Eierlikoer!

Yeah...that's a German thing. It is a liquor made from raw egg yolk, lots of sugar and whipped unsweetened cream. Throw in some evaporated milk and some Everclear and you have yourself a German Christmas tradition.
My daughter helped me find my Mom's recipe, so I made it yesterday. Yum!
I rewarded myself with a small shot glass this afternoon for finishing and casting off the three shawls at a time.
Here is a pic.:







All unblocked of course. The space I usually use is currently occupied by a Christmas Tree, so I have to block them one at a time.
They were really a fun knit and so quick, too. I will definitely make more of these. Here is also a photo of the first one blocking:

I just don't understand why these photos never end up where I would like them in the text. And I dislike it very much when I have to ask my 13-year-old how to do something on the computer.

So I rewarded myself with another little glass after washing the first shawl, and another little one after I got done putting it on the blocking board. :)

My basket with unfinished knitting projects is looking strangely empty now. But I have promised myself not to cast anything new on until the First of the New Year.
I will probably change that, if I get myself another little glass of....well, you know, lol.

Yesterday I saw Nitecrew again, with a different singer (the front girl of the band 4More, don't know her name...). She is pretty amazing.

I wish all of you Happy Holidays (whatever you celebrate) and a Happy New Year. May all your resolutions hold stead fast and be successful.
Thanks for following my antics through the year 2010. See you next year.

What was I thinking???

First some updates on the knitting. Socks for EX are hibernating. Might finish them for Son-in-law. Here is a pic of the three shawls I'm knitting at the same time. I have two repeats finished and have only the border left. Then I have three gifts for ......hmm....whoever pops up that I forgot, I guess.
They are turning out really pretty. I might make more in the future. Maybe four at a time???



The test knit completed for Ravelry's free test knitters has turned out really nice too. I was supposed to knit three repeats of a baby blanket named "Estonian Princess". Designed by http://www.ravelry.com/designers/sami-kaplan FabuKnits. It is really easy. Her patterns are written so perfectly! You can't go wrong. Let's see if I can insert another picture:

I can't believe that actually worked!!! LOL. Usually I have the hardest time adding more than one pic. Hence all the fancy four-split pics.
Anyways......
Now we get to the kicker. I am really going insane. I have requested a proposal package from a well known publisher, because I would like to write a book.
Okay...okay...stop it. You can quit the giggling and snickering at any time now....
I really think I could pull this off, though. Lots of work to be done. I had no idea a proposal is so much work. All the info they need. So I bought a book on how to get your book published. Very good advice and I never thought of it this way: If a publisher spends oodles of money to get your book published, you better make it worth his time. So I'm working on that one. If it all falls into place,  2011 is gonna be MY year. Yes!!!


My friend Jean is trying to set me up with her brother. All the stuff she has told me about him is just awesome, but then again...maybe she's trying to sell him, lol. I will meet him Friday at Starbucks.

Tomorrow I go with Nici and her friends to the Great American Casino again to see NiteCrew. Cool cover band and the keyboard player is cute!

Maggie has two weeks of winter break now and is just devastated, that she will be separated from her best friend for THAT long. Aaaahh, teenagers. I remember it well.

I just volunteered (yes, you read that right) to help Nici with her Christmas knitting list. Damn! I should really lay off the mulled wine.

Testing, testing.....

Aha!!! I knew you were out there! I can hear you breathe!
Anyway....testing a pair of socks which is a "sekrit", because they are considered for publication somewhere. And they don't like to have the design plastered all over the place in advance. Lots of cable-ing involved, but lovely pattern.
I gave my friend Patty the  gloves today that were a mystery knit-along and came out way to big for me. They fit her like a glove (pun intended, lol) and she absolutely loved them. I'm all giddy inside. Here is a pic of the gloves:



I am also in a test knit for a baby blanket (no...NO!!!!! I'm not going to be a Grandma!!!! EVER!!!!). The pattern is based on Estonian lace patterns and just "daahling". I will keep going in pattern and turn it into a lovely wrap. Pictures will be posted when I have more than one repeat.

My "Cable-Lacey's" have been accepted by KnitPicks and the pattern is up for purchase.
The "Five Gables" are in the final consideration stage with a "one-pattern-a-day-calendar" and I am insanely proud of that. They will let me know in January if the pattern has been chosen and on what day the pattern will appear.

In the final testing stages is a new pattern of mine, called "goosebumps. Here's a pic:

I poked a hole in my left index finger today.
My skin is rather dry in the winter and having to wash my hand in my line of work 5000 times a day doesn't really help.
So the skin finally cracked.....lol.
Too much is going on for one post, so I shall update in the next few days.
See ya!

It is so done!!

Yes!!! I am done and I have delivered the Fairy Ring Jacket. It turned out quite gorgeous, if I may say so myself. See photo above.
I am currently working on a pattern for gloves in some really easy color work. I hope I get the directions together for beginners. You know...I know what I'm doing. But relating it to other people may not be that easy.
Today I bought at my local "German Store" something to make mulled wine. Red wine (traditionally) with spices like cloves, cinnamon, orange peel and then heated up. I'm telling you, if that doesn't warm you up from the inside out, nothing will. It is called "Glueh Fix" and looks like a tea bag with all the spices in it. So all you have to do is warm up the wine, pop the tea bag in and after 5 minutes...voila! Instant comfort!
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Things I've accomplished....or not.

Swap partners gloves are done, washed and blocking. Box will be taped up tomorrow and ready to go. I got a lovely package from my swap partner in England with loads of candy....I'm telling you, the chocolate alone would be reason to move overseas.
I will post pictures of my finished gloves next time, but here are some pics of the package I got.

Aren't those owl gloves cute?

