Busy Busy!

I have certainly been busy! Most of my April was finishing up on Illanna's wedding present. It's done, sort of. It's being finished. Stan and I will be giving it to the Shapiros in a couple of weeks. Once I get a photo of it (and after I give it to them!) I'll post one!

I also knit Veronique (ravelry link) from French Girl Knits for the wedding. It ended up being WAY too big. I think I just need to take some yarn and pull it through the back seam to sort of pull it together in order to make it wearable. I'll do that eventually I guess.

Since the wedding, I've really been knitting on the Bog Jacket. I started the front side of one of the sleeves, so it's coming along. I'm feeling really good about it. I don't have any photos of that, of course. :) Really just imagine what you've already seen of it, but like, a TON more garter stitch. It's been really boring to knit which I think is one of the reasons I put it down, but I've recently really got back into it and am enjoying the meditative calmness it affords me.

I also started a new pair of socks out of some Scheaffer yarns that Beth gave me. I decided to use a rather simple pattern, so I'm knitting the Primavera pattern. It's a free pattern I found via Ravelry. It's simple, not too much going on there, and seems to be fitting the bill. As soon as this Bog Jacket's done though, you can be sure I'll be casting on for something way more lacy! I have a couple of tricks up my sleeve!

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I'm sure most people know by now that I used to hang out at The Point all the time. And I'm sure a lot of people know that Helene closed The Point recently. It was quite sad. I'm still kind of bummed by it because it was always the place I'd go when I didn't know where to go after work.

My dad has always taught me, however, that for every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction. So, while The Point's closure was a bad thing, I must say, I'm not too bummed with what I got out of the sale!

2 skeins of Kraemer Sterling Silk and Silver in White Veil


9 skeins of Ella Rae Bamboo Silk in Black


5 skeins of Rowan Calmer in a light blue
and a copy of A Gathering of Lace by Meg Swansen.

I've recently gotten quite a bit more yarn, but I'm afraid of making this post super long, and my lunch break is over!

Last Minute Craziness

Anyone interested in meeting up at The Point to knit for a bit?

I'll probably get there around 5:30 or so.

I Really Am a Sucker for Sparkly

Just a little pattern solicitation that's all.

I checked Ravelry already, but I wasn't too impressed with my results.

You see, while I was at The Point today, I ran into a fellow knitter. I was about to cash out, when I saw she was getting some nifty sparkly yarn. I went to the back to check it out. You know how much of a sucker for sparkly I am. Oh, you want to see it?



So, after much thought, I think I've decided to knit the Spiral Boot Socks from last year's Summer Interweave Knits out of it. With the sparkles and the spirals I think they'd be pretty funky. Those will be the socks I knit after I'm done with these Bellatrix socks! Whee!!!

Anyway, the yarn is Kraemer Yarns Sterling Silk & Silver and it's made of merino, silk, nylon and sterling silver. It's totally fabulous.

Buttons!

So, I found the buttons I bought for the Tangled Yoke Cardigan!! They were in a pocket inside a zippered pocket of the new Jordana Paige bag my friend Victoria gave me! They were just hiding out there the whole time! I was so excited I think I yelled rather loudly and disruptively at The Point. Used to be I could yell like that when I got excited and Burhan or Rebecca or Sande would get excited and happy. I think Illana was happy, but that was about it. Here's what they look like:



So here's a happy little badge I created on Flickr that'll show you what's happened so far in April. Lots of new yarns added to the stash, lots of traveling, and even more knitting. For any of the photos that you like, click on them to check them out closer. I've added most of these to Ravelry (the yarn related ones anyway).

www.flickr.com

This is a Flickr badge showing public items from happyskrappy tagged with APRIL08. Make your own badge here.

ETA: I can't get that damn badge to show up...so just click on the damn buttons above it. GRR! Why won't the flash work with blogger! I have another one of these things on the sidebar! It should work!!

So tonight I met up with Illana (She's Illana on Ravelry) at The Point. It was exactly what I needed after a whole day of running around answering crazy emails and getting ready for Comic-Con.

