Sunday, July 6, 2008
My Angel Package Arrived!
I posted the details of my wonderful package from my angel, Ophelia B., on my blog.. I am very pleased to have had such a generous angel. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer and I look forward to the start of round 4!
Celestina Crookshanks
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Headmistress is staying!!
:::sends pieces of torn up notice to various points of the compass:::
:::thinks a moment, then hurries to find them & dispose of them properly *before* said Headmistress catches her:::
:::looks innocent while picking up sock yarn and needles:::
Friday, June 13, 2008
We are still on for number 4
So keep an eye out have a great weekend!!! Happy knitting!!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
So, again ... please .... YOU did your job, and did it beautifully. MOST people completed their responsibilities in the swap. People will step up to take on the responsibilities of those who flaked out .... please stay.
Katt
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
HAZAH!!!!!
Friday, June 6, 2008
I am sorry to say
The people who played by the rules were great and it is almost enough for me to host again but it is killing me that there are people who spent lots of time and money getting thier packages out on time to get nothing in return. If I had the money I would send them something myself. I am really sorry for those of you who did not get a package I would say keep emailing your pal but I feel it is a lost cause they won't be kind enough to reply. If someone wants to take over that is fine and I will give you a list of all the rotton swappers.
There are 2 people that I want to thank for sending 2 packages Mary Twitchell, and Trisia Hesse-Tresider thank you so much you went above and beyond.
If anyone wants to be an angle for these wonderful people to at least get something small that would be great just send me an email.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Something else to share :)
I was wandering around looking for something else, following links off of links, and read the following. I didn't write down or bookmark where I got it from since I wasn't really thinking about doing this at the time - I was more interested in tracking down the pattern I wanted. But a few weeks later, when I needed to make a ball from a skein, I remembered it & tried it. This works well and maybe others will find it useful as well.
Take an empty toilet tissue roll and cut a very short slice into it at one end. Anchor the end of your yarn skein there so it will stay in place. Now start rolling your yarn on the roll using a figure 8 configuration and slowing working your way around the roll. You don't want all your yarn in one place ... you are constructing an inside pull-out ball. Once all the yarn is on the roll, tuck the outside end underneath a few of the last rounds to help keep it in place. Then remove the other end from the cut and slide the whole thing off the roll.
You can now pull your yarn from the center of your ball, which will stay politely in place right next to you, leaving the dust bunnies & other wild critters hiding under the bed, couch or chair until you are ready to cage 'em up.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Waiting for the next swap
But while collecting patterns, I came across something I'd like to share with the rest of you sock fanatics (you have to be fanatics .... you are making socks for people you've never met! LOL)
My least favorite part of making socks is grafting those toe stitches. It can be frustrating, especially on dark yarn, to see what you are doing. Occasionally, I lose a stitch, somehow - I get to the end of the needles and I'm one stitch short on one of them. Where did it go? I can't find it!
So finding a way to avoid that really made my day! And it's *so* easy to do! Once I read it, I wondered why I had never thought to do that on my own, it was *so* obvious!
Okay ... what is this wonderful, magical method (well worthy of Molly, I assure you!) ....
When you've reached the finish of your sock, and you have just the stitches that need to be grafted left on your needles, change to another yarn of the same size, but of a contrasting color. Cut your working thread several inches long (whatever you are comfortable with, you won't be using it for doing the seam). Knit 3 or 4 rounds on the remaining stitches with the new waste yarn. Cut your working thread long enough to thread on your tapestry needle and slip your stitches on to the tail. Now tuck the tube you've just knitted inside your sock, so you have your toe seam 'looking' at you, outlined in your new, contrasting color. Use your sock yarn to cut a piece of yarn several inches longer than your toe seam and start duplicate stitching from the center of your toe seam to each end. (From another website, that I didn't write down, sorry, .... try slipping a plastic easter egg or darning egg inside your sock to make it easier to see what you are doing.) Kitchener stitch is actually just duplicate stitch but done on two live edges instead of on knitted fabric. Now you have knitted fabric to work from, and duplicate stitch is easy to do because all you are doing, literally, is duplicating the stitches that are already there!
Once you've finished your toe seams, and you are sure all the stitches are joined, tidy in all 3 ends (your old working tail as well as both ends of the yarn you just used), remove the egg if you used one, and remove the waste yarn. If you didn't catch it in your stitches, you can even reuse it for the next sock. :)
If you'd like to see the website I got this from, here's the link:
http://www.tradewindknits.com/tbsoctoe.html
Doing my toes is so much easier now!!
Katt
Confessions
My pal is a Gryffindor, can you tell??
My second confession is one that I thought would be an incentive at first: I didn't open the package *I* received until my package went out. So my poor upstream pal has been thinking nothing ever got here, when in fact it's been taunting me from my bedside table for a month. ARGH! But today I finally got to crack into it, and man, was it worth the wait!
And underneath all that awesome packing was:
Eeee! I love it. SO MUCH! Irish Breakfast tea, a loverly pink mug, and a little kit to make a wee stuffed owl! Ule, my horned owl, will be so pleased to have a companion! And - excuse the exclamation marks - a knitters poetry magnet set!!!! Squeeee!!! I've been wanting one of those for-e-ver. And the socks? Freakin' perfect. My roommate thought I was going insane from jumping around. So Auntie Enid Finnegan, I adore you, and thank you SO MUCH! Ahem. I'll tone down the exclamation marks now.