I made up the boyfriends mind after a rather unpleasant phone call. He literally said that he didn't know what he wanted right now. Well, I do. So I am single yet again...(why do I keep hearing that song "all by myself" in my head?).
Giving e-harmony a try and so far it is amusing to no end. I had a guy who wrote everything in capitals. So he's basically yelling at me the whole time, lol.
Most of the guys they "match" me with write in the section " Things I'm passionate about"  that they are passionate about life. Hmmm...what exactly does that mean?
I mean.....I'm just passing through here and since I am here I might as well make the best of it, right?
Another guy wrote under "occupation" that he is an attorney, but for his name he put the letter K and every third word was misspelled. Riiiiight. Attorney. Sure. On what planet?

A new design is in the works, this time I am working on socks!!!

I am finished with Judy's jacket and it is gorgeous. I ran out of yarn when I was binding off, so I still ahve about 20 live stitches. But it is to be turned under and sewn in place, so I will just sew down the live stitches Kitchener style.

I"m also almost finished with a test knit of a T-shirt. It is really cute, but the instructions for the cap sleeves were very confusing. So I tried to figure it out a couple of times and now I am waiting for the designer to get back to me. I just couldn't work it out.
I have patterns submitted to KnitPicks and a calendar. So I hope to hear back from them soonish.
Well, that's it for today.

Randomness

My oldest child just informed me she would put an appointment in her "caleldar". Volcanic? No, that's a Caldera. No witches brew either, that's a Cauldron..... Still don't know what she meant..lol.

I love ticking my children off. That's why I want to live as long as I possibly can. Hand me more red wine, dark chocolate and coffee and I shall live forever...muahahahaha!

I bought new headphones yesterday. Hate them. They don't fit around my ears, I have to take my earrings out or the headphones will hurt. The sound is also not that overwhelming. Apparently my good old Phillips ones are no longer carried by any of the stores around here. *Sigh*.

Work is hideously slow. I swear...at this rate I will have to find a part time job. But it leaves more time for designing and knitting.

The Exes socks are in hibernation mode.
The three shawls are coming along slowly. One row at a time.
Judy's Jacket is almost done. The body is blocking, the sleeves are done.

My "Fingerless Gloves" Swap is so much fun. I have all kinds of goodies in the package already, but am only halfway done with the first mitt. Well, I am ass-backwards sometimes, so what?
I still have until the 15th of December.

My testing ladies are very picky this time. Which is wonderful, because it makes for a better pattern in the end, but right now I want to go down on my knees and scream:  "What do you want from me???"
Nothing a good glass of Merlot couldn't fix.

Several more ideas in my head. Need to learn the basic construction of a triangular shawl.

Watched the worst Horror movie EVER on Netflix tonight. I was laughing several times so hard, I almost fell off my chair. And it was not a comedy.
And now it is time for bed.

Life and other Nuisances

Socks for  %$*&^$%%  going well, he stood me up for a movie date tonight. Myth definitely confirmed. Will finish the socks anyway and make him feel real lousy on Christmas.
The three scarfs at once are coming along great. Did you ever have that moment? You read a pattern through and your brain literally goes "Huh?", but when you get to that actual part in your knitting it makes perfect sense?
Happened with the scarfs.

I have two patterns being tested right now. One is knitted with worsted weight. I did two test knits and am still working on a secret one.

Colgate sales person was in the office on Thursday with samples and a scientific study on the Colgate toothpaste. Proudly she tells me "Done with real live patients..." which made me reply :"as opposed to..corpses?" I'm pretty sure the lovely lady will never EVER show up in our office again.
Business is so slow right now, I get the odd half day off here and there.
Fine with me...more time for knitting, lol.

Had plans today to dye some yarn, but stuff got in the way. Maybe tomorrow.
I discovered Netflix...bad, bad thing. I found all the british shows I liked to watch..so now I sit on the computer watching things like "Wire in the blood" (HUGE crush on Robson Green) or Midsomer Murders. Looking at that countryside makes me want to retire there. Better start saving.....

Updates all around

Can't remember if I ever tallied up my weight loss, but since the first of the year I lost a total of 24 pounds. Yay!!
The socks for my sweetie come along nicely and I have not heard from him in three weeks. Hmmm...myth confirmed? We shall see.
Knitting another test knit for a designer I previously worked with. Great hat designs. Trying to get a pic.....There it is!!!! Finished it in 5.5 hours. Or three episodes of "Wire in the blood". Love Netflix.

The sleeves of the jacket for my friend Judy are almost done.
Our Thursday night knitting group seems to be falling apart, but that might just be the season and the upcoming holidays.
I cleaned out the hallway closet and threw two garbage bags full of stuff away.
I have this thing: when I am really mad, upset or angry (whatever you want to call it) I clean. Big scale. Like scrubbing floors by hand and stuff.
My 13-year old fled the house today to her sisters after I pulled out the big guns: Carpet cleaner, Window cleaning supplies....
Christmas knitting is coming along nicely too. No pics yet, but i will post them as I go along and remember taking them, lol.
For tonight I have planned a "get drunk while watching sappy movies-feel sorry for self-cry a little-go to bed" night. How sad is that for a Saturday?
I clearly need a life.....or a therapist.

Knitting along

Let's see....Progress in bullets:
♥ Knitting a "sekrit" test knit, Socks,,,that's all I can tell ya. Like I needed another test knit.
♥ The hooded jacket I am knitting for my friend Judy is coming along nicely. Body finished..sleeves cast on.
Maybe it will let me post a pic? Of course not.
♥  I am also knitting a pair of socks for my sweetie. That man needs to know how hand knit socks feel. And the myth goes: once you start knitting for your man...within 12 month man and knitted item will be gone. We shall see.
♥    I am knitting the http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/198-yds-of-heaven shawl for Linda. Cindy and Marissa. My friends Mom, sister and niece. In purple, red and baby blue. I know myself. After the first one I would have been bored to tears and the other ones would have never been knitted. So I am knitting all three at the same time. So far it is going well.
♥  I also finished the test knit for the Argyle gloves...which was giving me a major headache. They turned out nice, though.
I don't know why I can't put pics where I want them to be......*sighs* Oh well.
Sold two skeins of yarn today and ordered more undyed yarn, so I can put some fall and winter colors in the etsy store.
Very happy at the moment (kinda waiting for that proverbial "other boot" to drop, because let's face it: this is my life we are talking about. And things just don't work like that in my universe.).

