog Banner!!

       I have decided to join Ravelry's Knit and Crochet Blog Week! Last year I did not get a chance to participate but I am excited to join this year! From what I understand, Eskimimi, has come up with what I consider to be blog prompts: she gives bloggers a subject to write on for everyday of the week! I am hoping this will make me more committed to blogging! I love to blog, honestly, but sometimes forget to put posts on. You know how life is-sometimes it moves so fast its surprising and other times it moves slow that you can practically feel every second that passes. I am the latter type of blogger. When time slows down, when I can breathe for a moment, I blog. Unfortunately, this doesn't happen as often as I would like so I am a sporadic blogger.
       So.......for the week of March 28th I will be blogging using the prompts provided by Eskimimi. I really want to thank her for organizing everything and for the logos that she made! I hope I can work as hard on my blog as she did to come up with the prompts!

Bunnies....Bunnies.....Bunnies! Multiplying everywhere!!!!

      Because Easter is upon us, and my sister likes to collect eggs, I have started knitting bunnies. It started with a simple Bunny Nugget pattern I found on Ravelry and has blown up into a full blown bunny obsession. I have now made 3. I got the pattern from the Lion Brand website to start and have changed it around to be something more suitable for what I wanted. The first bunny I made using just the Lion Brand pattern was not very bunny-ish. I never really finished him but gave him to my sister anyway-despite not having a face. I made this white "test pattern" bunny using Red Heart White yarn.

     The second bunny I made I used a gray Vanna Choice yarn and changed the pattern slightly so that it was easier and more complete for me to work with. I loved it! I added a little pink nose and mouth as well as button eyes. These buttons are not the flat kind but little round bead-type buttons. When I showed him to my sister she asked me not to make arms and legs, so......he is limb-less. Adorable though!!!

Gray Bunny----->

     Then came Ruby....I was inspired to make Ruby because I had yet to make a girl bunny and every boy bunny needs a girl. Once again I used the modified Lion Brand pattern, just like the gray bunny, but this time I used pink Pound Of Love yarn. She is soooo adorable it is unbelievable! Instead of making the bottom of her feet pink like the rest of her body, I used Ruby Red eyelash yarn to make "high heels", "hair bow" that goes around her ear or her wrist, and a feather boa. Also in the making is a small basket made out of the same Ruby Red eyelash yarn. She is smart and sassy!!

     

Ruby in construction------->

                                                                                                      

<---Ruby's "high heel"




RUBY----->

     Once I am done with making Ruby's basket I will post another picture with her wearing her snazzy Ruby Red feather boa! The baskets are adorable too and I have already made 3 or 4...another great Rav pattern!!!

Blog update.....

I realize that I have not been posting alot on here lately but the only camera I have is on my Blackberry. Recently, my Blackberry has been on the fritz and I don't like to post without pictures ( I think it makes for better reading) Yet, this is all going to change! This week I am getting a new phone-the EVO SHIFT! I am so excited! Once this phone arrives I will be taking a TON of pictures and my posts will increase! I cannot wait to add clear, beautiful pictures! The pictures I have posted always seem a little blurry to me so being able to post clear, bright, colorful pictures is an exciting prospect! YAY! I like to be able to add pictures of all the fun and pretty things I have knit lately...here is a partial list:
2 Bunnies- 1 white and 1 grey
4 Stegosaurus'-2 lite pink/dark pink and 2 black/grey
A caterpillar
a couple of Bunny Nuggets
my last Special Olympic Scarf
5 hats for a friend


***I will be adding pics of some of these projects as soon as I can! I hope to be able to show you more in the future!***

End of January

GREEN BAY PACKERS ARE GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL!!!! YAY!!!! SUPERBOWL SUNDAY IS NEXT SUNDAY!!!!
GREEN BAY PACKERS!!!! WHOO-HOOO!
Sorry! I got excited!
       I have been a Packer fan since before Favre started to retire the first time and now we are going to the Superbowl! Even if we do not win it is nice that they are there! Here is a funny true story about being a Green Bay Packer fan:
            My niece, Beth, was a Packer fan waaaay before I was. I watched football growing up but my family are die-hard Cowboys fans and I wasn't. One day I watched a Packers game with Beth and they became MY TEAM after that! So we spent years watching Packers games together and everyone in the family knew about our passion for the Packers. Our family still were majority Cowboys fans.
           One Monday night I rushed to my sisters house to watch the Packers game with Beth. As I was finding the game on the television another niece, Krissy, came rushing into the house. "Turn the game on! My team is playing!" she started yelling. I was dumbfounded! Come to find out that Krissy was a Packer fan and I NEVER KNEW IT! Years of watching the Packers and I never knew that my niece was rooting for MY TEAM! AND.....she didn't know I was a Packers fan either!!! SO this Superbowl Sunday is a special time for both of us:
GREEN BAY PACKERS ARE IN THE SUPERBOWL!!

First post of 2011....

       So I know that 2011 has been here for 20 days already and I have yet to post a new blog. I am not one of those people who enjoy listing resolutions that I know I will never even attempt, much less succeed at, and I do not have HUGE plans for 2011 so there was no need for a NEW YEARS post. I have been busy going to school (3 and half classes left!) and knitting. Boy, have I been busy knitting!
      Finished projects since the first of the year include:
1.) My first EVER baby sweater! I got the pattern off of Ravelry and it is named "Baby Wrap" I had a little difficulty with it but love the finished project! As soon as I can I will post pics of it and the name of the author of the pattern.

2.) A "faux" cable baby hat. This matches "Baby Wrap" and is a gift for a friend of my niece, Krissy. This hat is adorable! It really looks like I used a cable needle but I used straight needles to make it! I love it! Pics will

be posted later for this as well.

3.) Cotton washcloths with the letter "E" in the middle...this is also for the friend of my niece. I used Peaches and Creme varigated pink and white, peach and white, and I am also thinking about a gold/yellow color. The baby's name is starts with an "E."
4.) A black ribbed hat for a friends sister....I am trying to find a way to add kitty ears to it because, well...even though I have never met my friends sister, I think she is a kitty ear hat wearing-type person.
5) I am almost done with a beanie for a friend done in a simple brown-nothing fancy. Just warm because he lives in NY and every pic he sends me shows SNOW EVERYWHERE!
         Projects I am going to start soon:
1.) A caterpillar toy. This is going to be in all peach from Pound of Love yarn. I don't know why I am going to make this. I saw the pattern and thought it was cute so I want to try it. I am sure I will find a baby somewhere in the family who likes it or it will keep LOLA the Pig company. Either way it looks fun!

2.) I am also making more Special Olympic scarves. The send-in for Virginia Special Olympics is 2-28 so I am trying to make as many as possible. When I checked the FB page for the Special Olympics scarf count for VA, I was sad to see that out of the 1700 needed for the athletes, their friends, families, and volunteers are only at 116 scarves. Terribly low numbers! I have made a couple already and my sister and her daughter are also working on some.

***Ok so now we are caught up...and I feel like a better blogger for having posted a new blog in the new year. The picture below was taken yesterday in Sussex, Va at around sunset. I was driving and the light was perfect so I snapped the picture with my Blackberry. It is a little fuzzy but I was going 60 mph and its from my phone....until next post!

<--Sunset yesterday-1/19/11