ISE3 scarf is so close to being done

It's roughly 62" long excluding the fringe. I just need to bind off and add the fringe and then I'll be done unless I decide to make it longer. Maybe. Maybe not.

[Edited to Add]
I originally wanted the scarf to be 72" long. So I decided to go ahead and knit some more using a fourth ball of yarn.

Sock Wars Update

My target sent me her mailing address. I sent her socks off on Tuesday morning on the way to work. Her death is imminent. My assassin is working on the socks which will mark my death.

Socks Wars Round 1

I have completed my socks. The next step is to mail them to my target. But alas, Yarn Monkey has still not gotten out all the dossiers. My target doesn't want to give up the mailing address. So I must wait for her to "play fair" or for Yarn Monkey to send my dossier. Hopefully, I'll be able to survive to knit another pair.

Impatient

I can't wait for Sock Wars to begin. I was hoping to get my scarf done for the International Scarf Exchange (ISE3) beforehand. But alas, it is only about half way completed.

Now, I'm just waiting for yarnmonkey, the hostess of sock wars, to send out the pattern. Then the war begins. I don't want to be sleeping when the war starts but it's almost midnight and I have to go to work tomorrow.

A watched clock never rings and a watched email account just dares the Comcast gods to kill the connection. I think I'll go to bed and check in the morning, unless I have to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom or get water in which case it would be ok to check, wouldn't it.

Goal Setting

A week ago I posted the following:

My goals for this week are to finish the Baby Surprise Jacket, the crocheted bear for the Mother Bear project, at least 10 more inches on my ISE3 scarf, and at least 2 more swatches for my CGOA coursework. If you plan it, it will happen... right?

Well it didn't happen. Almost, but not quite. I did not get my CGOA swatches done. Not good. But I did get everything else done. Very good. So now I'm behind schedule on my CGOA stuff and Sock Wars starts on Friday. I forgot to swatch using the yarn I selected so I'm doing that now.

For this week, I set these goals. By Friday, add 10 more inches to my ISE3 scarf and do 4 CGOA swatches. On Friday, Sock Wars begins and that is my focus until (1) I complete my pair of socks and send them off or (2) I receive a pair of socks in the mail and the fun is over. Since it starts Friday, the odds are the earliest I will be assasinated is Monday. Every day when I come home from work I won't want to check the mailbox. It can only mean the end of the game. Wish me luck.

P.S. I got gauge with my Sock Wars yarn. I went up a needle size to do it, but I did it. Yeah! ! ! !

Baby Surprise is ready for a baby

I finished my Baby Surprise Jacket (BSJ). It was designed by Elizabeth Zimmerman and can be found in her books Knitting Workshop and The Opinionated Knitter. Click here to see a pic of my BSJ before I sewed the shoulder seams. The entire jacket is knit in one piece. I used Caron Simply Soft in the Baby Brights colorway.

Pierre for the Mother Bear Project

I finished my first bear for the Mother Bear Project. He's crocheted using Bernat Satin Yarn and a size G hook. Click here to see how he looked before he was stuffed. My friend Pam, named him Pierre. Pierre is about 15 inches tall and is happy to be going to live overseas with a little boy or girl who will love him. But Pierre would like a friend to travel with. He's never been on a plane and wants someone he knows along for the ride. Not that he's scared or anything. Pierre thinks it will be more fun to travel with a buddy. So I need to make another bear, maybe a girl this time.

P.S. I mailed my box of 50 caps for Caps to the Capital today. And the Baby Surprise Jacket will be completed this weekend. I promise.

I had a productive weekend

This weekend I managed to get some more household chores done which were on the list. Since it was a normal weekend and not a dedicated housework weekend I didn't force myself to work too much.

On Friday, I went to the LYS to get a 2nd opinion on my ISE3 scarf. It seemed a bit tight with the size 8 needles and I wondered if I should go up a needle size. Well, each of the two employees in the store had a different opinion. One said it was fine, the other thought I should go up a needle size. Both said, if I thought it was too tight I should change it. So I did and now I have 9 inches done. Yeah!!

While watching a movie Saturday night, I started a crocheted bear for the Mother Bear project. The bear is knit or crocheted in one long piece from the toes up to the top of the head and down the other side. During that one movie I got it all crocheted except for the scarf. The bear is a beigy color with dark green pants and a light green sweater. This project was featured on an episode of Knitty Gritty on the DIY Network.



I also pinned the seams of my Baby Surprise Jacket together so I can seam it up. Here's a picture of it before I pinned it.



My goals for this week are to finish the Baby Surprise Jacket, the crocheted bear for the Mother Bear project, at least 10 more inches on my ISE3 scarf, and at least 2 more swatches for my CGOA coursework. If you plan it, it will happen... right?