I'm featured in a blog!

Really exciting news..I'm featured in CanaryKnits blog, which you can find here.http://canaryknits.blogspot.com/2010/09/indie-designer-day_4689.html . If that doesn't inspire you to work harder, I don't know what could.
I am involved in a couple more test knits, like the "Palm Surprise Fingerless Mitts" which you can see right here:











Then there are the "Argyle and Stripes "Mitts (of course fingerless), which almost made me doubt my ability to knit. I just couldn't get them to work. I followed the instructions to the letter and the fabric turned out so dense, I thought it would felt as I was knitting!
Going a needle size up finally solved the problem.
Here is another little pic of the still unfinished pair. Okay...no pic, because friggin' blogspot insists I can't put a pic there. Fine!

Go to my Ravelry page at http://www.ravelry.com/projects/dyeforsocks1965  and you can have a look at all my projects.
I had a really lousy day and am so stark-raving mad that I shall open a bottle of wine now and just call it a day before I say, do or write something I will regret tomorrow.

Wedding gloves

Eating my words: Of course I did not get the pattern up for testing in time...but I have a good excuse. For the first time in 7 years I had a migraine. I had forgotten what that feels like. Ouch!
But with the help of lots of Vitamin C and caffeine (don't ask me why that helps) I posted the test knit with only a day over my deadline.
Here are the pictures.
My friend Sandy came up with the idea. She thought it was silly to wear beautiful gloves to your wedding just to have to take them off when the ring goes on your finger. So there you have the solution for it.
My daughter pointed out, that they would look "totally cool" in red or black for the goth experience.
And since I hit the backspace button more than the actual keys for this post, I think it's time for bed.

Knitting Woes

So I started knitting a jacket for a friend ( it's this one: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/faery-ring ) and so far it is going well. I started on08/30 and I was hoping to get it done by 09/20. Since I am getting paid for making it, I thought it would be nice to have some extra money to spend at our Puyallup Fair.
While this self-imposed deadline would not have been a problem at all......I got so distracted by test knits, that today is the 23rd and I am about 60% done with the darn thing.
My friend gave me the yarn all wound into balls already.....so I have no idea what brand or composition it is. But I am telling you: it gives you rug burn on your finger!!!!!
You can't knit at a reasonable speed with out getting a sore spot! So I wrap three Band-Aids around my finger. Should I demand hazard pay?
Here are some of the test knits I did recently:

You can check out the specifics on my project page on Ravelry.
I was also severely bitten by the lace bug. I have now bought and downloaded 4 lace shawl patterns, not to mention the oodles of free ones available on Ravelry.

This weekend I will finally write up the pattern for the wedding gloves. I decided to just call them "Sandy's wedding gloves". They are just a little different, because they are constructed in two parts, which will be sewn together.
I shall submit them by Saturday on the Free Pattern Testers ( http://www.ravelry.com/groups/free-pattern-testers and there we go again with self-imposed deadlines. LOL.
I shall post pictures at a later time.
I am also still going out with the same guy and even though he likes to take things slow ( achingly slow, I might add), I think this one is finally worth it.
Grandma was right. You gotta kiss a lot of frogs before you find a prince.( Ewww!)

Girlfriend

This post will go in a slightly personal direction.
I never got along with women. I'm more of a guy myself. You tell me about a problem, I want to fix it. That kind of thing. And I am not into playing mind games. So.....my own gender ticks me off most of the time.
But sometimes you just need another girl to talk to. Especially when you have no idea on how to deal with all those girlie "issues", lol.
I have no girlfriends.
I have female acquaintances, not girlfriends. I had one in High School. We were inseperable, we kept each others secrets, we lied to our parents for each other. We were the kind of friends they talk about in those silly lines, like: A good friend will bail you out of jail. Your best friend will sit in jail next to you saying:"That was awesome!".
I need one of those friends.
Now I'm not Paris Hilton searching for a BFF with resume's and stuff. HA! That would be hilarious!!
But I wouldn't mind taking applications.
Some things you just don't want to discuss with family members or people you just know.
And then there is the "friend" you can tell everything to, if you want it to be public knowledge within 24 hours.
Live and learn.
Maybe the cat will listen....

First garment pattern

My first garment pattern went up on Ravelry today for the brilliant ladies (and gents) there to test knit it for me.
With moving parts, such as sleeves and things, it was a little harder to get the instructions in chronological order. Hence I started out with a small project.
Who's the model, you ask?
Well, that gets a little complicated. My daughters sister in law has a friend for whom she occasionally babysits. That's the young lady in the picture. She's four month old and really cute. I was surprised she was so contend in the cardigan.
But then again, she immediately started chewing on it. Hmmm....Omen? I hope not.

So let's see what else... I am working on a commission piece, a jacket, and yes, I will get paid for that and no, it is not a purple monster.
I am trying (like the insane person I am) to finish it by the 20th of September. Im off that week and I want to have some spending money for the Puyallup Fair.
Nothing new from the knitting group, nobody showed up last Thursday, not even Cathy. I shall see who rsvp'd for tomorrow.
First day of school for the young one. YES!!!! I have the house to myself again for lunch. Nobody wants to talk to me or needs something urgently cooked because they don't know how to make them self a sandwich.
I'll keep you posted on the success (or failure) of the Aran Baby Cardi.

Hyperventilating

I'm telling you....so much has happened and is happening. I actually went out on  a couple of dates and still like the guy.
My pattern is now up for sale on the KnitPicks website.
I went to the doctor for a follow up and she took me off all blood pressure meds. Mind you I have been on those things for 9 years.
I lost a total of 27 pounds since December of 2009.
We almost got a Yorkshire Terrier, but the cat ( about twice the size of the dog) threatened to eat it, so we had to give up on that plan. Doesn't help, that I think a dog has to reach my arm pit to be called a dog.
I do test knits and have people test knitting for me and I'm just tickled how it all works out.
Work in the dental office is kinda sluggish, so I am grateful for the additional income of teaching and sales of my pattern.
Right now I am working on a pattern for wedding gloves, which was originally an idea of my friend Sandy. So they will be called "Sandys I do's". If you have any better ideas about the name,  by all means,  let me know.......(I am looking at you, Theresa and Cindy )
So,,,that's pretty much it. The Loopy Leaves Mitts and Heart Lace Gauntlets (which actually sounds like Heartless gauntlets if you say it fast...lol) will be available shortly.

