This is only a test

Well, the Third Draft for the Moving Forward Mittens is moving along nicely, and I've found two test knitters ((one with more experience than the other)) to look over and try out the pattern as I've written it down and see if it comes out like I've been knitting, or if it creates something else entirely because I may, in fact, find out I suck at writing patterns. Cross fingers folks and I'll take pictures when I'm done with draft 3.

A little Victorian

So I've gotten draft two done on the Moving Forward Mits. There will be a draft three, but this time it won't be for the thumb issue, which seems to be pretty much resolved. I knitted this one in Caron Simply Soft since it's supposed to be the same weight as the hideous JoJoland I used the first time ((actually it seems to make a slightly larger glove...)) and it was single colored which I figured would set off the lace pattern much better. I also made some changes to the center stretch of the lace repeat, which help emphasize the yarn-overs and decreases and the patterns they make. I'm kind of proud of the result!

 The Third draft will be to add a greater length to the wrist ((just adding more repeats of the basic lace pattern, and to ditch the mini picot bind off at the top. It's cute and gives the glove an adorably Victorian feel, but it's also impractical on certain levels, especially since the intended recipient drives Stick, so really these need to be useful and good at 'holding' the hand so they don't get caught up on car bits.

 I've designed super simple fingerless mits before, way back when I first started knitting, but nothing at this level, so I am, if I do say so myself, VERY pleased with myself. It's no Snow Queen Pi shawl, but hell, I think it looks pretty damn good.

KnitPickery

 Knit Picks managed to suck me in for a full 21 skeins of yarn and a new pair of tips for my interchangeable needles this week as part of their several day 'Cyber Monday' sale. I guess I'd feel worse about it if it wasn't Knit Picks, because they do, regardless of some peoples opinions of them, have pretty good yarn, and they sell it DAMN CHEAP already for the most part.

((Apparently for some people: Knit Picks is actually a horrible conspiracy to drive all Local Yarn Stores out of business. Never mind that there are a lot of yarns you can still only get at LYS's, and that knitting is a HIGHLY communal activity, and the attitude of owners can make or break a store... it's ALL Knitpicks fault. Entirely. For Serious.))

 Ok I'm done being sarcastic now.  ANYWAY. I bought a lot of yarn, and it's all for various projects that I have in mind. I even scored some of the Chroma rainbow yarn I've been drooling over, and some lace yarn. I got it in Worsted, but they didn't have the fingering weight for the sale up yet when I did my round of shopping, and anyway, since it's to remake an old snuggly wrap, it'll knit up faster with larger yarn.

I'm also putzing around with making a pattern for fingerless mittens, which is kinda making me nervous, but we'll see how it works out. I keep pulling it out and switching yarns, so atm it's in some kind of er.... ugly very colorful stuff, but at least since it doesn't have the crazy levels of sheen the first one did, it should photograph much better when I'm done. Cross fingers and hope I can pull this off. If I do, I'll share the pattern on Rav.

 Edit: Added some pictures of the first draft finished glove. Still won't be putting the pattern up because the thumb needs work, and I need to do it in a yarn that doesn't look like a clown barfed, but it's a good start I think.

Had a online acquaintance comment after seeing the top that it needed to be tighter knit to be 'functional', but apparently she's never seen lacy fingerless mits. :p Not my problem, they're not for her.

Little Silk Dragons

 Happy Thanksgiving everyone, if you celebrate it, and if you don't: Enjoy a great day, hopefully with great food and great people.

 I've got a new project on the needles: the Dragon Scales Shawl with some tiny laceweight silk yarn. ...I'll admit I'm not sure I will voluntarily do much with 100% silk yarn again, it's a bastard to wind, and a bastard to rip out if I need to. Both resulted in more snarls than an kennel of rabid dogs, but for softness it's damned hard to beat.

 Technically the pattern calls for a heavier yarn, but It seems so far to be coming out ok, and the size is pretty much 'as big as you want' so if I get SUPER strapped for size I can always get another Skein... (cringe). Though I might see about paying the extra to have the owner of the store wind it.

The Dragon Scale Shawl in progress

The pie is done (unsampled) in the fridge, Tilmani loved his gifts, and the cake AND the frosting came out pretty well. I can't say the frosting came out QUITE as well as I would have liked, or that I didn't end up wearing more than my share of powdered sugar... but overall, good baking day and good baking results.

 Oh and Tony Van Helsing liked an analogy I posted on his blog. Clearly I win the Internet. ;)

New Blog I'm Following

 Just started following "Scrambled Hen Fruits" after a friend of mine linked them to me over email. Well, technically they handed me a link to one of the far-too-many decadent looking baking recipes on said blog (The Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies), and I couldn't NOT link it for posterity, just to make sure I could find this amazing looking marvel again and try and make them.

 Since Monster ADORES Apple and Pumpkin and such, I can't imagine these not going over well, I just won't be baking them this week, what with two pies, and two birthday cakes in the works. ((Turtle and Tilmani.))

 Tilmani gets Strawberry Cake with Jam in the middle and home made cream cheese frosting, and Turtle asked for Chocolate, so he gets Devils Food and Fudge frosting. Both pies are pumpkin and are for the Thanksgiving Holiday with the in laws, since Nana J is kind enough to host the feast this year. I do confess I am cheating a little... I didn't make my crusts, but I think people will just have to forgive a LITTLE bit of baking cop out. Sorry.

