Onwards.. and Upwards...

So... I'm going to get on with my life... without my sock... my first knitted sock... EVER... and get back to updating you on all that is going on with me :) because most of it is happy happy!

On Thursday I got my Knit Picks order! Whee!!! Lots and Lots of stuff for MEEEEEEE!

I took advantage of the sale Knit Picks was having on books (until Aug. 8th in case anyone was interested) and got a few that I've had my eye on for quite some time. Just in case you can't tell what they are... The first one on the left is the "Knitting Workshop" by Elizabeth Zimmerman - what good knitter would be without one of these??? I had to wait for it to become available (which also held up my order with KP) but I just knew it's going to be WELL worth the wait. When ever I'm talking to Muggles (as I've heard someone call non-knitters) and I tell them about Elizabeth Zimmerman I call her "THE Grand Mum of Knitting". I think that she would be one of the 3 people I would want at my dinner table (dead or alive) if I ever got the chance. You know that hypothetical question that some people like to ponder. Although right now I don't feel worthy enough since I am such a beginner... but then again... who better to learn from right?

The next book is the "Sweater Workshop" by Jacqueline Fee. I've also heard lots and lots and lots of good things about this book as well. Kelley Petkun talks about it often in her podcast. At this point in time I'm a little intimidated about knitting a garment for myself or anyone else for that matter. When I first started thinking about knitting it was SOCKS that I wanted to knit the most. But from what I've heard about this book that this is THE book to learn how to knit a sweater from. If I follow it from beginning to end I'll be a pro and know all there is to know about knitting/designing/tailoring a sweater.

The next book is called "I Can't Believe I'm Knitting Socks" from Leisure Arts. I'm not sure where I heard about this book - it could have been Kelley Petkun or it could have been Lime & Violet or both... but it looks good to me. I think it was Lime & Violet that raved about the basic sock pattern in this book because the instructions have you make each part of the sock in a different color so that you'll really really be able to visualize the different parts that make up a knitted sock. Very cool!

The last book on the right is called "The Magic Loop" by Bev Galeskas and based on Sarah Hauschka's Magical Unvention. I'll admit it looks strange but anyone I've talked to about it LOVES knitting socks this way. I don't know if I'm quite ready for it but I got the book on sale for a really great price so even if it sits around for a while who cares right? It was on Sale!!!

Now for my goodies! Of course after getting "The Magic Loop" book I had to have some longer cable needles to do it with right??? So that's what you see on top of my books - All 3 are size 1 needles in 32" length, 40" length and 47 " length. Oh, and you can't tell in the picture but they are made out of Knit Pick's Harmony wood which is absolutely beautiful. They truly are pointy pieces of art!

Now what kind of knitter would I be if I didn't get YARN too???? Duh!!! I am trying to keep my stash down - as I can become quite a hoarder when it comes to a new craft. Let's just leave it at that shall we??? So I only bought what was on clearance because: A. IT WAS ON SALE!!! and B. it was most likely going to be discontinued right??? I got 2 skeins of Essential Sock Yarn in colorway Dune Twist - I thought this would make a nice pair of brown socks. I also got 2 skeins of Shine Sport in colorway Sky and 3 skeins of Shine Sport in colorway River. Now to be perfectly honest... I'm not sure why I ordered the Shine Sport yarns. I vaguely remember looking through the site and coming across a book with a pattern to make a knitted puppy... out of these two colors. But I didn't' buy the book that went with it... hmmmmm..... yup that's what it was... I meant to buy "Knitted Toys" and make the Floppy Dog pattern out of this yarn... maybe FAB all ready has this book... hmmmmm...

So that was ONE of my exciting moments on Thursday. When I take pictures of the other one I'll post it.

Update Info July 2008 - in no particular order

OMG I have so much to update this blog on... so I just made the decision to blog about one thing at a time... so it may take me a couple of posts to get it all out but that's just going to have to do. And this will be my first!

This is only one of the things I am so excited about...

First some backstory...

When my FAB was here visiting last month she told me about podcasts. I had heard about them before but honestly I don't think I really "got it" as to what they are all about and how FANTASTIC they can be. Of course the one's that she told me about were knitting ones and they are so much fun to listen to. Thing is a lot of them have been podcasting for at least 2 years (or more!) and that is a lot to catch up on... but I'm trying! So basically I download the podcasts from itunes into my ipod and listen away. Every spare chance I get I'm listening to one... well except for in the morning while I'm in the shower because my brain is just not awake enough to comprehend what is being said... but any other time I'm listening away... even at work! I do a lot of typing and can listen and type at the same time - that being said I'm almost caught up on one podcast.