Branching out

I dyed 4 skeins of worsted weight yarn today and 2 lace weight ones. I'm branching out a little, because not everybody knits with fingering (or sock) weight yarn all the time.

A new pattern is being written right now...here's a sneak peek.











I will submit this to the test knitters next week, I hope. Business in the dental office is sooo slow right now, that I end up with a free half day every so often. And I have a couple of vacation days coming up in late August and late September. YAY!
KnitPicks has accepted one of my patterns, so they took new photos with a model. Professional photos. And: yes!!!!! I am insanely excited!!!!!!
Here are the pics I got from KnitPicks. Finally: spending thousands of dollars a year at their website is paying off. LOL. Well, maybe hundreds of dollars.


In other news I learned today that ZOMG is just emphasizing the OMG....It doesn't mean "Zoinks". Which I think is rather sad.
I will be teaching a class on how to make two fingerless gloves at the same time using two circular needles. I'm very excited about that too.
I am watching the TV show "Haven" right now and my mind is made up: I will move to Maine as soon as I get a chance! Or Vermont.
I shall post pics of the yarn, which makes my kitchen smell like wet sheep right now, tomorrow.

The Gloves!

Here"s the latest pattern I came up with. Designed after the medieval gauntlets of knights they go over your coat sleeves. It adds extra warmth and shows off your stitches, of course. And not everybody has them, that's for sure. So here's the pic....let me know what you think.

That's my oldest daughter modeling there, by the way.
If any of you are interested in a test knit...let me know. The pattern should be available for testing by Sunday.

Oh boy!

A new glove pattern is being written up as we type, the finished proto-type is drying in the blocking corner and I can't take a picture because it's too dark and the flash washes the color out. Sigh! I have to wait 'til tomorrow. But if it is eye candy you want: here is my latest finished project: The "Happy" sweater from my Elsebeth Lavold book. Started in November of 09, finished two weeks ago. It was one of those on-again-off-again projects. It would get tedious, so I'd put it away for a while and then pull it back out 'til I got bored again.
( I hear you snickering in the corner there! Like you never had a boring project!)
I knitted it for a size 42" bust. Needless to say: now I am a bust size 39"-40" so it has some positive ease. A lot of positive ease.
But it's really comfy.

The gloves should be available for your viewing pleasure this weekend. I will submit the pattern to the Free Pattern Testers on Ravelry (you can find it right here: http://www.ravelry.com/groups/free-pattern-testers ).
Also sometime this weekend. I'll keep you posted.

Wow

I did not realize it has been 20 days since I posted. Time flies.....Since I started my blogging experience with New Years resolutions..here is a quick update: I exceeded my weight loss goal by 2 pounds so far!!! Yay!!! Today the scale read 142 pounds. When I started it read 164. Not pretty.

I vowed to finish all projects I currently have on the needles, before I start something new. I finished the Elsebeth Lavold sweater I was working on forever and it is currently blocking. I also finished a test knit I did for Galia Lael. A wonderful Tank Top. Ravelry rocks. The group is called Free Pattern Testers. Here's a pic:

It will be available soon on KnitPicks and is called Arabesque. Keep an eye out for this one.

I have a pair of socks I started for a class I was teaching which have to be finished. Also the "Twist and Shout" Jacket....yeah, I know. I've been knitting on that one since September of 09.Way too long.

I also discovered today, that moving your stash should not require rental of a forklift. Sheesh!!!! But I will not vow to buy no more yarn until I made a dent in my stash. I rather rent that forklift.
I shall update pics tomorrow.

I forgot

I forgot all about the Skacel ware house tour! I wanted to tell you about it! Well...it was awesome! Those guys were so nice. We had a blast. Just imagine: 10 foot shelves lined from top to bottom with yarn. Lots of yarn. All those colors and textures. And of course all the addi needles. We were not allowed in that room. A very nice sales person helped us out there; sorry to say I forgot her name. We would have made a mess out of her organized room, I'm sure.  A lot of our knitters showed up and took advantage of the special discount.
About $400 dollars later I was on my way home.
I finally finished the little tank top ( or T-shirt) I was working on for the store to display.....here's a pic of my oldest modeling it. It's a little large on her; it's made of sugar cane yarn and very soft, shiny and drapes really nice.

I just realized that I did mention the warehouse tour in my last post. Just not with that much detail. Maybe I should start reading my own blog, lol.

Aiming for 100

Total random thoughts today. I'm working on a pattern for a circular knitting needles storage case, I have a new pattern for gloves in my head......funny when you think my name is "Dyeforsocks1965" everywhere.
The Skacel warehouse tour was AWESOME!!!!!!!! I spend $ 400 on yarn. Recession? What recession?????
Obama is gonna be so proud of us knitters, lol.
I dyed some more yarn yesterday and I have a million ideas in my head. Need to take pictures, post on etsy, because I want to have 100 products online before the end of the month... and I am finally finishing the project for my LYS, http://www.yorkshireyarns.com .
For the first time in 5 (five!!!!!) years my scale said 143 pounds this morning. I am ecstatic!!!!!!
And I should probably lay off the caffeine for a while, lol.
Now I am off to check if I have the materials in my sewing corner that I would need for one of my ideas. What? I know that it is past midnight. So?

Test knitting

I have a few people test knitting my latest glove design right now. They are so sweet! Nobody says: Hey, dumdum...you wrote that wrong!...it's always: is that supposed to be like that? So nice. Doesn't make you feel like a complete idiot. Especially when you put the thumb gusset on the back of the glove for the umpteenth time.
Well, here is a glimpse of the new glove...