Sock Wars Update

The yarn, needle, and gauge requirements for Sock Wars was posted today. Another trip to the yarn store was necessary. Instead of your average sock yarn, DK weight is the name of the game. Yarnmonkey says she did this since a lot of newbies enlisted.

Here's a pic of the yarn I bought. It's Lola by Schaefer Yarn. It's a handpainted superwash merino wool. I hope the recipient likes the colors as much as I do. They're a little out there but I thought the bright colors would encourage me to knit faster.

100% of my goal

I did it! My goal for Caps to the Capital was 50 hats by Thanksgiving. I completed my 50th hat less than 10 minutes ago. It feels so good to be able to help 50 newborns. Most of the hats were made with Patons Decor, some with TLC Essentials, some with TLC Lustre, and a few with Bernat Satin.

Yarn Shopping was Fruitful

This yarn is Cascade Yarn's Quattro in colorway 9432. It's a blue and green mix. I'll use it to make the Farrow Rib scarf for my ISE3 pal. The pattern was part of the Little Box of Scarves. Quattro is 100% Peruvian Highland Wool. I hope my secret pal will like my choices for her.




Patons Decor is one of my favorite yarns to use for charity projects. It's 75% acrylic and 25% wool. It feels great and it's machine washable. I'll use this yarn, colorway 1714, to knit the Elaine scarf for the Red Scarf Project. The pattern was found in Sally Melville's Book 2:The Purl Stitch. I chose a machine washable yarn because I was afraid my scarf would go to a young college student who would inadvertently put it in the washer. With a non-washable wool it would felt. And back in college I know I didn't want anything hand wash only or dry clean only.

ISE3 has begun

I woke up this morning and was excited to find my secret pal information for ISE3 in my inbox. In anticipation of the event I had started a scarf. It's a nice one but the color isn't going to look right on my secret pal. So, yippee, I get to go to the yarn store today and pick out new yarn. I love shopping for yarn at the LYS. Today, I'm going to go to ...have you any wool? It's close to my house and they have great staff working there.

Now what can I tell you about my secret pal without giving too much away. She may be reading my blog, ya know. She's a she rather than a he. She lives in a cold climate so I'll make a scarf to keep her warm. And she's got a really nice blog. I can't post the address or everyone would know who I have. Once I pick out the pattern and the yarn, I'll post a pic.

P.S. In the afternoon I received an email from the person who gets to knit a scarf for me. This is so exciting. And she's got the greatest email address "Secret Knitter". I think she may do a lot of swapping. What do you think?

Following the Rules

It's Labor Day weekend. I have three days off from work and I scheduled two more off. What can I do with 5 days off? Crafting for 5 days would be lots of fun. But the dishes would continue to pile up in the sink. The dust bunnies would continue to grow into giant mutant rabbits. And the vast amounts of stuff accumulated in my house would still be there (sometimes I think it multiplies when I'm not looking). I gotta set some rules.

Here they are. Each day I must work on household chores (there is a list of them) for at least 6 hours. I am only allowed to craft (there's a list for this too) after dinner or after 8 o'clock. Depends if my 6 hours of work are done by dinner time. Sleeping late does not get me out of doing the requisite amount of work each day.

And when I do craft I can only work on certain items. I signed up for the CGOA's Masters of Basic Stitches course. You get a whole year to complete 21 swatches and answer 18 questions. I have one month left and as you can see on the sidebar I am less than half way done. This must get completed on time. My goal for Caps for the Capital is close to being done. I am allowed to work on this because it's a good take along project. It's amazing how much you can get done while waiting in line or for your meal to be placed in front of you, or while every gabs at the table after finishing dessert. And lastly, I am allowed to work on my Baby Surprise jacket an Elizabeth Zimmerman design) since it only needs to be seamed and the buttons sewn on. I first saw it on Smokin' Hot Needles blog.

I had such good intentions. I had to go to work on Saturday morning at 6am. But they weren't ready on time so I tried to go back to sleep, tried again later, and eventually went in at 10. That threw me off and I took a nap when I got home at 3pm. So I didn't do any chores and I went over Karen's for dinner and movies with her and Brent (aka Pez). I did get 3 caps made while at Karen's. Today though, I did really well. I worked for over 6 hours on chores, crossed several items off my list, and I finished three more swatches for my CGOA coursework. Yippee ! ! !

Tomorrow is the last day of the Michigan State Fair. Karen, Pez, and I are supposed to go. To stay on track I need to get some stuff done before I leave the house and after I come home. Hopefully, I can do that. Well I know I can but will I do that. Only time will tell.

Tuesday and Wednesday will probably be productive since my friends will be back at work. No distractions. I might actually achieve my goal of a clutter free house by the end of the year after all. Several more weekends with rules will be required for that to happen. Wish me luck.