I've been wanting an additional ipod just for my podcasts so that I don't have to keep taking the one that I have with everywhere. I have a docking station for it in my bathroom so that I can listen to MY music while I'm in the shower and getting ready in the morning instead of listening to the same old same old on the radio. Since I've been listening to my podcasts wherever I go I usually leave my ipod somewhere where it isn't where I need it to be when I want to listen to it. ie: it's upstairs next to my bed and I'm downstairs ready (I'll leave it at that) to get in the shower - UGH! I've been watching woot! (if you don't know who or what that is check it out at WOOT! - it is awesome) for a refurbished ipod/mp3 player for a relatively low price. A few weeks ago there was a woot-off! and I had thought that I had gotten an 8G ipod shuffle... still dunno what happened but I didn't get it. Bummer! But YESTERDAY they had a 30G ipod 5th Generation and I wooted it and this time I'm sure that I got it!!! So sometime next week I'll get my new ipod and I can't wait!!!!

This way I can leave my regular ipod at home in the bathroom with ALL of my music on it to listen to while I'm in there and load just about everything else I own onto my new ipod that I'll take WITH me where ever I go.

FAB was here!

So it's been a few days since I've been here... I've been busy... KNITTING!!! FAB was here over the weekend and just as we planned she taught me to knit - now I just have to practice... practice... practice! And that's what I've been busy doing.

She also told me about Podcats. Now I've heard of these before but didn't really know too much about them or how much I would LOVE them! Of course the one's that I am listening to are all about knitting and crocheting - DUH! There were a few that she told me I just HAD to listen to and that's what I am doing... downloading them... putting them on my ipod and any chance I get I'm listening to one. And last night for the very first time I turned off the TV and just sat and knitted while listened to one. OMG I turned off the TV!!!! I equate it to back in the ol' days where people would listen to radio shows and the like... you know... BEFORE TV. I have already discovered "books on tape" but I rarely have an occasion to listen any of them. So I've been tinkering around with itunes and my ipod - taking music off that I really don't listen to - to make room for some podcasts... boy to I have a lot to catch up on!

My first thing to do is practice... so I cast on 25 stitches (actually FAB did it cuz I just wasn't getting it) - showed me how to do a few then she handed me over the needles and I was off... a few times I had to give it back to her and say "here - this doesn't look right... what did I do?" and she'd fix it and give it back. Apparently in the beginning I was adding on stitches - how exactly I have no idea - but I did - when I finally leveled off enough to know what it was I was to do I was up to 38 stitches (from 25) - but from there on I pretty much know what to do and a little bit of how to fix something if I didn't do it right the first time. FAB calls this tink-ing (you know... knit spelled backwards... tink". I am also trying to learn the anatomy of a stitch - where the yarn comes from - how it makes the stitch - and what it looks like after the stitch has been completed. With crocheting it's a little bit easier to tell - then again you are only using one needle when you crochet.

While FAB was here we visited my local yarn shop - which I am sure is going to become my 2nd home. While we were there I was talking with the owner and showing my excitement of learning to knit and she suggested that I come to the Sit n' Knit class she has every Tuesday - oh what fun that sounded like! But when Tuesday came I really didn't think that I was going to go. We had LJ with us all day at work and that is trying - so really all I wanted to do was go home and go into my craft room and not come out... but then I got to thinking that there wasn't going to be another opportunity to surround myself with other knitters for a whole week! So I went. I packed up my little practice piece and all my equipment and off I went. It's about a 20 minute ride from my house to the Yarn shop so I had plenty of time to listen to my newly downloaded podcasts. When I got there I really didn't know what to expect. But really there was a table with chairs around it and different people sitting there knitting & crocheting away. I was 5 min early but these ladies appeared to have been there for a while because they had all ready settled in and were knitting. So I walked in - looked around for a familiar face (didn't see any) but I did see lots of welcoming ones. I made myself to a seat and sat down and introduced myself. Right off the bat I had some questions and all the ladies around me were full of advise and expertise. Now, I knew that there were some out there but I honestly didn't think that a MAN would be there knitting away and lo and behold there was. And what a nice Man he is... funny too! I had a really good time - got some advice - and some help and I think next week I'll let them talk me into making more than a practice piece. I'm really hopeing to maybe making a sock but I just don't know if I'm there yet. Honestly I thought that I'd start out with a scarf. Which brings me to yesterday...

Mom and I went to ACMoore's and I bought some yarn to make myself a scarf. I may start it tonight even. I don't know much about yarn - YET! I have some podcasts on the subject to listen to. :)~ I always thought of wool as hot and scratchy - but even the little bit of knowledge about it I was WAY OFF!!!!

So there you have it... what I've been up to lately... I'll let you know how I make out on the scarf and maybe even post some pictures!