Of course I used my trusted KnitPicks Yarn. I love their Stroll. And the best "bang for your buck" is truly the Palette. And right now I am in the process of getting two skeins of each color. So I order a couple every time the order doesn't quite make $ 50.
I wonder sometimes if they recognize return customers. Kinda like two war house workers...." Yo, Ernie...there is that one again that orders two of a color......wonder what she's doing with it"
"Wasn't she just ordering last week?"
Anyway......my imagination runs away with me frequently.
On Sunday we are going to the Skacel warehouse. That's right. We are getting the tour and we are able to buy addi needles and yarn at discounted prices.
I am so excited.
Let me know what you think about the gloves and I let you know how it went at Skacel.

First pattern sale

Has it really been that long? Wow...time flies when you are being busy.
Anyways...I sold my first pattern today! I am very excited. Now of course I hope all goes well, that she got the pattern alright and that there are no mistakes that I (and even my lovely test knitters Nici and Cindy ) overlooked.
Still....it's awesome.
The next pattern is knitted up and in the process of being written. Ideas for the next two designs are on paper and swirling around in my head.
There are definitely not enough hours in a day for a creative person. Especially when valuable time has to be wasted on things like a full time job to pay all the bills.
Maybe one day I can pay all the bills with my creativity. That would be so cool.
One can always hope....

As promised

Here is a picture of the gloves I created this weekend. Knitting them always goes so much faster than writing up the pattern.
Especially when the program that is supposed to turn the pattern into a downloadable PDF file is not cooperating. It does the conversion, but nobody but me can see it.
It's a free program, so I guess you get what you pay for. I have to look into getting the "Original" Adobe Acrobat.
But: as promised...here's the picture and I am looking for test knitters again....   :)

New pattern

Last night I came up with a new pattern for yet another pair of fingerless gloves. Yes, I know...that's why I am a member of the Fingerless Gloves Fanatics on Ravelry , and that's why I had stitch markers custom made by KnitGirl in Idaho that say just that: Fingerless Glove Fanatic.
I realized that the pattern in my head was not knittable in the round. I would have to knit two rectangles, sew them and attach a thumb. Which means I can not utilize my favorite method of "two at a time" .
I started out last night and knitted away. The plan was to get at least one of them done to completion.
Today I was not required to do anything else but knit...well, I went to the library to get..you guessed it.. more knitting books, and finished one of the rectangles while watching Fawlty Towers.
I started the second rectangle and gave up working on it to go on the computer and get some work done there. It took about half an hour before I could not look at that half finished rectangle anymore and picked it up to finish it. It is now 46 minutes after midnight, but the rectangle is done!!!!
So soon I will be looking for test knitters again. These gloves will be great as a project for someone that wants to get their feet wet doing cables.
Let me know if you know anybody, or if you would like to test knit. I shall post a picture tomorrow, when I will have finished them.
Do I need psychological help? I don't think so. Like one of my stitch markers says: Addicted to yarn. Things could be worse.

Advice

You know how it goes...you do something and immediately there are many people available with advice. Wether you asked for it or not.
Some people told me to blog about my dyeing process...so I started doing that, because I thought it would be fun and maybe somebody was really interested in that.
Then someone told me NOT to give away my rather "out of the box" way of dyeing yarn, because others would steal my idea and I'm therefore creating my own competition.
Now both ways make sense in their own right...even though the opinion of NOT posting shows a general mistrust, don't you think?
I'm a little torn between both positions and I have to think about that for a while.
On a less heavy note: I participated in a Mystery Mittens Knit-along  on Ravelry and absolutely loved it. The designer gave three options of patterns, so probably no two people knitted the same gloves. So cool.
Here's a picture of the finished mitts.














One more thing before I call it a night...check out this page on facebook. It's a fundraiser and soo worth it.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Knitting-Naked-for-Autism-Calendar/120639104630762

Where were we?

At some point I started showing my dyeing process. I believe I stopped with the optional ingredients. Got sidetracked with multiple visits to Trader Joe's wine department...
So here is a little more.....








These are the dyes I use. It's easy, does not require extra equipment like pots and stuff. It does not require acid to set, it is colorfast and easy.

So after you prepared the yarn by soaking it, you take it out of the bath and squeeze out all the excess water. The yarn should be damp, but NOT dripping wet. Lay it out on a separate piece of the plastic. I use painters plastic drop cloth. Very affordable. Goes a long way.
Make sure there are no twists in the skein.


I use cake decorator plastic squeeze bottles to mix the dyes. You can get them at any Michael's store or even at WalMart.

The more powder you mix with warm water, the more deep and vibrant the colors get.


Here's a picture with a bunch of them. Pre-mixed and ready to go.




To keep the suspense going.....More on this topic in a couple of days.

Mother's Day

It is Mother's day. My children decided to give me a day off. I have no kids in the house. So I went to K-Mart, got some shipping supplies and markers, went to Barnes and Noble for a new knitting magazine and to Starbucks for some well deserved nourishment.
Now I am at home, messing with my Etsy shop, checking twitter and my e-mail, answering conversations on Etsy, listing new items and writing out the pattern for the fingerless lace gloves. So technically I am working. Nice way to spend my afternoon off, huh?
BUT...there is no boss breating down my neck, nobody is telling me what to do and I can get up or stop what I'm doing at any time. Soo much better than working a day job.
So I am not considering this work. It is fun and makes a little extra money on the side.
And being able to do it without interruptions (why those pesky little people have to eat, I don't know): big bonus.
So wherever those kids of mine are...thanks, guys. Much appreciated.

New Pattern

Yay! Another Karin Crelling Original! This time a pair of fingerless mitts with a pretty lace pattern. And a Picot edge.
Here's a picture.
I should have the pattern available for the test knitters in about two weeks, probably sooner.
Leave me a message on my Ravelry or just comment here, if you would like to knit these up and see if the pattern works.
Thanks.