But ladies - both up and downstream - thank you from the bottom of my (now much lighter) heart. Spring semester this year kicked my butt, and I'd like to publicly apologize for my negligence on both ends of the spectrum.
Auntie Enid, you'll be happy to know that Mr. Darcy appreciated your gift to him almost as much as I appreciated your gift to me. He is happily ensconced and has warned the other cats away from his new bed:
He says: Keep out! This Means You!
Friday, May 23, 2008
oh well...
And no Owl here yet...
I'm glad it went so well for everyone (else) :)
A little bummed,
Auntie Enid Finnegan
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Marvellous Socks Arrived!
They are the heart of an absolutely dazzling package! Details on my blog, and more pictures of the goodies, too!
Elizabeth Stewart Moody
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
OWL's Away
Friday, May 16, 2008
Package arrived
I will post pics and more detailed information later on my blog
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Forgot to Post
Monday, May 12, 2008
The first thing out of the bag, of course were my BEAUTIFUL new socks!!!They are done in stripes, in shades of red and gold with robe-black accent stripes. It took me about 10 seconds to change socks!!! And they fit perfectly! The top of the foot is done in a rib-stitch pattern, so nice because it causes the sock to hug my foot and not slide around - very important to me as I'm a diabetic and have to be so very careful not to accidentally injure my feet. Slippy-slidey socks tend to cause ulcers (big sores) which take forever to heal .... these socks won't do that!!! And since I never thought to mention that in my original request, my partner obviously has perfected the spell of mind-reading! (Wonder if I can talk her out of that spell? Would it work on teenage grandsons???? How about very young grandsons????)
And two packs of a special washing solution to keep my new socks fresh-smelling longer. Yay, 'cause I'll need 'em!!!
AND in a *wonderful* bag marked Polyjuice Potion and lined with stars, I found balls of hyacinth colored Peruvian Highland wool to make more socks! It will make wonderfully warm socks for this winter. ::smiles with delight:: (BTW, I see if I can persuade her to tell me where she got that fabric for the bag! It's perfect!!)
I also received the *coolest* knitting needle ever ... just one ... a circular needle .... that you wear on your wrist! Yes, it's a size 1 straight needle bent into a circle to form a bracelet!! So very, very cool!!!
Also received a bamboo crochet hook (to finish those edges off, you know LOL) .... it's a whole 3" long!!!! Wonder if I can use this to make the sleeves for Molly's Amazing Technicolor Houserobe? hmmmmmmmmmm
And then there's my beautiful new stitch markers in deep ruby and bronze - nice timing because I'm about to start a sock pattern I'll need 'em for.
And TWO patterns! A felted spiral wizard hat and a mini-sock pattern for a keychain holder!
Now, when my daughter brings home the digital camera later today (and I figure out how to get those pictures from *there* to *here*!), I will post a picture of all my goodies!
All in all .... I'm thrilled! (In case nobody figured that out yet!) Can't wait for the next swap!!
Katt
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Pattern request
Meanwhile, are we allowed to request a particular pattern? I really love the socks that Chrysta the Cursed knit for her partner and would love to make myself a pair ... especially as I just happen to have those colors on hand!
Lady Felula
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Wow! Look what the Owl Brought Me!
Monday, May 5, 2008
wonderful package received
There's more on my blog. Thank you so much, Selina!
My Owl Almost Didn't Make It!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
My Owl Arrived Awhile ago
More on my blog.
Thank you so much Chrysta
Sincerly, Ophelia Ballycastle First year Gryffindor.
Owl Arrived and Fashionably Late
My pal, Daisy Bladvak got her package; however she is swamped with finished her thesis. Everyone wish her the best and check out her thesis project it rocks!
My Owl Arrived!
Here's everything.
Check out my awesome Gyffindor socks.
I wrote lots more about it on my blog- check it out!
Thanks you so much Mafalda!!!
Another owl...
a great package from Cressida Townsbury. As if the beautiful socks with the cable up the back weren't enough, she also sent a very cool bag (perfect for carrying sock projects), a Ravenclaw bracelet and stitch markers, some yummy candy (which I already tested, of course), hand wash, my favorite addi turbo needles and a sock pattern. Wow! Thank you so much Cressida!
Fleur Dolohov
1st year Ravenclaw
Monday, April 28, 2008
Owl Post arrives in Oregon
Monday, April 21, 2008
My Owl landed
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Woah... Owls gallore!
After reading her note on paper made of silver (I think Celestina must come from an old wizarding family to have paper made of silver), it said that I could keep the owl. O_O (Definitely from an old wizarding family!) I promptly squee'd and introduced this young owl to my old family owl. I've now dubbed them Momma and Baby. (However, this appears to have irked my family owl. He seems to not like being called Momma. How odd.)
Thank you so much Celestina! I love it all!!!!
Friday, April 18, 2008
Last Day
Happy knitting!!
Headmistress Cassandra
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Running a little late
Mafalda Grubbly-Plank