I finished the tangled part of the Tangled Yoke Cardigan and I only have a few more inches of stockinette to do with some short rows for the back of the neck and then another inch or so of garter rib and then I can start on the button band!

Why my SNB is the best out there

I love my SNB guys and gals. Seriously, they're amazing.

Tuesday night Adina Klein (I have no idea how to spell that, my issue of VK is in the other room, and the VK website is down) came to our SNB and did a bit of a run through of what's in this issue of the magazine. A few of us got to try on some stuff. Here's a quick look:


Jessaymn models one of the 25th anniversary scarves (I think this is actually the cover project)


Isn't she fabulous!!?? We even managed to get one of our other fancy gals to try on a little glitter!



I tried on a DKNY ski sweater that I've decided I must knit. Excuse the squinty face, but its really a happy squinty face!!



It was so very comfortable, oversized, and knit with Lions Brand Cashmere Blend. I"m not a huge Lions Brand fan...but this yarn was SUPER comfortable, SUPER warm and just super all around. Really made me change what I think about Lions Brand, and if I can't find anything suitable at Rhinebeck to knit this sweater out of, I might even buy some Lions Brand Cashmere Blend for it!

After the VK showcase, we all chatted. There were so many SNBers there! Michelle came for the night, and we've been seeing less and less of Heather! It was awesome to see everyone! On monday, in a fit of excitement I emailed my SNB gals that I'm getting that knitting tattoo I've been talking about for months! I made the appointment for Saturday and decided it was going to be an early birthday gift for myself. Well, on tuesday they all got together and decided to buy my tattoo for me!!! Now, not only will the tattoo have the meaning of my passion for knitting, but it will also be a constant reminder of my SNB gals and how much they all mean to me!!! How awesome are these folks!?!? Seriously, I know I've thanked you all a million times, but I love you all thank you so much!!!

Here's a shot of the card they all signed (isn't it just adorable and awesome!!??) alongside a nifty coin bank my roommate picked up at a quirky store in Jersey.


The smaller print on the tin says "Is wool your dirty little secret too?" There's a woman on the side saying "I need half a gram of wool and quick! I'm starting to come down..." and there's a warning on the other side that "sharing knitting needles can be hazardous to your health" It's so awesome!

Getting back to the tattoo: when I got to the studio on Monday, the dude took a quick glance at the pages of my notebook and said "oh, a knitting tattoo!" There wasn't even really all that much knitting related on it, just a few sketches of balls of yarn, but it was a good sign. When we were talking about when to do it, he suggested a day, i was busy, I suggested a day, he was busy, and then I was like, "well...the weekend after that I'm actually headed to a knitting thing, so it can't be then" and he was like, "well, you've got to get it done before then!" I'm so excited and curious to see what he did with the drawing I gave him. I'll be sure to post photos as soon as I get them!

I had to rip back the Berkshire pullover twice, so I'm on attempt number three. The first one was way too small, the second one was way too big, and this one looks rather on target.

Jack Sparrow's Favorite Socks are about halfway through the faire Isle on the second sock. It hasn't been knitted as much because of the Berkshire pullover. They're so close to completion and will probably be done sometime next weekend.

Overheard In A Yarn shop continues... It's only been around for a week and it seems to be getting a decent number of hits a day. I didn't post tonight cause I've been working on this blog and to be frank, I didn't get any submissions to use. I realize that I seriously need to get the point out. Kimmy mentioned that I should get a contest of some sort. I should find some local or smallish yarn company trying to get its start, get them to donate a prize or two and get the word out. I'm, frankly, thinking this could be a great opportunity to get a good banner and button...I just need to do a bit of research, which I'll do when I get down to it, but I've got a lot of stuff going on, what with the birthday and going to Rhode Island and all that jazz. Looking for smaller yarn folk might be kinda fun though!

Anyway, I desperately need submissions, so keep your ears open, blog about it etc. Submissions can be sent to overheardinayarnsop(at)gmail(dot)com. It's really only going to be as awesome as the submissions allow, and there's only so many times I can post crazy hearings or - worse - my own mutterings at The Point before I even end up getting bored!