Lace pattern

Encouraged by my success with my first pattern ( I did NOT sell a single one as of today) and a burning desire to call myself a designer, I have started a lace pattern for fingerless gloves. As you may have noticed I love socks and fingerless gloves.
Writing down the pattern and knitting it is the easy part.
I don't think my daughter will be too thrilled to be the Guinea Pig for this one though.
This is not a project to take with you and knit on the bus or something like that. You gotta pay attention. But they are gorgeous. I will post a photo on Monday when they, hopefully ,will be done. I am always looking for test knitters.
Any takers?

My first international sale

Today I sold one of my bags to a lady in Germany. My first international sale! So exciting! Somehow there is a greater power working in my life. Every time when I am this close to giving up and thinking "why do I even bother" a sale happens. So when I came home today I went straight into my kitchen and dyed up some new yarns. 4 colorways this time. The names usually come to me when I see the finished skein...but sometimes I start out with an image in mind.
So I give you something to think about...the colorways this time are another Sun Flares, since it was a huge success (well, "huge" in my eyes) and sold within 3 days of being listed.
The next one is a brandnew yarn..a tweed in all shades of green so it's called Emerald Tweed.
The third one is called Alien Planet and the last one is my favorite. I named it "Depressed Cupid". I let you guess on the colors on this one.LOL
Here are some photos from a different session of dyeing yarn.

First you have to protect your counters and stuff. So I tape everything off securely with painters plastic. And I soak the yarn to be dyed in a sink full of luke warm water. For about 20 minutes. One of the accessories is very important by the way and it might give you an idea where I come up with the names for the colorways of my yarn.




 And here they are!!!! The most important accessories to my dyeing process. They are completely optional, of course.
Next come the paint and all the other goodies...but that will be revealed in another post.

Rainbow in my kitchen

I dyed some yarns on Tuesday and I always love it when they dry on the over-the-door rack. It looks like a rainbow in my kitchen.
Now they are dry and I shall take pictures tomorrow and put the yarn up for sale in my etsy shop.
I love the whole process of yarn dyeing. You never really know what you get. You have something in your mind and you start working and in the end it looks nothing like the image you saw with your minds eye. But it is some thing unique and one of a kind.
This weekend I shall post a couple of "screen shots" of my whole personalized method. Feel free to comment or ask questions...

Blackberry

Yes! I was up for an upgrade on my phone plan with Sprint. I love Sprint and finally got me a Blackberry Curve. The red one. After all, I'm trying to turn my etsy store into a business and would like an instant update in case somebody buys something from me. Hint,hint!
I am in love with my Blackberry!
The first thing you do, of course, is buying some apps.
Don't.
The one I bought is supposed to turn any song into a ringtone.You can determine which part of the song downloaded onto your Blackberry you would like to use as the ringtone.
My computer doesn't support the software needed to do that. So I will update drivers and tinker with it tomorrow, when I am not exhausted and it's not 1 AM.
So much for "only $4.99." HA!
In other news..I bought Star Wars (the first one from 1977) today. I don't know why...they repeat it often enough on TV, for Pete's sake!
And I worked at my local yarn store for a couple of hours today. I get paid to fondle yarn! I still can't believe it.
I posted my first knitting pattern on etsy today....that was exciting.
So, yeah...check back to hear more stories about the Blackberry.I think I should turn in for today.

2 AM

Note to self...don't leave convos on etsy when it is late, you are tired and had a glass of wine.
Well, two technically.......
Second note....don't write an e-mail to your best friend in Germany under the same circumstances. You tend to ramble.
Third note...next time your daughter invites you to come along when she goes out, don't excuse yourself. Just GO!!!!!
Fourth note....if you like someone, don't dwell on it if they don't return the feeling. Wine won't help. Going out with your daughter might have..   :)
Fifth note....well. there is none. Four are enough and I shall remember them tomorrow. Since they are now recorded for eternity.

WT....you know the rest

I just spilled a full baggy of locking stitch markers all over the keyboard and the floor. That's just an indication how my creative process worked today. It started with a marathon of movies on TV. So I'm all ready, coffee made, project picked ( a dog sweater-don't ask) and off we go. Or not. First I could not find the right needle size. Mind you, I know I have at least 4 of each size at the house, but this one I just could not find. Since the dog is rather small, I decided to go a size smaller on the needles. The sweater was done within 2 hours.
Now for assembly: The instructions said how to "attach the chest plate to the back". Not only did that wording make me think of coroners taking off the chest plate with hedge clippers on a body, I also sewed it on wrong, so the poor dog would not have been able to put his head through.
So I unsew the seam and try again, only to discover I did it wrong a second time. Undo again and this time I got it right. I shall post a picture when the doggie wears it.
Then I wanted to knit a few more rows on my lace edging for a jacket I'm making. The movies were over by now, so I'm sitting on the computer and checking mails, ect. I discovered after 16 rows that I inverted the pattern. (knitting the RS on the WS and vice versa) Since lifelines are for yellowbellies and according to my mantra "How hard can it be?" I had to unknit 16 rows of fluffy yarn in a lace pattern. Since you can't just rip it off the needles and unravel a few rows,  it nearly drove me insane.
And now the stitch marker incident.
I shall leave now and go to bed. Hopefully the knitting fairy will pick up these stich markers while I sleep.
Good night, cruel crafting gods.

Done!

I have the pattern for the Mediterranean Fingerless Mitts finished! I turned it into a PDF file and send it to my daughter. She will knit them up now and let me know if my pattern works.
So excited!! I also had two sales in my etsy shop this week and feel like Bill Gates right now. Wish I could bottle this feeling and sell it. I would be a millionaire in no time.
I keep you posted when i will publish the pattern.

Pattern Part 3

Well....let's see...I have taken pictures of the finished fingerless mittens. They turned out perfect. I started writing down the instructions and I got to the part where you explain the pattern. That took me about 90 minutes. But I learned how to insert a photo. Yay!!!!