 Did finish a project for MiniMonster though. I made him the Starghan pattern from Ravelry. ((You'll probably need a Rav account to look, but if you're a knitter, it's free and worth it... oh and the pattern is ALSO free and worth it.))

 I used some KnitPicks yarn I'd had kicking around for a couple years, and I'm really pleased with the result. Hell I wouldn't mind knitting that pattern AGAIN and trying for larger, and may try and do so for GreenGosselin's daughter if I get the chance. I don't know if it would be BED sized but it would be a nice individualized throw in the colors of her choice, and her daughter is a sweet kid who I think counts under the 'knitworthy' flag.

 So does Mini of course. He wouldn't even leave that thing unattended long enough to get a photo of JUST the blanket. He came over and sat on it instead. He is (yes) wearing an Halloween Shirt, but he likes it, and the skeletons glow in the dark, so pft. I say let him wear it.

Nuts in November

 Well it's November, and that means Thanksgiving is roaring down at us like a herd of wild turkeys and expectations from various people as to who we're going to spend Thanksgiving with, and Tilmani's birthday.

 Poor Tilmani's birthday falls ON Thanksgiving this year, which is going to be kind of awkward for him. I've informed him flat out though that we're going to take a day and we're going to specifically celebrate his birthday, unrelated to the holiday. I've got his presents all bagged and wrapped and in his room (I might have gone slightly overboard, but then, Christmas will probably be completely nuts, so might as well give him an awesome round of gifts before we're all sleep deprived and pulling our hair out.)

 I'll share later what he got, because I don't want him finding out in advance.

 I did finish my Vortex shawl, and it was promptly adopted by MiniMonster, who's currently sleeping under it. This is kinda ok because I need to carefully wash it and try and block it (somehow) before it's ready to show to to the interested party. It didn't come out too badly, it's just definitely not my color. Nice to know Mini likes it though, because I've got leftover yarn and I don't think it's going to explode too many heads if he has something in purple/blue, especially since it's a dark purple blue and not super vibrant and 'in your face'.

In an attempt to try and trade off for the shawl I'm knitting him a shawl afghan from a designer on Ravelry. Dunno if he'll take to it or not though, since it's plainer, more earthy colors (soft green, tan, brown and cream.) (Oh and machine washable.)

Otherwise I do have one of my normal gripes with the universe:

 1: Facebook (and relatives): Facebook, which I kinda already hate, has a new fun virus that we spent two days cleaning off the computer. I didn't even catch it BY GOING to Facebook. I caught it because of those obnoxious emails they send out trying to suck you back in to obsessively checking all the blather and crap people do that you probably didn't care about. I do have to give (very annoyed) props to the designers of said virus. They CLEARLY went through a lot of effort to build this thing, disguising it as an anti virus program in and of itself, and blocking everything except for the request for you to give them money to theoretically fix the virus' on your computer. I can easily imagine a lot of people falling for this and getting in a lot of trouble. Fortunately I wasn't one of them.
 However what I don't need is to get spammed with emails from smug people with crap like "This is How Facebook Tracks You" when I'm not USING Facebook, and the only reason I got on it TO BEGIN WITH was to follow an particular relative who likes to make shit up about people to make themselves look better (and has been caught at it several times.)
 I've got their stuff going to junk mail, I don't update, I don't visit, and I especially don't want to visit right now even to try and delete shit because I don't want to CATCH THE GODDAMN VIRUS AGAIN. There's nothing up there, photos included, that people couldn't just as easily find on my deviantart page anyway, so I'm not loosing any sleep.

2: Gimmiegulls:
  This is a term adopted from Ravelry. It has to do with people who see you with something and demand their share, regardless of whether or not they deserve it. The term especially is used there to apply to people who want you to become their knitting slave for free, but generally applies to the greedy at large. ((Think of the seagulls in Finding Nemo. You'll get it.))
 -Dear Gimmiegulls: Just because I've got something doesn't mean I'm obliged to get/make/otherwise produce one for you.
In fact, to one specific gimmie gull: I got you the goddamn miniature chickadee ornament you were pawing at me for. Was I stupid to do so? Probably. You obviously don't particularly appreciate the gesture, even at a not so bank breaking ten bucks, because after hearing day in and day out how YOU couldn't afford to go spend ten bucks on it even though you wanted it SO bad.... I see you've signed up for an Secret Santa program since I told you I got it. Minimum gift cost is ten bucks.

 ...obviously you could afford THAT.

 I'm going to pretend I didn't notice, then try not to punch through a wall when you tell me in one breath how you want the next thing SO bad, but can't afford it... while shelling out 30$ and up on more stuff for you and your friends. I'm not goddamn blind. I'm just apparently THAT stubbornly determined to pretend you're going to change.  Go me. e_e

Updated Vortex Shawl

As of my last check: the shawl is about two feet ten inches across, at least thats as wide as I get doubling the distance from the middle to one edge. My largest pair of needles actually isn't long enough for me to fully spread out at this point.

 I'm still wondering if I'll have to get some more yarn to finish this at a wearable size, but we'll see. I did find the yarn, so I guess it's just difficult to find this colorway, not impossible. That's something.
 The small round thing you see is a quarter I put in one of the spiral arms for perspective.