So here are the mittens I'm wrestling with.....
I named them Mediterranean Fingerless Gloves. If you have ever seen the sky at midday in Italy, you know why.
Oh...off the topic here.....don't try to follow a 32 row lace pattern after you had a glass of wine.
Don't ask....just take my word for it.
Now back to the pattern.
I keep you posted.

Pattern, Part two

Well, the glove did not explode. I started putting the instructions down in written format from all my post-it notes. Let me tell you from experience.....Do not use post-it notes, when you are tracking a pattern while knitting.
I think the hardest part is this....I know what I'm doing. The design is in my head, I have a clear picture of it. Now try to explain it in written form to someone that has no clue what you are talking about.
And when it comes to " What yarn are you using?", the answer is not to hold up your knitting and saying 
"This one." No...you have to keep the wrapper and write it all down.
Now..where did I put that darn wrapper?

And where are post-it notes 5 and 7?


.....to be continued.

Pattern

Here we go again with my favorite quote : "How hard can it be?"
It makes my friends and family cringe and I even get the occasional groan.
BUT.......human kind would still be sitting around a campfire hunting with spears if some caveman would not have asked the same question, right? We learn by trial and error...or at least I do.
So my latest endeavour is to publish my own pattern.
Of course I immediately put the cart before the horse by learning first: "How to turn a pattern into a PDF file."
I love YouTube!!!!! Tutorials and all. Now I have the software to turn a non existing pattern into a PDF file. Yay!
The idea in my head is a pair of babyblue fingerless gloves.With pattern on the back of the hand. Off to the LYS we go. Beautiful yarn in the Bargain isle....with Angora!!!! Very soft and fuzzy, warm....perfect. 2 skeins purchased, taken home, turned into center pull balls, casting on 60 stitches per glove....two circular needles..ribbing 6 rows.....wait! These gloves will fit Sasquatch if I keep going with 60 stitches.....Ribbit!
Read label....aha....recommended needlesize 7. Okay.
After three more try-outs I settled for 40 stitches per glove, two at a time, two circular needles.
Cuff and pattern part done, up to where the thumb gusset will be.
Now I got smarter and actually counted how many stitches I had to the inch and I measured how fat my thumb was. Just so I would not end up with a pin-sized hole for the thumb.
Oh..wait!! I forgot to write down how many rows I knitted and what pattern I used.
Several hours later after much counting and writing and recounting I decided to leave the gloves for today and go to bed.
Tomorrow is another day and I will have more luck with this.
After all: say it with me...."How hard can it be?"

Why, oh why?

I swear, if I ever make a lot of money, I will leave everything to research to prevent the common cold when I die.
I HATE BEING SICK!!!!!
I know, I know...I'm not the only one with a cold, there are worse things I could be having...I heard it all. That does not help!
I never run a fever when I'm sick..I just feel like a truck just ran me over. The head hurts, the sinus is about to explode, you know the deal.
So..that's why I will leave all my money to research. And possibly my body.....but that's another story. I never got sick when I was still smoking. Go figure..

The next mystery I have to solve is this: Why did I have to clean my bookshelves today? Feeling crappy already? Why did it have to be a sunny, warm spring day that made me see the layer of dust on the shelves?
Sigh.....
I guess, I'll clean the carpets tomorrow.....

How hard can it be?

Lovely stitch markers wherever I look. My LYS, on Etsy, Ravelry, KnitPicks, even on e-bay.
So, little Karin decides..."How hard can it be?"
A question frequently asked on one of my favorite shows Top Gear. Only there it usually ends in disaster, flames, mayhem, potential injuries.
Off to Michaels we go to buy an ample supply of beads (glass), pearls (real freshwater), and coral. Some wire and some tools with it and we are ready to go, right?
Wrong! What looked so easy in my head (trust me..that happens frequently) is not at all easy in real life.
First I did not add into the equation, that maybe all the beads and pearls should have the same diameter hole in the middle. Kind of crucial if you are trying to fiddle them onto a wire..
The pearls, don't want to go on the wire. After chasing them across the desk for a while, I decide the hole is just too small and pushing a push pin through said hole should make it accessible for the wire.
Pearls SHATTER! Did you know that? Neither did I. Lucky I was wearing my glasses at the time.
Working as a dental office manager I shall take them to work tomorrow and ask if I may use the HighSpeed Drill in our Lab to widen the hole.
For now the stitch marker adventure is on ice. I shall keep you posted and supply some pictures too, when I finish one of them.

Big help

Over the past few years I developed a rather jaded view on the world around me. Don't trust anyone. That would have been my mantra and I have to say in 9 out of 10 cases it was very justified. I was mostly angry, didn't laugh as much as I used to, had some trouble sleeping and was generally not a happy camper.
Then my doctor diagnosed a rather severe deficiency in my thyroid and put me on medication. We are still tweaking the dosage around, but I have noticed a drastic change in  my mood and behaviour over the last 8 or 9 months.
I sleep better, I am definitely in a better mood, my hair is shiny, my nails are growing faster, my skin improved....just lots of little things.
I even mellowed out in my taste of music.
I'm still listening to mostly heavy stuff...(Go, Funky Monkey!!!), but I like more mainstream stuff now, too. There is even some emotional improvement.

Hmm... one little pill a day. It is amazing what one tiny little organ and it's hormones can influence in your body. When I asked my doctor the other day if this little pill could be responsible for my mood, she looked at me, and knowing full well, that I also have changed my diet a lot, asked me:" Why? Is the lack of chocolate making you suicidal?"
I had to laugh. She knows me so well.

I still don't trust people. But now I am at least willing to give you the benefit of a doubt.

Wohoo!!!!!

Everybody that knows me has gotten an earful. I can't stop talking about this "Fiber up-slim down" book I bought at my local Barnes and Noble. The diet actually works! I lost 13 pounds since I started on January 1st!!!! I'm not gonna bore you about how delicious it is and how filling and so on.
Quick note though: It curbs your craving for sweets tremendously. I have not had a piece of chocolate in two weeks. And this from the person who used to follow a coffee and candybar diet.
However...(there is always a drawback, isn't there.) I also noted that my face lost a  little of that pudgyness. Which makes some of the tiny wrinkles a little more pronounced. Not likeing it one bit!
So my choice is now: 1. Be a little pudgy but look younger than you are or..
                                 2. Look totally hot in tight jeans with a paperbag over my head.
I'm open for suggestions.

Done!

It is done! As of 4:00 pm ( or 16:00 hours) I am an american citizen. Certified! HA!
There is a passport photo affixed to it. Why do they tell you to look "stern" in passport photos?
Will you look "sternly" at somebody at the airport or the border when they check your document? No...you will smile, conveying that you are no threat whatsoever.
A saying goes: "When you start to look like your passport photo, it's time to go home."
Very true.
My photo looks like  I robbed the liquor store and drank all the loot before they caught me and did a mugshot.
Sheesh. I want a redo. But then again...I look like that in Glamour pictures, too. Guess I'm just not the photogenic type.
Anyway...I am proud to be  american now. Next goal: Politics!
Yeah..right.

Proud American

For everyone who has NOT heard the story:
I came here to the United States from Germany as the wife of an american soldier. Two divorces and one daughter later I was faced with the decision to either renew my "Permanent Resident" card or apply for citizenship.
I have only my brother left in Germany and I am not planning to move anywhere else in the world. So I decided I would like to have a say in my community. I would like to be able to vote for more money for my daughters school. I would like to be able to vote for who will represent me in Washington DC. Or what they do with my tax money.
So I saved up the application fees and mailed in my application in November.
In December I was sent an appointment to get my fingerprints taken at the local Office for Homeland Security.
Today I had my final interview at the same office and my application was accepted.
Now I'm thinking it is going to take a few more weeks before I get a final decision. Yeah, right.

I WILL BE SWORN IN AS A BRANDNEW AMERICAN CITIZEN TOMORROW!!!!!

I'm so excited. My youngest is happy, because she gets out of school a little earlier and my son in law is not so happy, because he has to drive me there, LOL.
So, yeah, that's the big news for today! Yay!

Advertisement

I have an Etsy shop. I sell handknitted items like gloves, scarfs and stuff. And I dye my own yarn. Mostly sock weight......I confess, I'm a " knitting-sock-addict". I also make small fabric bags.....apparently hundreds of other people do that, too.
So I purchased an advertisement spot on Etsy's Showcase under the category "Knitting". While I was really excited to be, what they call ,"featured"..........geez.....lots of quotes in this post................it didn't really do anything. It drove some traffic to my shop and I got a few more hearts (two to be exact) and I really appreciate that. But that first sale is still eluding me. I'm great at what I do.......don't get me wrong. I just don't like the business side of things too much. I'd rather be dyeing yarn, sewing stuff , designing patterns and knitting  all day. Have somebody else deal with the advertising, shipping and all that other stuff.
* Sighs*
One can dream....right?
On a more positive note: I actually lost.....yes...LOST.......2 pounds so far on my delicious low-calorie-homemade-soup diet. That I cut out the candy and eat an apple when I crave sweets doesn't hurt either.

So right now I'm working on a commissioned sweater and a Baby Jacket. The Baby Jacket is my own design and I write down the pattern as I knit along. I will try YouTube to find a tutorial on how to turn it into PDF files.
That's how I learned how to put videos together to put on YouTube. Funny thing is....I found out later that my son-in-law posted the video where I learned it from.
In conclusion: the Etsy thing is not going as well as I would like it to......but I am confident that I will succeed there too. My diet is going well ( I hate being in my forties. I never even uttered the word "diet" until I turned 40!!!! I was just fine on coffee and candybars!)and I still have a day job.
Not bad for 2010 so far.

Finished!

So I bought this magazine at my LYS. It is called Interweave and it has the most amazing patterns ever. I picked the coat from the cover of the Fall 2009 issue and checked online where to get the yarn.
Big surprise....the yarn would have been in the general area of $180. And I haven't even knitted a stitch yet!
Needless to say: that was just not in my budget.
I went to my LYS Yorkshire Yarns and Shirley, one of the ladies that works there, suggested the Eco Wool from Cascade Yarns. Not onl;y is that 200 yards to the skein, it is also incredibly easy to knit with. Gorgeous stitch definition, and surprisingly soft for 100% undyed wool.
I started the coat on November 25th of 2009 and finished it on January 4th of 2010.
Insert picture here:

Okay....so you have to tilt your head sideways to really see it. But I love the coat. It is warm, it fits( major accomplishment here) and I love it.
Currently it is on display at Yorkshire Yarns. I am so proud! Thanks to Sonia for asking if she could borrow it for a while.Let's see if I can get another picture up.....Yay!!!!! On to the next project!!!!

Making a list and checking it twice.....

No. I am not Santa and I am also not waaaaay behind on holidays.
My title is referring to the list of things to do in 2010.

                                 HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I have a list for 2010. Items are as follows:

1.)Loose 20 pounds.
 By the end of the year I hope to have lost the 20 pounds I gained since I turned 40. I started out by making a soup with all the healthy ingredients and only 140 calories per serving. Which is one cup. Perfect. By 9pm today I had eaten all 4 servings that I made. It was just so delicious. So No. 1 on my list is going well.

2.)Take my Etsy shop to success.
  I put new items on today 10 minutes after midnight. I updated the profile, the shop message and tinkered around with the items. Did I mention I did this 10 minutes after midnight? I need a life!!!!!

3.) Save money for a vacation.
  I can already write "Yeah, right" under this resolution. My dream would be to go to Cape Town in South Africa. But I'm pretty sure that is a few years in the making. Might as well cross that off this years list.

That's all I have on my list so far. I even bought a Day Planner today. It was 50% off at Barnes and Noble and I could not resist.
Who came up with the term "Day Planner" anyway? I wake up, go to work,come home,eat,goof around,sleep and repeat.Really don't need to plan that, do I?

So far I'm doing pretty good with my "List of 2010". I'll keep you posted on how it goes.